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<br />r-- <br />ao <br />- <br />~; <br /> <br />. "'\ <br />,;,.' ~ <br />',-> -/ <br /> <br />~. <br /> <br />What Is the Central Arizona Project? <br /> <br />It is a so-called reclamation project to take Colorado River water to land <br />in the central part of Arizona, near Phoenix. <br /> <br />Principal construction features of the costly project are described in Senate <br />Bill 75 now pending in the House of Representatives. They include (I) <br />Bridge Canyon Dam and power plant on the Colorado River, 120 miles <br />above Hoover (Boulder) Dam, (2) Parker pump lift, to take irrigation water <br />from the Colorado river near Parker Dam and lift it to a total height ofu <br />985 feet, (3) a 300-mile system of canals and pipe lines to deliver water <br />for raising ordinary field crops, such as alfalfa, hay and cotton to Arizona <br />lands. <br /> <br />The principal excuse advanced by the project proponents for its construc- <br />tion is to provide a "rescue" supply of Colorado River water to 226,000 <br />acres of war-boom land in Arizona. On this basis the cost of such un- <br />precedented government "relief" is $1,838 an acre for the irrigation features <br />alone. Comparison with official records shows that this per-acre cost is <br />IIOO/,o greater than the average for all other western reclamation projects <br />to date. <br /> <br />No public lands will be opened for entry to war veterans ~r other citizens <br />under provisions of the project. It will be used exclusively for the benefit <br />of present land owners. More than one-half of the land involved is owned <br />by 420 individuals who would receive average benefits of $550,000 each, <br />at the expense of the Nation's taxpayers. <br /> <br />According to an official estimate made by the Secretary of the Interior, <br />American taxpayers would be required to pay $2,075,729,000 in additional <br />taxes to subsidize the Arizona project. What the taxpayers in each state <br />would have to pay is shown on the reverse side of this sheet. <br /> <br />Strenuous attempts to get the fantastic project approved by Congress <br />are being made by Arizona promoters in the face of the war emergency. <br />Construction of the huge system would consume vast quantities of critical <br />materials and would add to the drain on manpower without contributing <br />in any way to the war effort. <br /> <br />In peace time or in war time, the Central Arizona Project has no justifica- <br />tion from the standpoint of national economy or the Nation's taxpayers. <br /> <br />COLORADO RIVER ASSOCIATION, 306 W. 3rd ST., L. A. 13, CALIF. <br /> <br />End of Document <br />