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~ \ , f' :- :"" ,- .... " U U ~~ (j U l., -13- ,. For many years the State has been urging the investigation and issuanoe of reports on specifio projeots within its borders. These investigations and reports have reaohed various stages of oompletion. Based thereon and beoause of known information on these projeots, the state is able and desires to urge an early issuanoe of reports on, and oonsideration for early oonstruotion, of a group of projeots hereinafter mentioned. These projeots are all within the Colorado River Basin and will oause a depletion of water supplies assuredly within the ultimate allooation of Colorado River water whioh may be made to the State. Consideration of these projeots for oonstruotion should not be delayed pending the oonsummation of an Upper Colorado River Basin oompaot. These projects do not oonstitute an exclusive list and the list should be subjeot to expansion as investigations proceed. The projeots, with brief referenoes to their nature and investi- gational and authorization status, are as follows, , , (a) Paonia Projeot. This projeot was authorized in 1939 and since that time ~900DOOO has been appropriated for its oon- struotion. The sum of $848,470.50 now remains available to the Bureau of Reolamexion to prooeed with aotual oonstruotion. Be- oause of ohange in design, inorease in costs and neoessary repay- ment arrangements, it was found neoessary to seek a reauthorization or amended authorization. The neoessary distriot organizations of water users have been set up. More recently the water users have agreed to inorease their unit obligations for the water and have, with the ooncurrenCl8 of the State, suggested a longer repay- ment period. The final report has been oornpleted and the projeot is before the Department of Interior for approval and for sub- mission to the Congress for reauthorization. T1B projeot will provide supplemental water supplies for presently irrigated lands. The storage faoilities of this projeot provide a capaoity of 14,000 aore feet. l ,~\,: 't~ ",0,(., (b) Pine River Extension. This projeot will provide laterals and distribution faoilities for the conveyanoe to projeot lands of water stored by the Valleoito reservoir, located in Southwestern Colorado. The Valleoito dam and reservoir is a Bureau of Reolamation projeot completed ill December, 1942. It stores 125,000 aore feet of water. ~he existing facilities below the dam do not se rve all of the landS which may, and are intenqe,'Il; to be, irrigated with water stored in Vallecito reservoir. Tl1e " Pine River Extension constitutes a unit of the project. Inves'!;i- gations of the Pine River Extension have proeeeded to the point where a report of the Regional Direotor, Region 4, Bureau of Reclamation, is expected in the very near future. Obviously, in the interest of the water users under the Pine River projeot, as well as in the interest of the Government, in order to make stored water available for irrigation of land, the Pine River Extension should be oonsidered for early oonstruotion.