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<br />0:;; 5 She agricultural industry of the ,kkansas Valley "as firmly establish,'d
<br />at the start of the Twentieth Century.
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<br />Irrigation Development
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<br />Irrisation iT'. the .u.rkunsas V:"'tlley h~'=!.s f,r'o',.m steadily in iJ1:1.porta~ce sin::.-~
<br />its introduction. ^v~ilable strc~m runoff was utilized ~t the outset. B~~,
<br />as markets rlcvelopcd and ir'riguti.on farming increase.d, the demand for lute
<br />season wa"tcr could not b0 suppliud by unrc~uJat0d streamflow, As a result,
<br />f~rm~r-owncj mut~!al ir~ig~tion coml)8~ies were formed. TI12sa companies con-
<br />strllcted 15 resorvoirs having 2 tot~J. stordg~ c~r)2city of 000,000 acre-feet,
<br />and 8 transmour.tdir. diversion :~.yst,:~ms i1.1f1o!'tin)= appr'lJxirr.atr~ly 50,000 acre-
<br />feet of Hat~.c ?lnnu2.1.l.~T. Drou.~hts, c'_lr,"lbinE?U \-lith constGntly c:{pa.nding ?gricul-
<br />tUI'2.1 opera.tion.s, I.!~;de it 5m;.'ossibJ,::- to culti\'at(O:: th3 area fully with tr1\:: ir.-
<br />2<deq....:.atG T,.:a.ter' s\l~"ply.
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<br />The amount OJ: irrigation \":,':-C-2~"' r:\'22..lab."!",.', in thE: fJroject area varies CO'I~
<br />siclcrably fl'om YO,ll' to yr::Clr. 1'h....: :IVl:l~ai~"':: ["J.O\o1 0[- the Arkansas River at
<br />Pu(;blo is upp:'oxima.tely 750 s~cond-f0ct. Th\..' .lot~l.l ,v.ljuc1ic.ltL:d direct floll
<br />rigllts from the hcadwa.ters to tile St~te lin~ ~~ount to 7~400 second..feet.
<br />5]10rto.ge8 as high as 78 p8rcent of crop rcquiremont ha~0 occurred. Sediment
<br />deposition in canals and ditches has become ~ major irrigation probl~m. In
<br />some instances, reservoir feedEr cunals huve lost ~pproximately half of their
<br />c~pacity because or siltoticn.
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<br />hgricultur2~ Products
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<br />~1any irrigation crops <J.re grown successfully in the project area. In the
<br />11 ighe:> elevat ir:ms, hay, te.me pastur.-" Cl.nd sm(lll gra ins a.re grOi'lI1. They c:re
<br />Il.li:.rketed chiefly through the livestock fcedin~ industry. In the: 10\.,,':1" (-].cv:~.-
<br />tions of the East Slope proj0ct ar<::,'1, fruit and truck cr'ops 21'2 ver.y 3ticr...~'..'~ ,"
<br />ful when adequate ~3ter is available. Some of th~ principal ir~igateJ Ci.~:~"'
<br />tlre alfalfa, corn, g('aill, suzar Deets, cantC'lloupes, onio:!..:;, cllcui7Ibers, G~'Y
<br />beans) toma.toes 2nd fresh gr..:.::::n veg<.:.' tables. Da iryinf, ond poultry r'al~~;.'j::; cn~i~.
<br />.:..mport2nt enterprises near market outlets.
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<br />Climate
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<br />The c':imato iT! the project .:E'C,l ranf,es i'"r0m subhumid jn the high mounti:1ir~s
<br />to 5-=mi-arid in t]l(~ lo\o.'(-'r cl~'\',lt..i.0n::;. ():l !J1'':: \.!,;::stCl'fl ~,lope, the village of
<br />Hast (lOCAted just b\210W tl10 (1iv(:r~;ion ClrC"'l ,It 21.:1 .llt.itudc of 8,800 feet) has
<br />a meen annuol precipitation of 17, :3C inch,.;s 2-I.nd .3n :lverag8 temperaturE:.: of
<br />36.60 Fuhreinhelt. This is in COn"Lf';lst Hit!; thE:: City of PU8blo on the East(~rn
<br />Slope a.t un elovat:;'on e)f 11,308 f(::,:::"': l.Jit!1 L:' meLin (";nnucJl pr;.::r:ipitation of ll,r.-/
<br />inches. and an average tem~eruture of 52.00 Fahrcinheit.
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<br />Population
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<br />Except durin!; the 1930 drou[Oht i'criod, popu12tion of the Arkansas 'Jelley
<br />has groHn steadily, c::s?eci':;.lly the C-i..ti~:; of PU>2bla (Jr.":: ColoPQdo Sj?rings.
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