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<br />44 <br /> <br />1 Reclamation first reported on the Fruitland Mesa Project in <br /> <br /> <br />2 1946 as a part of its basin-wide inventory of the Colorado <br /> <br /> <br />3 River. A subsequent reconnaisance report on the project was <br /> <br />. 4 published in 1951. <br /> <br />S Farndng and ranching operations in the project area <br /> <br />6 began in about 1880 and were gradually expanded until the. <br />1 <br /> <br />drought years of the 1930's. For some unexplainable reason, <br /> <br />8 .al:>'normallylow lavels of precipitation have continued to <br />9 <br />plaque the Fruitland Mesa area since the 1930 I s. ~vater short. <br />10 <br />ages for. irrigation since that time in some years have ranged <br /> <br />11 <br /> <br />from one hundred percent in tile upperPruitland area to <br /> <br />12 <br />seventy-nine percent in the lower Fruitland area. As a resul <br />13 <br />of these intolerable shortages, the population has declined <br />14 <br />and there has been a considerable out-migration of the youngeJ <br /> <br />15 <br />16 <br /> <br />people. <br /> <br />Beoause of the critical situation in the Fruitland <br /> <br />17 <br />18 <br />19 <br />20 <br />21 <br />22 <br />23 <br />24 <br /> <br />Mesa area, the Colorado Water Conservation Board in 1956 gave <br /> <br />the ,})'ruitland I'leaa Project the highest priority for construc- <br /> <br />tion. In that same year, Congress diracted that the project <br /> <br />be given priority for feasibility investigation.. On November. <br /> <br />5, 1962 the completed feasibility report was officially trans. <br /> <br />mitted to the President of the United States, and on April 19 <br /> <br />1963, with the consent of the president, was officially trans <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />mitted to the Congress of the United States. Subsequently, <br />25 <br />Congress conducted public hearings on the project and thereaf er <br />