BOARD01955

• Board Meeting Date: 3/21/1973
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Memos
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

facilities of MVI have historically proven to be inadequate to fully
mature crops and provide utilization of farmers' time and their fixed
costs in farming. By the construction of the Dolores project, excess
water that cannot presently be captured during the spring runoff of
the Dolores River can be stored and used to increase crop yields and
thus supplement the farmers' income and tax base.

In addition to provisions in the Dolores project to provide supple-
mental water for the Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company, the project
has provisions to bring an additional 32,000 acres of new crop lands
under irrigation in both Montezuma and Dolores counties. The pros-
pect of a water supply for these new lands has been enthusiastically
received by farmers now farming in the dry areas of the project
boundaries. Several meetings have been held explaining the applica-
tion, benefits and approximate costs of placing these lands under
irrigation. As an innovative approach to irrigation systems, the
new service lands are tentatively proposed to be supplied under a
pressure irrigation system. Under a pressurized irrigation system,
Bureau of Reclamation studies show that a much greater efficient
use of water can be obtained and many of the better lands in the new
ar~a can be utilized.

.~r.
The"~se of the sprinkler system for the new service area has been
pre~icated on studies on an experimental farm which has been in
oper~~ion for one full growing season in our project area. This
research demonstration farm is operated by Colorado State University
in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, with financial assis-
tancefrom the Dolores Water Conservancy Board. As in all experi-
mental projects, many problems arose during the first year of opera-
tion. However, we feel the results of this farm will be of great
assistance in innovating farming in the new service areas, as well
as assisting existing irrigated ~arms in the Montezuma Valley.

I

As you as a board are aware, the Dolores project was subject to a
very intensive attack from conservationists last September in which
we were accused of figuratively destroying southwestern Colorado. As
a result of this controversy, the Dolores Water Conservancy District,
with assistance from the Southwestern Water Conservation District,
answered all the inquiries concerning the economic feasibility and I
enhancement by. the project of the scenic beauty, boating and fish
life on the Dolores River below the damsite. The following criteria
was establi~hedto further explain the advantages of the project to
the environmentalists:

1. That without the Dolores project future development, other than

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