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<br />UNITED STATES <br />DEPARTMENT OF THE INtERIOR <br />, <br />. * * . * . . . . . . . . . . . . . <br />! <br /> <br /> <br />, <br />, <br />Remarks of N. B. Bennett, Jr., Assistant Commissioner of <br />Reclamation to 18th Annual Meeting of Colorado River Water <br />Users Association, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 30, 1961 <br /> <br />",I <br /> <br />It is a pleasure, 'indeed, to appear here today on b~half of the Bureau of Reclamation <br />and to report to this, the eighteenth, meeting of the COlprado River Water Users Associa- <br />tion on our stewardship of your natural resources. We! of Reclamation, have watched with <br />interest and admiration as your group has grown from a: relative handful of fou nders into a <br />well-rounded and dynamic force for the economic advan~ement of this section of the West. <br />Your continuing support and interest are indispensable to further progress in this direct- <br />ion, especially as it may be subject to attainment through the Reclamation program. <br /> <br />Our Bureau is proud of its historical role in the :development of the Colorado River <br />Basin, and justifiably so. I n no other major river basin have we enjoyed the support of the <br />community so fully and completely as have we in this riyer basin. We appreciate the vote of <br />confidence that has been given to us and are gratified tijat the precepts enu nciated by <br />Reclamation law have been so unreservedly embraced. We, likewise, recognize and are <br />humbled by the responsibility that has been given to us'as we seek to advance the cause of <br />economic prosperity and the attainment of a fuller life for all people through sound resource <br />allocation and utilization. ' <br /> <br />. t <br />, <br /> <br />-'-'! <br /> <br />i <br />Your last meeting took note of the 25th anniversa~y of the completion of Hoover Dam <br />and the initiation of concrete placement at Glen Canyon! Dam. Perhaps the ensuing year <br />has not been so productive of dramatic episodes, but it ~as been fruitful of major progress <br />on many fronts as evidenced by the completion of 25 full years of commercial power pro- <br />duction at Hoover Dam, the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Lake Mead National <br />Recreation Area, the placement of the two millionth yar,d of concrete at Glen Canyon, and <br />gratifying progress in all areas of our planning, constr~ction, and operations programs, <br />i <br />i <br />. I <br />Referring again to the Boulder.Canyon Project, for it i~ the largest and the first to be <br />developed, there has now been generated by this facilit~ more than 100 billion kilowatthours <br />of electricity through the storage and release of over 32b million acre-feet of runoff. The <br />dam and itswork have now grossed over $200 million in! revenue, $115 million of which has <br />been returned to the Treasury as interest and payment .on the original principle cost. <br />Crops, valued at more than $200 million, were markete~ last year from lands irrigated with <br />water regulated in Lake Mead, bringing the total crop v~lue to more than $2.7 billion since <br />the project became operative. Values incapable of ready monetary evaluation continue to be <br />realized from this undertaking. This year we passed th;e milestone of the 40 millionth <br />visitor to the dam and the recreation area, and the recQrd of there not having been a majo~ <br />I <br /> <br />.1 <br /> <br /> <br />- 32 - <br />