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00 Oil and gas fields and small refineries prOVide some nonagricul- tural employment in San Juan River Valley. Agrioulture, however, is the mainstay of the valley with livestook raising, irrigation farming, and the prooessing of farm products being the prinoipal sources of in- oome. Some produce is marketed looally while some is trucked to Texas~ eastern and oentral New Mexioo, and IlOxthern Arizona. The production of alfalfa, hay, and grain falls far short of demands for looal live- stook feed. From 1930 to 1950 San Juan River Valley in New Mexioo inoreased in population from 17,868 to about 25,000. The population of San Juan County increased from 14,701 to 18,113. The 1950 populations of towns near the project were Farmington, 3,672i Aztec, 896j and Bloomfield, about 655. The cOllllllUnities are well established and served with pub- lio sohools, ohurohes, eleotrioal servioe, and transportation faoili- ties, including a narrow gage line of the Rio Grande Western Railroad and hard-surfaoed roods which connect with Federal highways extending to outside markets. Attempts to irrigate some lands in the Hammond area were started about 1870, soon after the San Juan Valley was settled. Lack of funds prevented oonstruction of adequate :Irrigation faoilities, and although some small projects were partially suooessful for short periods, they all finally failed. Reoonstruction and repairs of flood-damaged struc- tures became so burdensome that the project area was gradually abandone<l from 1.912 to 1.91.6. Recently, however, the increasing population in San Juan Valley has intensified the need for irrigation. New farm settle- ment opportunities are now urgently needed as the population increases have resulted in an overeubdivision of many farm units and a lowering of farm inoome and living standards. More irrigated land is required to permit production of additional feed crops to stabilize the live- stook industry, now suffering from shortages of winter feed. Plan of Development The Hammond project would divert waters of the San Juan River to provide water for 3,670 acres now unirrigated and limited almost entire- 17 to grazing use. The project would have no purposes of consequence besides irrigation. No Indian lands are to be served by the project. Domestio water in the project area oould be supplied from wells. Project works would consist of the Hammond Diversion Dam on the San Juan River, the Main Gravity Canal, a hydraulio turbine-driven pumping plant, the East Highline lateral, West Highline lateral, minor distribution laterals, and a drainage system. The Hammond Diversion Dam would be located about 2 miles upstream from Blanco. It would be a simple ooncrete overflow weir about 3 feet high and 500 feet long between abutments. From the diversion dam the Main Gravity Canal would extend about 3 miles to the projeot area. It then would meander approximately 25 miles through projeot lands. The canal would gradually decrease in size from an initial capacity of 86 2