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<br />.';~-'I <br /> <br />these Colorado projects, which in most cases comes from people who <br /> <br />wouldn't know an acre of productive farmland from a piece of the moon. <br /> <br />The fact is that every acre of land under all of these projects h~8 <br /> <br />been carefully classified under standards developed by the Department <br /> <br /> <br />of Interior ~d the Department of Agriculture. The Secretary of the <br /> <br /> <br />Interior is directed to certify in every case that the lands under <br /> <br /> <br />these projects are suitable for irrigation. The land classifications <br /> <br />have actually been too rigid. We can demonstrate that thousands of <br /> <br />acres of land in Colorado classified as unsuitable for irrigation by <br /> <br />the Department of Interior have in fact been successfully irrigated <br /> <br />for almost a hundred years. We suggest that those who believe that <br /> <br />lands under these projects are marginal make an on-site inspection of <br /> <br />these lands during the growing season. But perhaps this is asking too <br /> <br />much. It is far simpler to make ill-advised statements about the <br /> <br />productivity of Colorado lands from the cozy confines of a living room <br /> <br />or office in Denver or Washington, D. C. <br /> <br />There are those here today who aavocatethat waters which <br /> <br />belong to the people of the state of Colorado be transferred to <br /> <br />irrigated lands in Arizona and California. Their assumption is that <br /> <br />this water will produce greater agricultural benefits in those states. <br /> <br />This assumption is an utter absurdity. While there is a much longer <br /> <br />growing season in the Lower Basin states, the water requirements for <br /> <br />crops grown there are generally higher than for comparable crops <br /> <br />grown in COlorado. There is also a great loss associated with the <br /> <br />'- <br /> <br />-4- <br />