During the irrigation season the water continuing south would be distributed for irrigation and other purposes in areas as far south as Fillmore. During the nonirrigation season water used through the powerplants and continuing south would be stored in the Dyer Reservoir for irrigation of the lands in the vicinity of Fillmore. Water of the Sevier River could be stored in existing reservoirs by exchange and used for irrigation of lands along the upper reaches of the river, principally near Richfield and on the lower reaches near Delta.

Water diverted during the irrigation season to the north would be used for irrigation and other purposes in the area from Santaquin to Springville, now partially served by the Strawberry Valley project. During the nonirrigation season releases would flow down Spanish Fork River to Utah Lake replacing Provo River water stored in the potential Bates Reservoir on the Provo River and the potential Hobble Creek Reservoir, a tributary. Project water stored in Bates and Wallsburg Reservoir would be used for irrigation, municipal, and industrial purposes in the Heber-Francis-Wallsburg areas and in the Provo-Salt Lake City region as well as the western part of the Jordan River Valley.

Where practicable the project reservoirs would impound water for recreational and fish and wildlife purposes, thus providing partial compensation for damages to these purposes.

A dike would be constructed across the mouth of Provo Bay, an arm of Utah Lake, and the bay drained, reducing evaporation losses and reclaiming 9,340 acres of land. The diking of Goshen Bay of Utah Lake, authorized as a part of the Provo River project but not yet undertaken, would permit the south 26,000 acres of Utah Lake to be drained, reducing the average annual evaporation by 60,000 acre-feet.

A 7-mile section of the Jordan River channel between Utah Lake and Jordan Narrows would be enlarged. The channel improvement was authorized as a part of the Provo River project. Improvement of the river channel from Jordan Narrows to Great Salt Lake is being investigated by the Corps of Engineers.

In order to replace water now used in the Uinta Basin that would be exported and to provide additional water for further development within this basin, water would be diverted from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir that would be constructed on the Green River as a feature of the Colorado River storage project. Under an alternative plan of development Green River water could be supplied to the Uinta Basin from Echo Park Reservoir, another potential feature of the Colorado River storage project and would be pumped an average lift of 170 feet.

Project powerplants and transmission systems would be interconnected with the system proposed for transmission of electric energy produced by plants of the Colorado River storage project.

Rights to flows of Uinta Basin streams have been acquired by both white settlers and Indians. The Central Utah project would largely control the Uinta Basin's surplus waters. Much of the water would be exported, but that needed for further development in the Uinta Basin would be provided directly from the Green River.

Annual depletions to the Colorado River at the sites of use are expected to average 800,600 acre-feet, or one-half of the water available to Utah under the terms of the upper Colorado River Basin compact.

HAMMOND PROJECT, NEW MEXICO

The potential Hammond project would divert waters of San Juan River to provide an irrigation supply for 3,670 acres of arable land now unirrigated. The lands lie along the south side of the river in a narrow 20-mile strip opposite the towns of Blanco, Bloomfield, and Farmington, in northwestern New Mexico.

The principal crops that would be grown on the lands with project development would be alfalfa, apples, corn, beans, and barley. Most of the farms are of the fruit-crop and dairy-field crop types.

Preliminary land-classification surveys indicate that the lands would be suitable for sustained crop production under irrigation farming. A detailed classification would be necessary to confirm the suitability of all the lands.

Water-supply studies, based on records of streamflows as they have occurred in the past, indicate that an adequate irrigation supply of 18,400 acre-feet annually would be available for the project from direct flows with permissible shortages occurring in occasional drought years. A water right for the project can be obtained under New Mexico State law.

49500-54----8

Project works would include the Hammond diversion dam on San Juan River, a 28-mile main gravity canal, a hydraulic turbine-driven pumping plant, the east high-line lateral, the west high-line lateral, minor distribution ditches, and a drainage system. A period of about 2 or 3 years would be required to complete definite plan investigations and construction of project works except the drains. A few years' operation of the project would be necessary to determine the extent of drainage actually required.

This statement is basd on the physical plan of project development presented in the Bureau of Reclamation report on the Hammond project, New Mexico dated November 1950, a supplement to the Colorado River storage project report dated December 1950. Results of current (1953) estimates for this project plan are summarized in the attached project summary tabulation.

Studies of the potential nearby Navaho project subsequent to 1950 indicate that it might be found desirable to materially modify the plan for serving the Hammond project lands during the definite plan investigations.

Summary data, Hammond project, New Mexico

New land-3,670 acres.

IRRIGATED ACREAGE

PRINCIPAL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

Alfalfa, grains, beans, some fruit-dairy cows and sheep.

Construction features include Hammond diversion dam on San Juan River, a 28-mile 86-second-foot main gravity canal, a small hydraulic turbine-driven pump, distribution laterals, and drains.

Annual operation and maintenance and replacement costs..
Benefit-cost ratio

16, 100 2.8 to 1

NAVAHO PROJECT, NEW MEXICO

The potential Navaho project (formerly called the Shiprock and south San Juan projects) would provide for the irrigation of about 151,000 acres of arable dry lands lying along the south side of San Juan River, a principal tributary of Colorado River, near the towns of Bloomfield, Farmington, and Shiprock in northwestern New Mexico. Of the lands that would be irrigated 122,000 acres are located in the Navaho Indian Reservation and 29,000 acres are outside the reservation. All the lands within the reservation and some of the project lands outside the reservation are Indian owned. Remaining lands outside the reservation are publicly owned or privately owned by non-Indians.

The general plan of the project includes the Navaho Dam and Reservoir on San Juan River and a main highline canal to divert from the reservoir at a point near the dam and at an elevation well above the stream bed. This main highline canal would divert the water to a point about 28 miles downstream from Navaho Dam where the water would be dropped through a direct connected

turbine pumping plant to a lower main canal that would extend westerly about 60 miles to serve the major portion of the project lands by gravity. The dropping water would energize the pump to lift a part of the water to serve the portion of the project lands inside and outside of the reservation that are too high to be served by the gravity diversion. A distribution system would extend beyond the pump lift to deliver the pumped water to the high lands. A system of drains would be provided as required to prevent seepage of project lands. A certain balance between the various canal elevations and the acreages to be served by gravity and by pumping is necessary in properly planning and designing the project.

Planning investigations of the Navaho project are in progress and are being carried on jointly by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and region 4 of the Bureau of Reclamation. The project is an integral part of the Indian Affairs program to bring relief to the Navaho Indians from their very low family incomes and to make them self-sustaining.

The active storage capacity required for the Navaho project at Navaho Reservoir is dependent on the scale of development of the potential San JuanChama project. The latter project is a potential transmountain diversion to the Rio Grande Basin from the headwaters of San Juan River. This diversion project is being investigated by region 5 of the Bureau of Reclamation. Coordination of the Navaho and San Juan-Chama project investigations are being made by the two regions of the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs in cooperation with the State of New Mexico.

Navaho project lands range from about 5,200 to 6,100 feet in elevation and have a semiarid to arid climate with an average frost-free season of about 150 to 160 days. Annual precipitation averages less than 9 inches with about half occurring during the growing season, making irrigation necessary for successful crop production. With irrigation, climatic conditions are favorable for growing most field crops, a variety of garden crops, and such fruits as apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and apricots. Most of the project acreage would be utilized for production of livestock feeds, with smaller acreages being utilized for fruit and garden crops. Principal livestock would be dairy cows and sheep.

The 151,000-acre project would require an average annual irrigation diversion of about 630,000 acre-feet. Permissible shortages in meeting this requirement would occur in occasional drought years under project operation. The average annual stream depletion that would result from the development would be about 341,000 acre-feet.

Preliminary estimates to date indicate that the total construction cost of the 151,000-acre Navaho project would be about $232,650,000 exclusive of added storage replacement costs at Navaho Reservoir that would be required with upstream diversions to the San Juan-Chama project. Essentially all of the construction cost would be allocable to irrigation. Annual operation, maintenance, and replacement costs would approximate $563,000 and would be allocable to irrigation. Preliminary studies also indicate that the farm income would be sufficient for project water users, after meeting operation, maintenance, and replacement costs and maintaining a reasonable standard of living to repay about 8 percent of the construction cost without interest in 50 years after delivery of water and following a suitable farm development period. This would leave about $213,210,000 of the construction cost to be met from net power revenues of the Colorado River storage project under the general repayment plan of that project. The payment capacity of the Indian-owned land, estimated on the basis of being equal to that of the land under non-Indian farming, would be subject to elimination or adjustment under an extension of the Leavitt Act of July 1, 1932 (47 Stat. 564), authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to adjust reimbursable debts of Indians.

The estimates to date indicate a project benefit-cost ratio approximating 1.2 to 1.

A construction period of about 15 years would be required for efficiently completing definite plan investigations and construction of the project excepting the completion of drains. The desirable construction period, however, would be affected by the actual rate of land settlement as the construction progresses. A devolpment period of 5 to 10 years would be desirable following delivery of water to the various land tracts before making assessments for construction costs.

Data on the project are summarized in the attached tabulation.

Summary of reconnaissance data, Navaho project, New Mexico (details of plan are in process of formulation)

Alfalfa, grains, pastures, beans, some fruit and vegetables, dairy cows, sheep.

WATER SUPPLY

Average annual increase in storage and direct flow diversions__
Stream depletion (average annual) –

Acre-feet

630, 000

341, 000

PROJECT WORKS

Construction features would include Navaho Dam and Reservoir on San Juan River, with approximately 1,300,000 acre-feet total capacity (500,000 acre-feet active), a 28-mile main highline canal to divert from reservoir about 275 feet above stream bed at dam, a drop from highline canal to a lower main gravity canal extending about 60 miles from the drop, a turbine-driven pump at the drop to lift water to about 30 percent of project lands, a main canal extending from pump lift, distribution laterals, and drains.

Annual operation, maintenance, and replacement costs-.
Benefit-cost ratio__.

232, 650, 000 563, 000 1.2 to 1

1 Includes approximately $37,825,000 for capacities in Navaho Reservoir and main highline canal for pump lands and $16 million cost for pumping plant, distribution system, and drains to serve pump lands. Excludes approximately $9 million cost of additional Navaho Reservoir capacity required to permit upstream diversion averaging 235,000 acre-feet annually to potential San Juan-Chama project.

2 Based on assumption that Indian lands could repay at about same rate per acre as non-Indian-owned lands, or that such costs would be deferred under the provisions of the Levitt Act of July 1, 1932 (47 Stat. 564).

SAN JUAN-CHAMA PROJECT, COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO

The San Juan-Chama project would divert water from the headwaters of San Juan River, a principal tributary of the Colorado River, into the Rio Grande Basin for the purposes of providing supplemental water for existing irrigation projects and of providing water for municipal and industrial uses and for development of hydroelectric power. Although water for diversion would be collected from tributaries of the San Juan located in both Colorado and New Mexico, all of the water would be used in New Mexico in the Rio Grande Basin. By exchange the project would also increase the use of water in New Mexico in the Canadian River Basin. The present plan provides for the diversion of 235,000 acre-feet of Colorado River Basin water annually out of the total amount allocated to New Mexico under the provisions of the upper Colorado River Basin compact.

With project development, an adequate supply of excellent quality water would be available to satisfy the rapidly growing municipal and industrial requirements of the cities and towns in the middle Rio Grande Valley area. In addition water would be available to supplement the now deficient supply to over 200,000 acres of irrigated land in the area. Hydroelectric power would be developed to aid in supplying electrical energy for the development of the resources in the basin. The plants would be designed and operated primarily to meet peak loads and to permit efficient operation of an integrated fuel and hydro power system. In addition the project would provide an opportunity for further development of recreation, fish and wildlife facilities in the center of one of the more important tourist and recreational areas of the country.

Construction features of the project are described under the following three subparagraphs:

1. Collection and diversion element.-Three reservoirs having a total capacity of 190,000 acre-feet located on the West Fork, East Fork, and Rio Blanco tributaries of the San Juan River. A feeder canal and conduit system to collect and transport the water to the head of Willow Creek in the Rio Grande Basin. The conduit system would be about 48 miles in length and would have a terminal capacity at the outlet of the tunnel through the Continental Divide of 1,000 cubic feet per second.

2. Regulation and power production element.-Three reservoirs would be constructed on Willow Creek and the Rio Chama which, when integrated with the existing El Vado Reservoir and the authorized Chamita Reservoir, would provide facilities needed to regulate water releases for irrigation and municipal and industrial uses and for generation of hydroelectric power. Power development would comprise the installation of 145,000 kilowatt of plant capacity of which 95,000 would be utilized for peaking power and 50,000 for base power. The capacities of the 3 new reservoirs would be 228,000, 400,000, and 40,000 acre-feet. This capacity would be supplemented by the existing 198,000 acre-feet of capacity at El Vado and an additional 85,000 acre-feet planned to be provided in connection with construction of a multiple-purpose reservoir at a site toward the lower end of the Rio Chama as part of the authorized middle Rio Grande project.

3. Water-use element.-Construction features for irrigation purposes would comprise regulatory reservoirs, rehabilitation of distribution systems, and some relocation and extension of canals and laterals on existing irrigation projects on Rio Grande tributaries. Water for these projects would be made available by operation under exchange agreements. The present plan does not include construction features for delivery of municipal nad industrial water to the cities and towns beyond the reservoirs on the Rio Chama. Such features could be added later as part of the project if the local interests desire Federal construction and financing.

Construction of project features would be accomplished over a period of about 15 years including the installation of all power units.

This statement is based on the physical plan presented in Bureau of Reclamation's interim report on the San Juan-Chama project dated March 1952. The financial data and analysis of the project was revised in December 1953 to conform to current policy and procedure. Project investigations to date are of reconnaissance degree of detail and the construction costs used, which are based on December 1951 prices, were prepared sufficiently conservative as to require no readjustment for the small change in construction prices since that date. Results of the reconnaissance estimates, along with other project data, are summarized in the attached project summary tabulation.

Summary Data, San Juan-Chama project, Colorado and New Mexico

IRRIGATED ACREAGE

New land
Supplemental

Total

None Over 200, 000

Over 200, 000