WSP00256

• File Number: 8210.140.20
• Description: Colorado River Basin Organizations and Entities - Colorado River Basin States Forum - California
• State: CA
• Basin: Western Slope
• Date: 6/1/1969
• Author: Myron B Holburt
• Title: Californias Stake in the Colorado River
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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cipal crops include citrus, table grapes, winter vege-
tables and cotton. Livesrock feeding operations are
important contributors to the economy.

The District contains a gross area of 660,000 acres,
including within its service area about 161,000 acres
of irrigable agricultural bnd and about 65,000 actes
suitable for urban development, Most of the agticul-
rural hmd is below sea le\"el. The towns and cities,
of which the largest is Indio, still obtain their water
supplies from wells. Palm Springs, famous winter re-
sort, is in Coachella Vallev, though not a part of the
County \Vater District.

The District has contracted with the State for
23, I 00 acre-feet of water per annum from the State
\Vater Project, to be delivered beginning in 19n
and [0 be lisen. mainl:" for domestic and municipal
purposes.

Yuma Reclamation Project, California Portion
Construction of the Yuma Federal Reclamation
Project, on both sides of the Colorado in Yuma Valley
at the Mexican boundary, was authorized in 1904 as
one of the first projects to be developed under the
authority of the Reclamation Act of 1902 and the first
on the Colorado, Gross area of the California portion
is about 25,000 acres. Irrigation was started in 1907,
and now extends to about 11,000 acres. The Arizona
portion of the project is the larger.

City of Los Angeles and its Department
of Water and Power
The coastal plain of Southern California has known
one of the most rapid increases in population and eco~
nomic development of any comparable area in the
country, Early development depended for water upon
small local streams and upon thou-
sands of wells pumping or Row-
ing hy pressure from the under-
ground supplies. Disco\'ery and
development of these vast ground-
water resources g3\'e the area one
uf its first land booms, prior to
1900, It became apparent about
the turn of the century, however,
that the local water supply would he inadequate to
meet increasing demands. In a bold move under the
leadership of \Villiam Mulholland. the City of Los
Angeles in 1913 completed a 250-mile aqueduct from
the closed basin of the Owens Ri\'er Valley at the
castern fout of the Sierra Ne\"ada T\'Jountains. Later
the Monu Basin, 100 miles farther north, was also
tapped, The Owens-Mono aqueduct still furnishes the
city about 65 percent of its water supply.

The new supply of excellent water obtained in 1913
helped the cit:-- grow so fast, however, that before
long it needed still more water. The tax base increased
too, so that the city could afford to look still farther
afield, In 1923 preliminary surveys were begun to
establish the feasibility of an aqueduct from Colorado
River to Los Angeles, and a water right filing under
state law was made in 1924. It was evident that in
order to insure water for the city in dry periods, and
to satisfy the needs of senior appropriators, large flood
control and conservation storage would be needed
on the river. At that time Imperial Irrigation District
also was urging the need for storage, so the citizens
of Los Angeles and Imperial Valley joined forces [0
urge federal construction of a large storage reservoir
and puwer plant on the river (now Lake Mead and
Hoover Dam), while the city continued its surveys
and studies which later materialized into the Colorado
River Aqueduct.

Los Angeles has under construction a second Owens
River aqueduct, to increase the supply from that
source by half.

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