Imperial Valley press., 1931-10-06
DIRECTORS OF
DISTRICT STUDY
CANALC0NTRACT
Priority Wa ter Rights
Clearly Set Forth In
New Document.

Directors of the irrigation district
are planning to spend part of this
afternoon in study Of the newly
arrived completed copy OF the pro-
posed All-American Canal contract.
Although officials at the district
had not had time up until early this
afternoon to read the new draft as
worked out by department OF the
interior executives and representa-
tiyes of Imperial and Coachella Val
leyS, a hasty scanning of the do
cument revealed that there have
been some alterations in exact
wording of various paragraphs and
that the recommendation of the
California Division of Water Re-
sources regarding ALLEGATION OF wa
ter to agriculture and metropolitan
! groups is included.
BY the terms of that recommen-
dation Imperial and Coachella VAL
| leys under the All-American Canal
are to have prior right to all OF
the first 3,850,00O acre feet in the
Colorado except sufficient water to
| irrigate 104,000 acres in Palo Verde
and $4,000 acres in Yuma project
| in California, with the further Spe-
cifica ton that Palo Verde is to have
an equal priority right with 1mper-
| ial and Coachella Valleys to apply
| water to an additional $4,000 acres
on the mesa adjoining the present
cultivated Palo Verde lands.
Under the terms of the proposed
contract tn Metropolitan district
will have the right to the next
,212, 900 acre feet coming to Callfor- .
| MIA from the Colorado. The next
succeeding ALLEGATION of 100000 acre
| feet is to go to All-American Canal
! lands. The contract provides that
| in this 100000 acre feet Palo Verde
has the equal right with Imperial
and Coachella lands to irrigate
! $4,000 acres on the mesa.
1t is important to note. officials
| state, that the 10000 acres referred
to are the same $4,000 acres pro-
| vided for in the inst priority group.
| Under the recommendation of the
Division of Water Resources Palo
Verde may fail to acquire a right
| for water for this 10000 acre tract
in the first instance. Thus those
lands are to have a second chance
when the 100000 acre feet of water
| are brought into use under the
| All American Canal project. In
any event, under the contract, Pale
Verde is limited to the ultimate
irrigation Of 10000 acres from the
| Colorado river.
| So far as can be ascertained to-
| day the new contract is essentially
| the same as the draft published
| several months ago. It's language
according to district officials. is
made clearer and more understand
| able, wherever possible.
Stenographers at the district are
this afternoon completing addition
al copies of The one received this
| morning. A more complete analy-
| sis Of the proposed contract is eX-
| pected tomorrow.
Word from Attorney Childers to-
day states he will arrive in Ell Cen
| tro tomorrow.
| Whot1lIS1loS OCC. q. kU,P)-
| Secretary of Interior Wilbur an
! nounced today that he had called
an open hearing on October % on
the All American canal project, ir-
rigation development to be built in
conjunction with Boulder Dam.
Wilbur said any individual or
representative of local districts af-
fected by the distribution of the
| water from the canal will be invited
to attend. A tentative contract for
ALLEGATION of the water rights from
Boulder dam was recently approved
| by representatives of the California
Imperial Irrigation district. This
contract will also be reviewed at the
hearing.