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2 ZClyZJ ~l E T }\ 0 I' 0 Ll T .\;; W ATE R D 1 S T R 1 C T 1 , Thus the first objective of the Metropolitan Water District has been attained with the completion in its initial stage of the Colo- rado River aqueduct project. Softened, filtered Colorado River water is now being delivered in this coastal basin and is avail- able not only to constltuent areas of the District but also to all other areas, within the range of District service as determined by the Board of Directors, whose citizens elect to annex to the District and share its benefits and its obligations. The matter of acquisition of water from the Colorado River was initiated by William Mulholland in October 1923 for the City of Los Angeles alone. Shortage of water during the three-year drought, 1922-1925, brought many surrounding cities into the picture and after enactment by the State of California of appro- priate legislation, The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California was incorporated on December 6, 1928 and took over the preliminary work theretofore done by the City of Los Angeles. The District carried to conclusion the preliminary engineering and planning, started actual construction in December 1932, and completed the project in its present form in a few months less than 18 years after inception of the general plan. At the special election called by the City of Pasadena for the organization and incorporation of a metropolitan water district and held November 6, l~~g, the citizens of eleven cities approved the inclusion of the areas of their cities within the proposed dis- trict. Two of the original cities later withdrew and four other cities and one municipal water district were added, thus making the present fourteen constituent areas of The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Project cost The net construction cost of the necessary aqueduct features to deliver 750 cubic feet per second of Colorado River water and to soften 620 cubic feet pel' second-a sufficient domestic supply for more than 3,000,000 people-was given in the third annual report as $207,000,000. That amount included a provision for certain items since cleared at lower cost, a smaller credit than actually has been realized for sales of salvaged materials and equipment, and estimates for future construction consisting of the Orange County feeder extension, a pipe line to serve San Marino, and deferred items to bring the project to half of the ultimate 1,500 cubic feet per second capacity. The following tabulation in form similar to " I 1 I ~ " j "