(b) Projects recommended for authorization

(1) Central Utah project, Utah. The comprehensive central Utah project, a large multiple-purpose development, is of such magnitude that it has been planned in two parts the initial phase, a unified portion that could operate independently, and the ultimate phase. Only the initial phase is included in the group recommended for initial participation in the upper Colorado River account.

The initial phase would intercept the flow of streams on the south slope of the Uinta Mountains as far east as Rock Creek and would convey the water westward by gravity flow for use in the Bonneville Basin. Water for replacement and expanded irrigation in the Uinta Basin would be provided by storage on local streams. Several regulatory reservoirs would be required in both the Bonneville and Uinta Basins, the principal one being the enlarged Strawberry Reservoir on the Strawberry River. By construction of Soldier Creek Dam the capacity of the reservoir would be increased from 283,000 acre-feet to 1,370,000 acre-feet. The initial phase would provide for the irrigation of 28,540 acres of new land and 131,840 acres now irrigated but in need of more water or improved water regulation. It would also provide 48,800 acre-feet of water annually for municipal, industrial, and related uses. It would generate each year approximately 373 million kilowatt-hours of energy.

(2) Emery County project, Utah.-Irrigation water would be furnished 24,080 acres of land under existing canals diverting from Cottonwood Creek and Huntington Creek in east-central Utah near Castle Dale. Supplemental water would be provided for 20,450 acres of the land and a full new supply would be provided for 3,630 acres. The irrigation water would be made available through storage of surplus spring runoff at a 57,000-acre-foot reservoir at the Joes Valley site on Cottonwood Creek. Water for lands in the Huntington Creek area would be conveyed by canal from Cottonwood Creek.

(3) Florida project, Colorado.-Lemon Reservoir, with a capacity of 23,300 acre-feet, would be formed by the Lemon Dam on the Florida River in southwestern Colorado, southeast of Durango. This reservoir would regulate the Florida River runoff to provide an irrigation water supply for 18,950 acres, including 12,650 acres now irrigated with only a partial supply and 6,300 acres not now irrigated. Approximately 1,000 acres of the land in the project area are Indian owned, The regulatory storage provided for irrigation would reduce floods which nearly every year cause extensive damage along the river

course.

(4) Hammond project, New Mexico. The Hammond project would divert natural flow of the San Juan River to provide an irrigation supply for 3,670 acres of presently unirrigated land along the south side of the river near Bloomfield, N. Mex. The water would be diverted from the river by a low diversion dam and conveyed to the project land by a gravity canal. A pumping unit would be installed to lift water 49 feet from the gravity canal to two highline laterals that would serve about 1,110 acres of the project land.

(5) La Barge project, Wyoming. Unregulated natural flow of the Green River would be diverted for the irrigation of 7,970 acres of new land located west of the river between Big Piney and La Barge in southwestern Wyoming. The principal construction feature would be a canal 38 miles long, mostly of earth section.

(6) Lyman project, Wyoming.-Water would be stored in an offstream reservoir of 43,000-acre-foot capacity at the Bridger site on Willow Creek to furnish supplemental irrigation water for 40,600 acres of land along Blacks Fork near the town of Lyman in southwestern Wyoming. The reservoir would be fed by canals from Blacks Fork and West Fork of Smiths Fork.

(7) Pine River project extension, Colorado and New Mexico.-The extension is planned to enlarge and lengthen distribution works in order that storage water already available in Vallecito Reservoir of the Pine River project might be furnished to some of the arable project land still unirrigated in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The extension would serve 15,150 acres of land, including 1,940 acres administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

(8) Seedskadee project, Wyoming. This project would irrigate 60,720 acres of presently unsettled land located along both sides of the Green River in southwestern Wyoming, about 35 miles east of Kemmerer. The land would be irrigated by gravity diversions from the Green River. Two drops in distribution canals would drive turbines to lift water to higher land. No reservoir storage would be required.

(9) Silt project, Colorado.-A reservoir of 10,000 acre-foot capacity would be constructed on Rifle Creek in west-central Colorado near Rifle. Most of the reservoir water would be released to water users downstream, replacing part of the natural flow heretofore used. In exchange for the storage water, an equivalent amount of natural flow water would be diverted from East Rifle Creek above the reservoir and conveyed to project land in Dry Elk Valley and on Harvey Mesa. Water would also be conveyed from the reservoir to land under the Davie ditch in Rifle Creek Valley. During the low stages of the reservoir, pumping would be required. In all, 5,400 acres of land would be provided a supplemental water supply and 1,900 acres would be provided a full new supply.

(10) Smith Fork project, Colorado. Surplus runoff of Smith Fork and Iron Creek would be regulated in a reservoir of 14,000 acre-foot capacity at the Crawford site on Iron Creek in west-central Colorado near Crawford. Water from Smith Fork would be diverted to the reservoir by feeder canal. The stored water would be conveyed by canal to land on Grand View Mesa and land adjacent to Cottonwood Creek. Part of the released storage water would replace natural flow on this land, permitting additional diversions of natural flow to land above the reservoir in the upper Smith Fork Basin. A total of 10,430 acres would be benefited, including 8,160 acres now inadequately irrigated and 2,270 acres of dry land.

INVESTIGATIONS OF COOPERATING FEDERAL AGENCIES

33. The varied and extensive resources of the upper Colorado River Basin have been under study by several Federal agencies, each charged with specific responsibilities pertaining to the development and protection of natural resources. These studies, however, have not provided all the information required for the detailed planning of complete basin development. Therefore it is necessary that the types of investigations conducted in the past be extended and that the investigations be intensified to provide the detail essential for scheduling the full use of basin natural resources. The continuing studies needed will be conducted by numerous agencies under programs justified by each agency concerned. The results of the studies will be made available to all under cooperative arrangements established by the agencies and by Congress. The Department of the Interior, because of responsibilities delegated to its constituent agencies by Congress, has a major responsibility for resource development in the upper Colorado River Basin. A fully integrated investigational program by the Department is planned which will include the kind and scope of studies discussed in the following paragraphs.

34. Accurate knowledge of the vital water resources of the basin is obviously indispensable to the consideration of any project involving water control and utilization. To secure additional detailed information required the Geological Survey plans (1) to add about 20 streamgaging stations to the 80 stations now in operation to facilitate administration of the various interstate compacts and to add about 140 stations to the 200 now in operation to collect the basic data required in the planning of the basin's future water-use projects; (2) to continue the topographic mapping of the entire upper Colorado River Basin, now only 11 percent complete, with an accelerated program in the areas to be covered by storage project reservoirs; (3) to expand the program for measuring sediment transported by the Colorado River and its principal tributaries in order to confirm estimates of sediment storage capacities required in the project reservoirs; (4) to investigate measures to control erosion at its source; (5) to continue special studies of water losses in the stream channels and adjoining flood overflow areas; (6) to evaluate regional groundwater levels and contributions to stream flow from groundwater sources; (7) to expand the program for analyzing water from all parts of the basin and to maintain a continuing record of water quality; and (8) to complete geologic mapping and inventory of areas which may contain valuable mineral resources.

35. Investigations by the Fish and Wildlife Service provide the basic biological information necessary to evaluate the effect of wateruse projects on fish and wildlife resources and to suggest means that may be employed to mitigate the effect of adverse features or operations which are necessary to achieve the primary purposes of the projects. An overall wildlife study is desired in the upper Colorado River Basin to determine (1) the relative importance of developing different portions of the area for migratory birds; (2) the methods and areas that might be developed to relieve the congested big game ranges and increase upland game habitat, especially those to be further restricted by proposed developments; and (3) the possibilities of im

proving the fisheries by introducing game fish in the reservoirs and by improving streams.

36. The National Park Service has made a general survey of recreational resources of the upper Colorado River Basin as its part in formulating a comprehensive plan for basin development. Preliminary examinations have been made of each site contemplated for use in the Colorado River storage project. Detailed studies of each storage project reservoir will be required to plan appropriate facilities for recreational use and to provide for their management. These detailed studies will include (1) determination of additional land areas adjacent to the reservoirs that would be necessary for the construction and operation of recreational facilities, (2) surveys and salvage in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution and local interests of archeological remains endangered by water conservation projects, (3) planning of the specific facilities at each site which can be integrated into the National Park system or managed by State or other Federal agencies, and (4) preparation of estimates of the benefits to result from the planned developments.

37. The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for cadastral surveys on public lands within the upper Colorado River Basin, maintains records of all land transactions, issues patents to the land, handles applications for all mineral resources, and regulates grazing on the Federal range within the grazing districts and on other lands leased for grazing. The Bureau of Land Management plans to make large-scale studies in erosion control and sediment abatement. It also plans to accelerate the cadastral survey program and land classification and resources inventories.

38. To keep abreast of the increasing national demands for minerals, it is necessary to step up the rate of discovery of new reserves, reduce the cost of mining and handling ores by improvements in techniques, improve methods of recovery and separation, and develop better usage of the minerals and metals. The Bureau of Mines is expanding the search for petroleum and natural gas. It is discovering new reserves of minerals in short supply as well as new ores. Mining research is being done at a demonstration mine at Rifle, Colo., to determine methods and costs of mining oil shale, and a program is being formulated to develop methods of mining thick coal beds to increase extraction as a conservation measure. In the metallurgical field the Bureau of Mines is working closely with the Atomic Energy Commission on the recovery of uranium from complex low-grade ores. Research is being done on the recovery of vanadium and phosphate from low-grade shales and the utilization of phosphate rock. The production of silico-manganese from rhodonite is being studied as a possible method of making available more manganese. Coal utilization studies are being conducted to improve the heat value of coal in order to justify shipping greater distances, particularly to the Pacific coast area. Studies are being made of the production of synthetic liquid fuel from coal and methods of improving the heat value of coal for utilization as thermal power on a competitive basis to firm up hydroelectric power. Retorting and refining research is being done on oil shale at Rifle, Colo., and Laramie, Wyo., to produce synthetic liquid fuel. The work being done on petroleum and natural gas is directed toward increasing the yield from various fields and thereby increasing reserves.