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<br />'11' <br />~-~ <br />"",,, <br /> <br />EXISTING IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT <br /> <br />Distribution Works <br /> <br />Irrigation in Florida Valley was developed by individual <br /> <br />initiative and enterprise. The area is served by 21 active ditches <br /> <br />mostly short and supplying an average area of only 100 acres each. <br /> <br />Two larger canals serve most of the land on Florida Mesa. <br /> <br />The Florida Farmers Ditch, with a water right of 71 second feet, covers <br /> <br />an area of about 7,000 acres on the east side of the mesa. The full <br /> <br />area of 5700 acres with decreed rights has not been supplied in recent <br /> <br />years because of water shortage so th~t the area actually irrigated <br /> <br />amounts to only about 4400 acres. The Florida Canal, with water rights <br /> <br />of 80 second feet, extends across the mesa to its southwestern extrem- <br /> <br />.~~ <br />~J? <br /> <br />ity covering a large area. The area actually irrigated has been re- <br /> <br />duced fram about 8500 acres in 1928 to 5800 acres in 1937, although in <br /> <br />1934, the dryest year of record, only 15 acres were reported irrigated. <br /> <br />On this canal the Florida Mesa or Pastorious Reservoir, holding 970 <br /> <br />acre feet. is filled from the canal and a small tributary inflow, but <br /> <br />affords stored water for only a limited part of the area. <br /> <br />Service to the area of 20,000 acres can be assured by minor <br /> <br />enlargements and extensions of existing canals and ditches, such as the <br /> <br />irrigators themselves can, and prefer to build. <br /> <br />Water Rights. There have been 97 water rights amounting to <br /> <br />a total of 266.54 second feet decreed on Florida River and its tribu- <br /> <br />taries. Of this, 218.67 second feet is for diversions from Florida <br /> <br />River and 47.87 second feet is from tributary streams. Meny of the <br /> <br />32 <br />