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<br />~... \ <br />.c.'......~'l\.. <br />-;'f:-::Jj <br /> <br />;";::i, <br />f,f:<i!!,~ <br /> <br />STATEMENT OF FELIX L. SPARKS <br />DIRECTOR, COLORADO WATER CONSERVATION BOARD <br /> <br />DOLORES PROJECT <br /> <br />GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO <br />MARCH 21, 1977 <br /> <br />I am Felix L. Sparks, Director of the Colorado Water <br /> <br />Conservation Board and I have previously appeared before this Committee. <br /> <br />My purpose at this time is to briefly summarize the Dolores project and <br /> <br />emphasize its importance as a part of an integral plan to strengthen <br /> <br />the agricultural economy of this state. The project is located in <br /> <br />Dolores and Montezuma counties in the extreme southwestern part of the <br /> <br />state. This is an area of extreme aridity, but possesses soils of <br /> <br />excellent fertility. The principal economy.of the area is based upon <br /> <br />agricultural and livestock production. Much of the project area is <br /> <br />now devoted to dryland farming, with pinto beans and wheat as the <br /> <br />. pr incipal crops. <br /> <br />Because of chronic drought periods and a persistent bean <br /> <br />root disease, partial crop failures occur frequently. Considerable <br /> <br />versatility in the types of crops and an increase in stable production <br /> <br />of both crops and livestock will result from increased water supplies. <br /> <br />No new lands will be cultivated as the result of the project, except <br /> <br />those lands lying in the southwestern corner of the ute Mountain ute <br /> <br />Indian reservation. A portion of the project area in the Montezuma <br /> <br />Valley will receive supplemental supplies. Persistent water shortages <br />