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(T? t"'": 00 -' c. Imperial and Coachclla Valley lands are not the only areas that benefit from control of the Colorado River. The Yuma Project, with 53,415 acres in Arizona and 14.676 acres in California, also receives a stable water supply from the All-American Canal. On the Gila Project southeast of Yuma, approximately 93,000 of the 102,000 irrigable acres are fully developed and receiving a dependable flow of irrigation water as a direct result of the river cOlltrol afforded by Hoover Dam. The Yuma Auxi]iary Project, located on the mesa south of Yuma, receives Colorado River water through facilities of the Gila Project to serve 3.406 acres of highly developed citrus groves. Upstream from Yuma, 92,000 acres of land in thc Palo Verde Irrigation District, near Blythe, Califtlfllia, and 75,CXX) acres on the Colorado River In- dian Reservation, at Parker, Arizona, flourish from water provided by Lake Mead. A Vital Metropolitan Water Supply The dependable supply of domestic and industria] water fUl1lished (() southern California and southcl1l Nevada is also an important benefit. In scmiarid southern California, where the average annual rainfall is about 15 inches, metropolitan Los Angeles recognized many years ago that obtaining domestic water was, and would continue to be, one of its most pressing problems. By 1906. it was apparent that the Los Angeles River was an inadequate supply source, cvell though the population at that time numbered only 160,000. It was then that thc city began to import water. The city first constructed the Los Angeles Aqueduct, which brings water from the Sierra Nevada mountains 250 miles away. Although this aqueduct could deliver enough watcr for 2 million people, Los Angeles grew so rapidly that by 1920 it was again faced with impend- ing shonages of domestic water, and another source of water was needed. 32 The only obvious source was the Col- orado River. But the river in its natural state did not offer a reliable supply. To assure water for domestic use, just as for irrigation use, the river had to be con- trolled and regulated. Hoover Dam could providc the necessmy river regulation. So, from the beginning of the project in the early 1920's, southern California was directly interested. In 1928, II southern California cities formed the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) to acquire the needed water. Later that same year, district members approved a $220 million bond issue to finance the con- struction necessary to bring Colorado River water to southern California. Once Hoover Dam was controlling the Colorado River, Parker Dam could be constructed. Located 155 miles below !-{(;)Qver, Parker Dam created Lake Havasu, from which water could be pumped into the Colorado River Aque- duct for delivery to the MWD service area. The Bureau of Reclamation built Parkcr Dam with funds advanced by the Metropolitan Water District, and the district built the Colorado River Aqueduct. The aqueduct was completed in 1941. It carries water through tunnels, con- duits, canals, siphons, and pumping plants across 300 miles of mountains and desert to hotnes and industries in southern California. In 1955, the aque- duct was named one of America's seven modern wonders by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The first San Diego Aqueduct, designed by thc Bureau of Reclamation, taps the Colorado River Aqueduct and delivers water to the San Diego water supply system. The Department of the Navy constructed the first section of this aqueduct in 194546. The second section was completed by Reclamation in early 1955. A second San Diego aqueduct was completed on November 30, 1960, by the San Diego County Water Authority. Today, over 125 city, municipal, and county water districts, county water authorities, and utility districts receive water through MWD facilities. In 1983, the district delivered over 907 ,864 acre- feet of Colorado River water, or about 296 billion gallons, to 13 million people. Lake Mead is also a major source of water for the growing cities and towns in southern Nevada. Early settlers in the Las Vegas Valley depended on ground water for their domestic supply. But by 1944 this supply was rapidly being depleted. In 1947, the Nevada State legislature passed a bill establishing the Las Vegas Valley Water District, and gave the District the task of bringing Lake Mead water into the Las Vegas Valley. A contract was signed between the United States and tlie Colorado River Commission of Nevada for construction of project works and delivery of water on August 25, 1967. Work began in 1968. The project was planned in two stages to provide flexibility in installation of future facilities, This allowed for devia- tions in the projected growth rates of population and industry. The first stage of the project, nanled the Robert B. Griffith Water Project (formerly the Southern Nevada Water Project), was completed in November 1971. lt can deliver 132,200 acre-feet of Colorado River water annually to the Las Vegas area. But the rapid growth of the region between 1971 and 1975 placed an unan- ticipated strain on the system. Construc- tion of the second stage was begun in 1977. Delivery of water through second stage facilities began in March 1982. The second stage increases the project's delivery capability by 166,800 acre-feet, bringing the system's total delivery capacity to 299,000 acre-feet annually. Nevada's yearly allotment of Colorado River water is 300,CXX) acre-feet. In 1981, project facilities delivered nearly 125,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water from Lake Mead to about 490,000 people in southern Nevada.