WSP05725 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

8 Cll.IFOIlNlA'S STAKE IN THE COLORADO RIVER haye long since been built aud in operation. More water from the Colorado River could readily be used in California but may not be by reason of a limitation placed upon the State by the Boulder Canyon Project Act. In addition to its role as a source of water supply for Southern Cali. faenia, the Colorado Rh"er is one of tbe largest sourceI of eleclrie power fol'" Southern California. It appears at this time to be the only large potential source of additional h:rdroelectric power that might be made available for Southern California's future needs. Thus, Southern California looks to the Colorado River Dot only as a large source of water supply which is of basic and primary importance, but also 8.S a possible future source of electric power which will be needed in adequate amounts and at reasonable costs to flerve anticipated pow~r demands of increased population and expanded industrial and commercial activities. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The history of California '8 developments and iuterests on the Colo. rado River is a long and interesting one covering a century of pro- gressive planning and development. It begins with a plan to divert Colorado Rh.er water to the Imperial Valley area, that was envisagf'rl in 1849 by Dr. Oliver M. Wozencraft. That plan actually advanced to the stage of authorizing legislation with tbe paSfiage of an act by the State Legislature in 1859 but necessary companion legislation by the Congress failed of passage. Although the propoS€'d scheme did not mate- rialize, it is significant as marking the beginning of plans to utilize Colorado River water in California, and 8S the forerunner of tbe plan which was actuall,r carried out some 40 years later. Palo Verde Valley DcvclopmcDt California's active interests in and rights to the use of water from the Colorado River date from the seventies when water WlUl finlt appro. priated for the Palo Verde area. In ]877 Thomas BI:rthe acquired about 40,000 acres in the Palo Verde Valley under the Swamp and Overflow Act, and made a water filing in the amount of 95,000 miners inches 011 July 17, 1877, which WIl8 followed by numerous additional .filings in subsequent years, for irrigation and other purp08es in the Palo Verde Vall('~. and adjoining lands. The original Blythe filing, as far as known, is the first of record on the lower Colorado River. Due to num('rous difficulties irrigation development proceeded slowly under private and mutual organizations. The present Palo Verde Irri- gation District was created by 8pecial act. of the Legislature in 1923. The district embrsces an area ot 104,500 acres bordering and extending along the river for nearly 30 miles, and 17,500 acres of adjoining lands on the Palo Verde Mesa.. SubRtantially two-thirds of the lands in tbe district. are now under irrigation and the irrigated area is con. tinuing to expand. t~. "..::J ....) .'-''''. . ..,..~. ."~ .,..., . .',: -.. .',-~... :-:--- ,-.. >; .., '. ~-( .', .... '.-::~'.' CALIFORNIA '8 STAKE IN' THE COLORADO RIVER Imperial Valley DevelopmcDt The largest. irrigation d(',.elopmC'llt ill the d('s('rt area of South('rn California is that of the Imperial VaUp,\" ar('8 which .....as initiated in the nineties. The finlt filing was lDade 011 Ma.\" ]6, 1895, by E. 1. Roekwell for 10,000 second-feet of Colorado Rh.er watf'r for the irrigation of the Imperial Valley area in the United States. This was followed by several sub8equent filings, one of which contemplated irrigation of the Coachella Valley area 88 w('1I 88 the Imperial Valley area. All these filings have been maintained in good standing and were transferred to Imperial Irrigation District upon its organimtion. In 1892 an engineer, C. R. Rockwood, after making a reconnaissance along the Alamo River to Salton Sink, organized, with associates, the Colorado Irrigation Company. This W88 succeeded in 1896 by the Cali. fornia Development Company, which W8.B organized to develop the Imperial Valley, witb C, R. Rockwood in charge of engineering and construction. Initial diversion from the Colorado River to the new canal was made in May, 1901, and in June, 1901, irrigation began in tbe Imperial Valley. Although the canal diveI'f.lion W8.!l within the United States, for prac- tical reasons the canal ha.d to be located and constructed tbrough the territory of Mexico en route to the Imperial Valley, and accordingly it was nece&'58.:ry to get a concession from the Mexican Goyernmeut. This concession, which was obtained in May, 1904, through a Mexican sub- flidiary of the California Development Company, provided that water from the canal should be made available and delivered for the irriga- tion of lande in Lower California up to one-hall the volume of water passing through the canal. In 1905 floods broke through a temporary heading of the canal in Lower California. and water flowed through the canal into the Salton Sea with disastrous results. Efforts to close the break were not success- ful until 1907. Tbe Southern Pacific Company, which was interested not only in the development of the Imperial Valley bnt. also in tbe protection of its railroad around the Salton Sea, took over the work of closing off the river and it was through its eft'orta and financing that the break was finally closed. As a result of thiB disll8ter, tbe California Development Company got into financial difficulties. Ita management and operations were taken over by the Southern Pacific Company in 1905 and it went into re. ceivership in 1909. The Soutbern Pacific Company acquired the com- pany's ent.ire system both in Me:lico and tbe United States at a re- ceh'er'", sale in February, 1916. The Imperial Irrigation District was organized in 1911 with an area of 523,000 acres. In June, 1916, the California Development Company's canal sYBtem was purcbased by the district from the Southern Pacific Company, including irrigation facilities in Mexico. In sub!iequent years the district at its own e:lpense constructed a system of le\'ee~ in Me:lico to protect the Imperial Valley from the recurrent floods of the Colorado River, and in addition, impro\'ed the canal system. ."'. .,..... :'..<:. 9 . ~, ~ f... ~'." "'.' -....,.. .,:- i' c- "," .' ;0,. ~." .... .,. " :. ~". . ~',~., t.._ ;~\~ ., ';: .' ,-~ ./^'. .,. . " . .'.. .. ,~. >.\.: .,'. ....;.;.... ':-." "'.