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<br />Approximately 6,h50 acres, designated as evaluation subareas Ab Bl, and <br />Cl' have water ri ghts wi th earl ier priori ty dates than the remainder of <br />the presently irrigated mesa lands. Since these lands have senior rights, <br />they have first call on available water supplies within their distribution <br />systems and hence have a comparatively better water supply than the re- <br />mainder of the area. The better water supply has been reflected in higher <br />yields and in more desirable cropping patterns. Average irrigation water <br />supply available to this area during the 1928-56 study period is estimated <br />at approximately 65 percent of requirements. <br /> <br />The remaining 6,080 acres of presently irrigated mesa lands are designated <br />as evaluation subareas A2, B2, and 0,? They have water right priori ties <br />that are later than those for areas Al, Bl' and Cl' Average irrigation <br />water supply available to this area for tne 1928-56 study period is esti- <br />mated at 50 percent of requirements. Commonly they re'ceive no water <br />subsequent to July 1, hence are restricted to smaller acreages of alfalfa <br />and pasture and larger acreages of short-season crops such as wheat or <br />barley. <br /> <br />Lands in the Florida River valley comprise evaluation area D. They generally <br />have water rights relatively senior in priori ty date. In addi tion, most are <br />so situated that they are able to divert return flow from higher lands up- <br />stream or on the mesa, hence have a nearly adequate water supply. <br /> <br />Under project operations, all lands will have a full water supply except in <br />occasional years of extremely deficient runoff. A comparison of the adequacy <br />of water supplies for these areas is given in table 6. <br /> <br />The project plan proposes the construction of Lemon Dam and Reservoir on <br />Florida River upstream from the project lands. This reservoir will provide <br />a means of regulating the river so that the inadequate late-season flows can <br />be supplemented wi th stored water in suffi cient quanti ty to provide an adequate <br />irrigation supply in most years. The storage capacity w~uld be sufficient to <br />provide an adequate water supply for presently irrigated project lands and to <br />the proposed new lands in all but years of exceptionally deficient runoff. A <br />comparison of historical water supplies, and those that would be available <br />with the project, based on data provided by the Bureau of Reclamation, is <br />given in table 7. <br /> <br />- 15 - <br />