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Land and Irrigation Development Sources of Data Soil surveys are available for a representative acreage within the project area. These surveys are generally interpreted in terms of land use and recommended treatment as provided in the technical guide of the La Plata Soil Cbnservation District. Land classification surveys of the Bureau of Reclamation furni sh supplemental information. Di rect inspection of field oonditions and review with technicians familiar with the area have furnished addi tional basi c data. Fann plans and records of land leveling and farm irrigation development work accomplished with the assistance of Soil Con- servation Service teChnicians, assigned to the La Plata Soil Conservation District, have been used to obtain basic estimates of unit volumes and costs. The analysis reflects an estimate of the average management and application of practices anticipated as a result of the project development. Development requirements have been related to the physi cal characteristi cs of the various soil units on the project. Amounts of development necessary to be accomplished, and especially the requirements or 1 imi tations that are imposed by the soil and site characteristics, have been estimated by each soil unit and averaged by evaluation areas. Interspersed lands not included in the project have been excluded from the report. Cost estimates are based on the U.S. 'Department of Agriculture price projections of September, 1957. Analysis of Data Irrigation water supplies for the project area have been inadequate for the presently cultivated lands, hence there has been no development of new lands in recent years. Only on those lands wi th the better water rights has any significant amount of development been accomplished since the original sub- jugation and initial development of the land. Even on these lands, recent development work has been largely restricted to the improvement of specific problem areas where conditions resulted in unusual difficulty in obtaining adequate i rri gation. Under present water supply conditions, there has been little economic in- centive or capaci ty to develop land at a rate greater than has occurred. It is expected, therefore, that in the future without the project, condi- tions will remain little changed from the present, and that additional development work would be largely limi ted to the amelioration of severe problem areas. Wi th project development, the increased water supply and resulting better yields will provide a basis for increased development. There are only limi ted data on whi ch to base an estimate of the rate of increase in land and irrigation development that can be expected under these changed con- di tions. However, an approach has been made by extending the present rate by percentage of area covered, and adjusted to the requirements of the various soil units and site factors. Based on this procedure, estimates of land development requirements associated with project construction have been made and projected to the various evaluation areas. These are summarized in table 9. - 19 -