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<br />Water was made available for predeve10pment work on the Yuma <br />Mesa unit in 1944 under the original project authorization, and <br />5,887 acres of land were under irrigation by 1951. Of the <br />19,970 irrigab1e acres in the unit, 16,049 acres were irrigated <br />in 1961. <br />'rhe South Gila Valley lies between Yuma, Arizona, and the Gila <br />River Narrows near Dome, Arizona, and is bounded on the north by the <br />Colorado and Gila Rivers, and on the south by the Yuma Mesa <br />escarpnent. In 1915 the first irrigation well was constructed <br />and. on February 18, 1919, the Yuma Irrigation District was formed, <br />principally for distribution of power to individual pump irrigation <br />systems. In 1961, 10,547 acres of land were irrigated within the <br />District boundaries, 848 acres of which received water from the <br />Gila Gravity Main Canal under the Warren Act. The remainder was <br />supplied by water from deep-well pumping. In addition to pump <br />irrigation withdrawals, and the interception of underground nows <br />by the Jll8.in outlet drain, drainage for the South Gila area is now <br />accomplished by nine deep drainage wells. A distribution system <br />for deli very of water from the Gila Gravity Main Canal will be <br />constructed under a repayment contract for construction of the <br />South Gila Valley unit, dated J~ 23, 1962. <br />'rhe North Gila Valley Irrigation District diverted irrigation <br />water for the North Gila Valley \Ulit frOl!l Laguna Dam \Ultil <br />December 16, 1954, when the Arizona headworks of Laguna Dam were <br />closed and deliveries were initiated through a newly constructed <br />turnout from the Gila Gravity Main Canal. Of the 6,231 acres in <br />the North Gila unit, 6,082 acres were irrigated in 1961. <br /> <br />v <br /> <br />10 <br />