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<br />nr i'~ln4 <br />..,I .; _ _. .' .. <br /> <br />of water is diverted to Federal, private, and state lands, of which <br /> <br />amount 117,000 acre-feet is pumped directly from the river or <br /> <br />served to the land through facilities of an irrigation district. <br /> <br />In addition, about 1,000 acre-feet is pumped or lifted from wells <br /> <br />for use by over 500 commercial, residential or recreational develop- <br /> <br />ments on Federal, private, and state lands along the Colorado River. <br /> <br />The small amount of water used by these entities is not considered <br /> <br />significant. <br /> <br />General Comments <br /> <br />Illegal occupancy of Federal lands along the Colorado River from <br /> <br />Davis Dam to the international boundary and use of water on these <br /> <br />and private lands has been a continually growing problem since <br /> <br />immediately preceding World War II. The acreage of bottomlands <br /> <br />along the river farmed since 1955 is shown in the enclosed Table I. <br /> <br />Irrigation water to serve the farmlands, for most part lands lying <br /> <br />outside of organized irrigation districts, has been developed by <br /> <br />the trespasser or owner of the private lands either by digging a <br /> <br />w~ll or placing a pump directly in the Colorado River or in a <br /> <br />slough or backwater area fed from the river. There is little doubt <br /> <br />that the ground water is Colorado River water or in any case the <br /> <br />recharge of the underground is directly from the river. The source <br /> <br />of water used to irrigate the Federal, private and State land~ and <br /> <br />2 <br />