The border vidette., 1925-03-07
YUMA IRRIGATION PROJECT.

Yuma project, involving about
10000 acres, with an actual cul.
tivated area of 54, 900 acres. It
is under the direct supervision
of the United States reclamation
service.
Development in the Yuma pro.
ject has kept pace with agricul.
| tural development in other sec.
tions of the state. At the same
time it has advantages over
other projects, in that no storage
dam is necessary to provide q
continued source of supply.
| The Yuma lands get their wat
er from the natural flow of the
Colorado river, thus making un
necessary storage reservoir to
assure supply through the dry
periods.
1t was necessary only to con.
struct diversion dam across
the Colorado. This is known as
Laguna dam, which is located at
q point IA miles upstream from
the city of Yuma.
| The water for irrigation pur.
poses is taken from the river on
the California side of the stream,
a part Of it first being diverted
onto Indian lands for irrigation
purposes. Altogether, about 16,.
| 600 acres are under cultivation
on the Indian reservations. ii
From that point the water is
ditched down to point opposite
Yuma, in California, where it is
lsyphoned under the river and
into the city of Yuma. It's dis
tribution to the 81, 900 acres of
land is directed from that point.
! In addition to the 81, 900 acres
now included in the project, an
other tract Of 10000 acres, known
as the Yuma Mesa lands, soon
| will be added to the cultivated
area of the district, it is expect.
ed. A bill now is before con.
gress to provide the funds ne.
cessary to irrigate these lands
which are considered the frost,
LESS lands. !"
/ Maintenance costs of the pro.
| ject are greater, no doubt, than
costs in other projects of the
state, principally because the
lands are obliged to maintain the
dykes and levees along the river
bank from Yuma city to the La
Runa dam. These rock struc
lures are absolutely necessary,
it is pointed out, to safeguard
the property holders during the
| food periods of the year. An
effort now is being made by the
land owners of the project to
have the government assume
charge of these structures and
maintain them without cost to
the landholders the same as is
done along the Mississippi river.
| Another expense in the main.
tenance costs is the cleaning of
bitches. The unusual amount of
silt in the waters of the Colorado
river, together with the water
grass, soon chokes the bitches
and laterals unless they are
cleaned frequently. The land.
holders propose to solve this
problem by constructing con.
crete. lined bitches and laterals.
The reclamation service even
now is building two miles of con.
crete ditch to illustrate the saw
ings that could be effected by
lining all dirt bitches with Gem.
ent. Agitation now is under way
in the district to have all main
bitches and canals improved in
keeping with the government
recommendations.
/ Up to this time. the project
has been one solely of reclaim
ing the arid lands, but work
soon will be under way in con.
structing the first unit of q pow.
er development program The
last congress set aside $425. 900
for the purpose of constructing
q power plant at the spillway in
California. The power would be
developed from the surplus wat
ers turned back into the river
just below the syphoning point.
| A full head of water is delivered
to the California side of the
river. There, just enough to
supply the demands of users is
syphoned under the river, the
remainder being turned back
into the stream. The drop into
the river is many feet, with the
result that the spillway is re.
| ro r0o6 40 an ovoollopt payuor