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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />0;11-,(1'" <br />ud~oO <br /> <br />CHAPrER III <br /> <br />ARABLE LANDS <br /> <br />Aneth Area <br /> <br />Aneth Area lands extend about 22 miles along both sides of the San <br />Juan River from the Four Corners area downstream to near the mouth of <br />Montezuma Creek. The lands are mostly in small, scattered, irregularly <br />shaped tracts on river flood plain, terrace, and alluvial fan positions. <br />They would have a low drainage requirement with irrigation. Only about <br />90 acres of the arable land are presently irrigated. Irrigation of the <br />remaining land would require numerous diversions or low pump lifts from <br />the river. <br /> <br />Bluff Area <br /> <br />The Bluff Area includes widely dispersed valley and bench lands <br />centered near Bluff and Mexican Hat, Utah. The larger portion of the <br />land is south of the San Juan River in the Navajo Indian Reservation. <br />The valley lands extend in narrow strips about 20 miles along the river <br />and 15 miles along Comb Wash, a south-flowing tributary. Bench lands <br />are on Bluff, Big, and Lime Ridge Benches north of the river and on res- <br />ervation lands south of the river. The larger areas of Indian land have <br />been inventoried by the Bureau of Imlian Affairs. <br /> <br />The valley lands are similar in character and drainage requirements <br />to those of the Aneth Area. Most of the bench lands have little potential <br />for irrigation because of coarse-textured, shallow soils and hummocky and <br />unstable surfaces resulting from wind action. Bench lands would have a <br />high drainage requirement. Lands in the area range in elevation from <br />4,300 to 5,200 feet. <br /> <br />NatUl'al Bridges Area <br /> <br />Arable lands of the Natural Bridges Area extend southward from near <br />the Natural Bridges National Monument to near the San Juan River, a dis- <br />tance of about 25 miles. The lands are on a series of mesas known as <br />Cedar and Polly Mesas and Harmony, Grand, and Mormon Flats. Elevations <br />range from 5,800 to 7,000 feet. Under irrigation the lands would likely <br />have only a moderate drainage requirement. <br /> <br />West Paradox Area <br /> <br />West Paradox Valley in Colorado is about 3 miles wide and 8 miles <br />long. It is traversed by West Paradox Creek which heads in the La Sal <br />Mountains of Utah and extends to the Dolores River in Colorado. The <br />deep alluvial valley soils are derived directly from bordering sand- <br />stone cliffs and vary from fine sandy loams to loamy fine sands. The <br /> <br />31 <br />