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PURPOSE: ;:: The purpose of this brochure is to place before interested persons, particularly members of the CO Senate and House Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs, a review of the physical conditions C\J which affect the problem of establishing a permanent means of diversion of irrigation water from '.::) the Colorado River into the canal system of Palo Verde Irrigation District, California. This bro- o c~ure provides information relative to H. R. 8498 and S. 646 (as amended), 83rd Congress, 2nd Ses- SIOn. PROBLEM: The Palo Verde Irrigation District has an established water right dating back to 1877. Be- tween 1908 and 1935 the District satisfactorily irrigated all cultivated land within 90% of its gross valley area by gravity from the river. Records have been kept on the water surface elevation since 1909, The daily average elevation of the river during this 26-year period was 285.9 (Bureau of Reclamation datum). Hoover Dam was closed in February 1935. From 1935 to 1942 the water surface elevation was well above 285.9 in the stream as regulated by Hoover Dam, Parker Dam was closed in 1938. Immediately following construction of Headgate Rock Dam in 1942, the clear water caused the river bed to degrade so that the water surface in the river dropped to' an eleva- tion such that the district had to install pumps for their high land. A temporary rock weir was constructed by the United States in 1945 so as to maintain an intake canal elevation 286,3 which is necessary for complete gravity diversion. Were it not for the rock weir the river water surface elevation at the District's intake would now be approximately 274,0 and no land could be irrigated by gravity. The problem therefore is to restore the water surface elevation at the intake so that it is compar- able to the elevation prior to the construction by the United States of the dams upstream. SOLUTION: The Bureau of Reclamation has made preliminary field investigation and a tentative design for an earth fill dam and concrete spillway which will hold the water surface at elevation 283.5. In order to. improve drainage and to minimize flood hazards on the Colorado River Indian Reservation the district is willing to accept an intake canal elevation of 282.3 which can be provided by the river water surface elevation of 283.5. This is 2.4 feet below the historical daily average from 1909 to 1935. As a result of this intake canal elevation of 282.3 it will be necessary for the district to en- large and lower some of its canals and to install pumping plants to serve ground now being served by gravity from an intake canal elevation of 286,3. The Palo Verde Irrigation District recommends this solution. GENERAL INFORMATION: Palo Verde Irrigation District lies within the Palo Verde Valley in the southeastern part of Riverside County and the northeastern part of Imperial County, California. This valley is on the west side of the Colorado River approximately 100 miles north of Yuma, Arizona, The valley con- tinues along the river for approximately 40 miles and is approximately 5 miles wide. Its northern boundary lies 8 miles north of the southern boundary of the Colorado River Indian Reservation on the east side of the river in Arizona, Thomas H. Blythe filed on July 17, 1877, for water from the Colorado River for this valley. The District embraces 104,500 acres of valley land of which 75,000 acres are considered irrigable. Elevations range from 230 to 290 feet above sea level. The Palo Verde Mesa, joining the valley on the west, contains an additional 34,000 acres of which 16;000 net acres have a water right. Eleva- tions on the mesa range from 350 to 410 feet above sea level. The mesa can be irrigated by pump- ing from the district canal system. .' . .. Palo Verde Valley climate, soil and crops are similar to those of Imperial Valley. The climate is dry, characterized by hot summers and mild winters. Irrigation is necessary for agriculture. The Irrigation District contains the towns of Blythe, Ripley and Palo Verde. Blythe, the larg- est, is headquarters for the irrigation district. Transportation is furnished by the Santa Fe Rail- road and U. S. Highways 60-70 and 95. Approximately 65,000 acres of Palo Verde Irrigation District are presently in cultivation. The