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<br />. <br /> <br />The soils have been developed primarily from alluvial materials that were derived <br />from igneous and sedimentary rocks throughout the Colorado River Basin and from the <br />nearby mountain ranges. These nearby ranges are steep. and are composed essentially of <br />bare rock with little vegetal cover. In the gently sloping alluvium-filled valleys, the soils <br />are deep, quite heterogeneous in texture, and nearly tlat in topography. They are quite <br />low in organic material and have not heen leached of nutrients. Many of them. however, <br />have been adapted, through irrigation, to the agricultural production of a wide range of <br />crops-particularly cotton, wheat. citrus, and vegetables. <br />A.3. Agricultural Development Downstream from Imperial Dam <br />United States agricultural development below Imperial Dam consists of <br />approximately 184,000 acres of irrigable land originally developed as the Bureau of <br />Reclamation's Yuma, Yuma Auxiliary, and Gila Projects, and now cooperatively managed <br />by eight local irrigation districts (Map No. X-300-701). The latest comprehensive yearly <br />records (1974) show that 157,782 acres of these lands were irrigated by 1,353.100 acre-feet <br />of Colorado River diversions, and return flows of 422,300 acre-feet were recorded. The <br />area's principal products are hay and grain crops, winter vegetables and melons. citrus <br />fruit, alfalfa and Bermuda seed, and livestock. all of which are marketed throughout the <br />United States and as far north as Canada. <br />A.3.a. Yuma Project <br />This project is the oldest Reclamation development on the Colorado River and <br />one of the first (1904) to be authorized and constructed. Construction began in 1905 <br />and was completed in 1909. The first water deliveries began in 1910. <br />The project is divided into two divisions. The Reservation Division of the project <br />includes 14,600 acres on the California side of the river and is serve.d by 74 miles of <br />canals and laterals. Until 1910, when a portion was set aside for settlement by non-Indians, <br />it constituted a reservation for the Quechan Indians. Currently, some 7.600 acres are <br />included in the Indian Unit. The remaining 7,000 acres make up the Bard Unit and are <br />under non-Indian ownership. In 1974, 86,200 acre-feet of water were diverted from the <br />All-American Canal for this Division. Irrigation return flows are returned to the river above <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />11 <br />