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<br />0) <br /> <br />-- <br />'-- <br /> <br />State Land Commissioner furnished data on water rights and claims. <br />The Navajo County officials assisted by furnishing landownership and <br />tax valuation information. Officials and stockholders of the Joseph City <br />Irrigation Company collectively and individually gladly furnished avail- <br />able information. The Bentley Well Drilling Company of Holbrook, <br />Arizona, furnished valuable water well data, Many local persons <br />willingly cooperated by furnishing information. The cooperation and <br />assistance of all involved is acknowledged with appreciation. <br /> <br />..... <br />- <br /> <br />c. <br /> <br />Location and Climate <br /> <br />4. The Joseph City Unit of the Holbrook Project, located in the <br />Little Colorado River Basin, is situated in central Navajo County in <br />northeastern Arizona. It is 22 miles east of Winslow and 11 miles west <br />of Holbrook. The project area comprises about 7,600 acres of land on <br />the gently sloping alluvial fans and first benches along the north bank of <br />the Little Colorado River in and around Joseph City. Only about 10 <br />percent of this area is irrigated, <br /> <br />5. Located at an elevation of approximately 5,000 feet above sea <br />level, the area has a semiarid climate characterized by moderately <br />cold winters, hot days and cool nights in summer, and low precipitation. <br />At Holbrook, Arizona, the closest weather station, the mean annual <br />temperature is about 550 F. while the extremes have ranged from 1060 <br />above to 210 below zero. During the 57 years of record the average <br />length of frost-free growing season has been 172 days, extending from <br />April 30 to October 19. Although characterized by considerable vari- <br />ation, the growing season is always sufficient for frost-tolerant crops, <br />the type predominating in the area. Annual precipitation has averaged <br />8.83 inches with about two-thirds occurring during the usual growing <br />season. Precipitation extremes vary widely and have ranged from a <br />high of 17.63 inches to a low of only 3.07 inches during the period of <br />record. Sustained successful crop production, therefore, must be based <br />on irrigation. <br /> <br />Physiography <br /> <br />6. The general area around Joseph City and Holbrook is underlain <br />by Coconino sandstone which rests on the rather impervious Supai for- <br />mation which does not crop out in the area. The Coconino is overlain <br />by Kaibab limestone, which in turn is overlain by the Moenkopi formation, <br />a thin-bedded sandstone and shale. Where the Kaibab formation is <br />absent, the Moenkopi rests on the Coconino. Overlying the Moenkopi <br />are younger formations. All formations above the Supai are exposed to <br />some extent in the area. In extensive areas to the north and east of <br />Joseph City shales of the Chinle formations are exposed. The Coconino <br />is an even-grained quartz sandstone formation which is not uniform. <br />The lower part consists of loosely cemented quartz sand which carries <br />groundwater while the upper part is finer-grained and much more <br />closely cemented. The upper part forms an almost impermeable cap <br />over the water bearing stratum in the lower part of the formation which, <br />with the Supai formation below, sufficiently confines the groundwater to <br />cause artesian pressure; in some places in the vicinity of Joseph City <br /> <br />" <br />~ <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />2 <br />