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<br />0"1-,/-- <br />uu"!/J <br />Fruitland Mesa Project (Continued) <br /> <br />d. Irrigation of new lands in the Fruitland Mesa area has been re- <br />duced to lessen the impact on critical big game wintering area but the <br />12,000 acres of new lands still presents a significant impact on big game <br />winter range that has not been resolved. <br /> <br />e. Increase of 2 to 4 mg/l of salinity in the Colorado River below <br />Lake Mead woul-d occur. The EPA has made an estinate of 5 mg/l and this <br />remains an unresolved issue. <br /> <br />f. Better access to Soap Creek will require a marina to be con- <br />structed on the Soap Creek arm of Blue Mesa Reservoir to handle the ex- <br />pected increase in recreation use. <br /> <br />Political Considerations <br /> <br />This project was authorized in 1964, and a repayment contract was approved <br />and signed in 1969. Construction has not started which is of concern to <br />all involved. The area has long been eoonomicaD.y depressed and depends <br />mainly on irrigation from an erratic water su;pply. The project would sub- <br />stantially bolster the local economy through supplemental irrigation. <br /> <br />This project is included in the Colorado State Water Plan which is now <br />being formulated. <br /> <br />Political considerations of most importance relate to the timely develop- <br />ment of this project in relationship to other western Colorado authorized <br />projects and to the Central Arizona Project which were authorized in P.L. <br />90-537. <br /> <br />Administration and Repayment <br /> <br />The Fruitland Mesa Water Conservancy District will be the contracting, ad- <br />ministrative, and operating agency for the project. <br /> <br />A repayment contract (No. 14-o6-400-5Ll3) was executed and validated in <br />1969. The contractor is the Fruitland Mesa Water Conservancy District. <br />Among other things the contract: <br /> <br />L Establishes a repayment obligation of $3,790,000 to be <br />paid in 50 successive equal annual installments for each <br />development block. <br /> <br />2. Establishes three development blocks: <br /> <br />a. Block I--consisting of presently irrigated private <br />land--4-year development period, <br /> <br />b. Block II--consisting of privately mmed land not <br />presently irrigated--lO-year development period, <br /> <br />c. Block III--consisting of public land to be disposed <br />of to project settlers in farm units--10-yeardevel- <br />opment period. <br /> <br />8 <br />