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o ..-I River Valley. An adequate water right could be obtained either by assign- ment of existing rights to the United States or by the filing of a new application to appropriate water for the project. Lands Nearly all the soils of the irrigable area are young alluvial fan or terrace formations. They are relativeJ,y free from accumulations of soluble salts or excessive alkali. The surface relief of the lands is smooth and gently sloping to slightJ,y undulating with slopes toward the river. Thus eurface drainage is excellent. Internal drainage is also good except in the few low areas of heavy soils that WOUld be protected from seepage under project development. Lands of the Hammond area have been classified in a reconnaissance survey. They will be studied in more detail in preconstruct ion investi- gations for the project. The reconnaissance survey showed a net irri- gable area of 3,670 acres, including 630 acres of Class 1 land or land highJ,y suitable for irrigation farming and 3,040 acres of Class 2 land or land moderateJ,y suitable for irrigation farming. The remaining lands included in the survey (approximateJ,y 5,000 acres) were shown to be non- arable or suitable onJ,y for pasture. Farming With project development, livestock enterprisss, particularJ,y dairy- ing, would be the major source of income in the Hammond area. Fruit production would also be important in the local economy. Principal crops would be alfalfa, apples, corn, beans, and barley. Most of the farms would be of the fruit-crop and dairy-field crop types. The fruit-crop farms would be from 30 to 49 acres in size and are expected to include a total of about 2,750 acres. Dairy-field crop farms would range from 60 to 140 acres and would include a total of about 920 acres. The project would permit development of from 43 to 104 new farm units, depending on the type of farm established. The actual number probabJ,y would be between 50 and 75. Most of the units would be settled by present landowners in the area. A few farms, however, would be available to settlers from other areas. Project Costs Project construction costs, itemized on the following page, are esti- mated at $1,900,000 or $1,892,800 exclusive of nonreimbursable money expended from the Colorado River teve10pnent Fund, The estimates are based on December 1949 prices, which are essentially the same as current prices. They include allowances for engineering, overhead, and contin- gencies. Annual operation, maintenace, and replacement costs for project works are expected to total $13,400. The costs are estimated at average 4