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. I'I}~".' ,-. . .th.~_ Present Water Charges The existing irrigation ditches and systems have no se- cured indebtedness. Unsecured loan~, warrants, and unpaid bills are negligible. Same 2,000 acres are served by small ditches owned by at most a few people with no paid operating personnel. The Florida Farmers' Ditch now serving about 4500 acres has an average annual operating charge of about $0.35 per acre, and the Florida Canal serv- ing about 6,000 acres has an annual operating charge of about $1.00 per acre for all purposes. Sentiment toward the Project. Between .80 and 90 percent of the present residents of the project are interested in securing supplemental water. The remain- der do not want any additional water. The majority of the latter "!'~ e:?t't., ',~-,: - are located on the upper end of the project under the Florida Farmers' Ditch. Of those who have expressed themselves favorable to securing supplemental water, a majority have indicated their willingness to pay as much as $2 per acre per year for it. A few would be willing to pay as much as $2.50 and others, between $1.00 and $2.00 per acre per year. With a small part of the project cost met by the town interests. the necessary charge would fall within the amounts most of the farmers now are Willing to undertake. . Repayment Ability The estimated increase in value of crops produced per acre as a direct result of the development, after deducting the additional. expense of increased taxes, care, harvesting, and marketing the added production, other than storage costs, will still be about three times .'....' ) the estimated cost of the supplemental water supply. 57