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<br />I <br /> <br />), <br />. <br />\ <br />, <br /> <br />\- <br />.~~ <br /> <br />01". ? 1')7(") <br />U.w.c... _ l <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />ADDRESS BY COMMISSIONER OF RECLAMATION W. A. DEXHEIMER BEFORE TIlE NATIONAL RECLAMA- <br />TION ASSOCIATION AT PORTLAND, OREGON <br /> <br />For Release Upon Delivery Anticipated About 2:30 P.M., P.S.T., <br />TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1954 <br /> <br />RECLAMATION AND CONSERVATION <br /> <br />In reporting to you today on the present status and future outlook for <br /> <br />Reclamation, I can speak with considerable advantage over our meeting a year ago <br /> <br />at Reno. <br /> <br />Since then, the reorganization and streamlining of the Bureau of Reclamation, <br /> <br />for meet efficient service to the West's water users, have .been completed. The <br />.' <br /> <br />President has enunciated a definite and positive policy in support of Reclamation. <br /> <br />The 83d Congress has reiterated legislative support of several principles which <br /> <br />are fundamental to a continuing Reclamation program. <br /> <br />I will deal more with these various phases of Reclamation later, but first <br /> <br />let me give you something in the nature of a statistical report on the state of <br /> <br />Reclamation. Federally constructed reclamation works are now available to supply <br /> <br />either a complete or supplemental supply of water to 7,147,528 acres of land in <br /> <br />the 17 Western States. This represents about 23 percent of the total irrigated <br /> <br />acreage in the Western States. <br /> <br />Delivery of water to 5,526,826 acres on 65 projects or major divisions of <br /> <br />projects is administered by local water users organizations. We are urging water <br /> <br />users' organizations in the other areas served by the Bureau of Reclamation to take <br /> <br />over and manage their own districts just as promptly as possible. <br /> <br />Repayment of construction charges by the water users are more than 99 percent <br /> <br />current. These payments, including water service charges, are pouring into the <br /> <br />Treasury at the rate of $14,000,000 annually. The harvest from Reclamation acres <br /> <br />last year was some 25,711,000 tons and was worth $785,939,868. If we could follow <br /> <br />these Reclamation dollars through the channels of trade, we could more accurately <br />