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<br />BUREAU OF RECLAMATION REPORT <br /> <br />2,400 acre-feet would be required during the winter months for conser- <br />vation of fish and wildlife and domestic use along the Florida River. <br /> <br />Lemon Reservoir would yield an average of about 16,300 acre-feet <br />annually. Approximately 8,200 acre-feet of this water would be provided <br />for the 12,650 acres of irrigated land requiring supplemental water and <br />8,100 acre-feet would be provided for the 6,300 acres presently unirri- <br />gated. In addition, an average of about 6,900 acre-feet of direct flow <br />would be made available by project development to the land not now irri- <br />gated. In drought years such as 1931, 1939, and 1940, the project supply <br />would be from 19 to 32 percent short of requirements. A maximum short- <br />age of nearly 50 percent would be experienced in an extreme drought year <br />such as 1934. Such occasional shortages would still permit successful <br />project operation. <br /> <br />Existing direct flow right s of presently irrigated lams permit <br />larger diversions than are actually required throughout most of the <br />irrigation season. Diversion of water substantially in accordance with <br />the net beneficial use requirements, estimated at 2.73 acre-feet per acre <br />annually, would be necessary under the project as planned, however, to <br />permit the anticipated storage regulation and equitable distribution of <br />the water throughout the area. Diversions in accordance with the require- <br />ments would necessitate agreements among the owners of direct flow rights, <br />providing for curtailment of the present extravagant use of water when <br />stream flow is plentiful and for storage of stream flows in excess of the <br />requirements. Since nearly all owners of direct flow irrigation rights <br />on the stream are expected to participate in the project and would benefit <br />from its development, it is believed that the necessary agreements could <br />be obtained. <br /> <br />The Florida project would increase the depletion of the Colorado <br />River by about 12,900 acre-feet annually. The depletion would amount <br />to only about 0.4 percent of the water allocated to the State of Colorado <br />by the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact. Adequate water storage and <br />diversion rights for the project could be obtained under Colorado law. <br /> <br />Project Lands <br /> <br />The 18,950 acres to be furnished project water were selected on <br />the basis of a land classification survey and correlated water supply, <br />engineering, and economic studies. Approximately 7 percent of the proj- <br />ect area is Class 1 land, highly suitable for sustained irrigation farm- <br />ing from the standpoint of soil characteristics and fertility, topography, <br />and drainage. Approximately 92 percent of the area is Class 2 land, <br />moderately suitable for irrigation farming. The remainder, or about 1 <br />percent of the project area, is pasture class land, generally unsuited <br />to rotational cropping or relatively low in productive capacity. This <br />pasture class land is included in the project area as it is presently <br /> <br />5 <br />