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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />therefore, organized reservoir companies to build small headwaters reservoirs <br />where surplus water in the spring could be impounded for release later in the <br />growing season. Nearly all of the reservoirs were built at elevations between <br />10,000 and 11 ,000 feet. <br /> <br />Most of the direct flow water rights for the principal distribution ditches have <br />appropriation dates prior to 1900, but sometimes additional rights were subse- <br />quently obtained as a system was enlarged and more land was brought under <br />cultivation, The irrigated area probably reached its maximum size about 1930. <br />Since that time, land on which crop production was not especially successful has <br />been withdrawn from irrigation, <br /> <br />The only federal irrigation project implemented in the area by the USBR was <br />Fruitgrowers Reservoir, which was completed in 1939. This federal project dam <br />replaced one built earlier by local interests. The first dam failed in 1937, The <br />project is now owned and operated as a private irrigation company which supplies <br />water for approximately 2,390 acres. The area served by Fruitgrowers Reservoir <br />was not considered to be part of the area where improved water supply was sought <br />by the project being formulated in this study, but it was accounted for in this study <br />because proposed improvements could not infringe on the area's water rights. <br /> <br />As indicated in Chapter I, the USBR conducted studies over a period of years of an <br />additional federal project to benefit the Tongue Creek basin, and neighboring <br />basins, However, none of the various alternative plans formulated by the Bureau <br />were ever implemented, primarily due to problems with respect to economic <br />feasibility. <br /> <br />In the primary study area of the present study, there are approximately 15,230 <br />acres of land in four sub-areas. About 975 acres are occupied by municipal <br />development, farm residential dwellings, other farm structures or are not culti- <br />vated for some reason, so the net irrigated area amounts to 14,255 acres, Hay <br />crops and pasture account for 6,375 acres, Fruit orchards, which occupy 2,900 <br />acres, have the greatest economic significance. Corn and small grains are <br />cultivated on 3,695 acres, Finally, rural residential lots occupy 1,285 acres. A <br />majority of the area in residential lots was once cropland, and owners of the lots <br />usually had water rights, <br /> <br />11-6 <br />