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<br />Riverside County norch of Salton Sea; The Metro-
<br />politan Water District of Southern California, cover-
<br />ing most of the coastal area; the City of Los Angeles
<br />and its Department of Water and Power, and the San
<br />Diego County Water Authority, both majot com-
<br />ponents of The Metropolitan 'Nater District, having
<br />pooled their Colorado River water rights with those
<br />of the District,
<br />These six agencies receive Colorado River water
<br />through three great projects: (1) the Palo Verde Di-
<br />version Dam and Canal; (2) the Imperial Dam and
<br />desilting works and the All-American Canal which
<br />serve both Imperial Irrigation District and the Coa-
<br />chella Valley County Water District, plus the Yuma
<br />Federal Reclamation Project, a small portion of which
<br />is in California; and (3) the Colorado River Aqueduct,
<br />diverting at Parker Dam and carrying a billion gallons
<br />of water a day to The Metropolitan Water District,
<br />which wholesales the water to its member agencies for
<br />retailing,
<br />The Department of \Vater and Power of the City of
<br />Los Angeles, and the Southern California Edison Com-
<br />pany, operate the power plant at Hoover Dam, and
<br />their 0\\'0 transmission lines carry much of the energy
<br />to the consumers. Electric energy generated at the
<br />river plants is used by The Metropolitan Water Dis-
<br />trict to lift its water from the river more than 1600
<br />feet, to an elevation from which it flows by gravity
<br />to the coast.
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<br />Palo Verde Irrigation Di.trict
<br />California's active interest in the use of water from
<br />the Colorado dates from 1877 when water was first
<br />appropriated for the Palo Verde area, whic_h is riparian
<br />to the river. This appropriation is the first of record
<br />on the lower Colorado River.
<br />Palo V crde I rrigation District
<br />which succeeded to the original
<br />rights was created by Act of the
<br />State Legislature in 192 3, and has
<br />the number one priority in Cali-
<br />fornja to the waters of Colorado
<br />River. The district centers around
<br />the town of Blythe, named after
<br />the man who made the first water
<br />appropriation_ Blythe obtains its municipal water
<br />supply from wells sunk in the \'alle,' Roor, but the
<br />irrigation supply is all brought from the river,
<br />The irrigation district co\.ers an area of about
<br />120,000 acres extending along the river for nearly 30
<br />miles. Approximately 90,000 acres are now irr~gated.
<br />Ptincipal products are alfalfa, cotton, lettuce, melons
<br />and livestock.
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<br />Imperial Irrigation District
<br />The Imperial Valley is irrigated by the largest
<br />desert irrigation development in the entire western
<br />hemisphere. This plan was initiated under water ap-
<br />propriations made in the 1890's, and irrigation began
<br />in June of 1901 when water was first deli\'ered from
<br />the river by an unlined canal.
<br />Because of topographic obstacles, the first diversion
<br />works were onlv a short distance above the 1\1exican
<br />boundar,', The' canal ran about 50 miles through
<br />Mexico before re-entering the
<br />United States, Since 1940, how-
<br />ever, the Imperial Irrigation Dis-
<br />trict has been sen'ed by a canal
<br />lying entirely within the United
<br />States, known as the AIl-Ameri-
<br />can Canal.
<br />Heading at Imperial Dam, 22
<br />miles north of the international
<br />boundary, the Canal was built by
<br />the United States Bureau of Reclamation at a cost of
<br />more than $25 million to the Imperial Irrigation
<br />District.
<br />The District is the hugest single operating irriga-
<br />tion project in the nation. It was organized in 1911
<br />and now comprises 910,000 acres of which more than
<br />one half are irrigated, all at or below sea level. Annual
<br />district crop yields <lnd livestock feeding have made
<br />Imperial County the fourth highest agricultural pro-
<br />ducer in the nation. \\linter \-cgetables are a specialty.
<br />Other crops include cotton, alfalfa, sugar beets and
<br />melons.
<br />Domestic and industrial water requirements in the
<br />\.alley are supplied with canal writer.
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<br />Coaclwlla Valley County Waler District
<br />Irrigation of the Coachella Valley was started in
<br />1902 by water supplies obtained from the artesian
<br />basin underlying the \'alle,', Coa-
<br />chella Valley County Water Dis-
<br />trict was organized in 1918 for
<br />the initial purpose of conserving
<br />local supplies and replenishing the
<br />underground basin, but when it
<br />was realized that the local supply
<br />was insufficient to sen'e the irrigable area, the District
<br />turned its attention to Colorado River .:md cooperated
<br />with Imperial Irrigation District in planning the AlI-
<br />American Can,ll to serve the entire Salton Basin with
<br />river water, In 1949 Colorado River water first
<br />reached Coachella Valle,' through a 124-mile branch
<br />of the All-American Canal. About 52,000 acres are
<br />under irrigation, all with Colorado River water.
<br />All the dates grown commercially in the United
<br />States are produced in Coachella Valley, Other prin-
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