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v uo,u . The primary objective of the fund is to establish an on-toing capital formation mechanism to allow the Tribe the financial resources necessary to provide a safe, adequate, consistent source of potable water for the reservation community to meet the current and fu~ure water needs of the Tribe, 3. Agricultural Development Fund After evaluating the agricultural development attemts of a number of tribes in the southwest, the Task Force, in conjunction with the Tribel Council, has determined the need to establish an Agricultural Development Fund. The fund would provide the Tribe with the capital needed to plan, develop and operate the 7,500 acres of irrigated farmland to be received under the Dolores River Project to maximize success at a pace which would compliment tribal priorities as well as capabilities. To have a reasonable chance of success, the tribal agricltural development will need to be designed and engineered by a competent, independent engineering firm. Estimates of the cost of engineering a farm development on this scale have ranged from $500,000 to $1,000,000. The .fund will allow the Tribe the flexibility and control necessary to plan the project to accomplish tribal goals and objectives and to acquire the skilled technical resources necessary to realize a successful agricultural development. .. The fund will allow the Tribe the capital necessary to afford farm development costs including: -land development -sprinkler system purchase, installation and operation -farm machinery purchase and operation, -marketing -annual-operation and maintenance costs for the canal system, farm development, fertilizer, seeds, supplies and personnel costs. Ultimately, when funded and implemented, the Tribal Water Resources Development Plan will allow the Tribe the best possible mechanism for the developmetn of a viable reservation economy and will significantly enhance the quality of life within the tribal homeland. NEED FOR LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANCE . The Tribe is requesting $10,75 mil~iorr-for.theconstruction costs. and on-going funding from the $9,16 million in savings in plan B, pI us additional reprogramming funds.' Research .of . existing legislation, including the Reclamation Acts of 1902, 1914, and 1939, the Colorado River Storage Project Act of 1956, the River and Harbor, Flood Control and Water Supply Acts of 1958, the Colorado River BAsin PRoject Act of 1968, and the--Leavitt Act- of 1932, indicate .that the Department of the Interior lacks the authority to grant the.-Tribe $10.75 million out ot the Project cost savings. Meetings with delegates of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, as well as with local Bureau officials, support that conclusion, especially ont he issue of establishing on-toing developmental funds. As a result, the Tribe needs and is hereby requesting legislative assistance from its Congressment to receive the necessary funds to carry out its Water Resources Development Plan, -5-