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. CRAFTER II PLAN OF DEVELOPMGNT naturaJ. channels would aJ.so receive return flmfs from higher lands which wOlud be reused in the lower areas. Existing laterals are adequate to serve all other areas of project land. Land drains would be constructed wherever the need for them is demonstrated in actual project operation. Owners of the Gould Dam and Reservoir would be required to perform any rehabilitation work necessary to provide adequate freeboard on the dam and to insure safe passage of flood flmrs through the spillway. This work could be completed by the farmers themselves prior to project con- struction or at least prior to the development periods discussed in Chapter VI. . Flows of soap and Curecanti Creeks would be utilized by the project to the fullest extent practicable except for bypasses for the downstream fisheries as eA':plained in Chapter IV. A small diversion from the head- waters of Curecanti Creek to Smith Fork \fould continue to be made. At the present time some \fater from Soap Creek is used to irrigate lands near the mouth of the stream and late Summer novs of both Soap and Cure- canti Creeks are required for d01n1stream water rights on the Glmnison Ri vel', Hi th construction of the Blue Mesa Reservoir on the Gunnison Hi vet', a feature of the authorized Curecanti unit of the Colorado River Storage project, nearly all of the lands irrigated from Soap Creek \fould be inun- dated, Thus Soap Creek \fater would not be required for these lands. It is planned that reservoirs of the Curecanti unit would be operated to fulJ;y supply dOlffistream rights on the Gunnison River, thus relieving Soap and Curecanti Creeks of responsibility for providing unstored flows for these rights. A tentative farm unit layout indicates that approximately 12,593 acres of project full service land could be subdivided into 81 family- sized ne\f farm units. The remaining 3,927 acres of full service ~and and the 6,930 acres of supplemental service land would be farmed in existing units \fith probably some minor redistribution of the supplemental service land in various ownerships. The farm units ,.,ould incorporate acreages of nonirrigab~e land interspersed wj th the irrigable land. As a part of project development, the Government would acquire land in private mmer- ship needed for the project and would sell the acquired land along with land already in public olmership to the project settlers. Some technical assistance to the project settlers by the Bureau of Reclamation is planned as a part of project development. Project Organization A water conservancy district, to be known as the Fruitland Mesa Water Conservancy District, is currently being organized under the laws of Colorado as thg general contracting and administrative asency for the Fruitland Mesa project. The conservancy district lTOuld levy taxes against . all real property within its boundaries and would be responsible for the 11