CONTENTS Page Compilation of data on Colorado River, by George W. Malone__ Report on hydroelectric and steam costs, by George W. Malone_. American Engineering Council's action on Swing-Johnson bill_. III PROTECTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER BASIN COMPILATION OF DATA ON THE COLORADO RIVER [Report by George W. Malone, State engineer and secretary of the Colorado River Commission, Nevada] SUMMARY Arizona, most feasible projects, 229,800 acres-- Arizona, total irrigable, 891,000 acres__ California, most feasible projects, 851,000 acres. _acre-feet__ 806, 400 .__do____ 2, 673, 000 _do____ 3, 620, 750 California, total irrigable, 1,123,000 acres (this item includes 1,000,000 acre-feet for Los Angeles) –– Duty, consumptive use, above Laguna_- -acre-feet 5, 613, 000 mate ____depth__ Los Angeles, to get 1,000,000 acre-feet, and is included in California's irrigable projects. Duty, consumptive use, below Laguna....... Duty, pumping, head-gate diversion___ Evaporation annually exposed surface Boulder Canyon, approxi 5.00 Power, firm horsepower available present time from 550-foot dam of 25,000,000 acre-feet capacity, approximately. ---horsepower__ Power, firm horsepower available with full irrigation development from 550-foot dam and 25,000,000 acre-feet storage___horsepower__ Water available for irrigation and domestic use in United States in the lower basin ___acre-feet-- 8, 250, 000 Water available for power, on basis of 25,000,000 acre-feet capacity reservoir. _second-feet__ Water available for power on basis of full upstream irrigation development --second-feet__ Water available for power on basis of full irrigation development of river with Bullshead or Parker for reregulating purposes- _second-feet__ Water, short, for complete lower-basin development (this includes the 21,500 13, 000 13, 000 375, 980 FOREWORD Due to the widely divergent statements relative to the acreages available for irrigation development in the three lower-basin States, the writer has considered it important that all the information available be compiled and collected in such a manner that a perspective of the lower-basin irrigation development can be gained without wading through all of the voluminous reports on this subject, and the data is especially pertinent at this time, since the subject of water division will be a vital factor in any agreement reached. In this brief résumé of the data on the Colorado River, an attempt has been made to collect from the various reports-Document 142. Water-Supply Paper 550, the Arizona Engineering Commission Report, the Weymouth Report, and various other reports certain pertinent data pertaining to acreages, duty of water, consumptive duty, etc. There are certain projects on which detail surveys are not complete, notably the Gila project in Arizona, and others on which opinions differ widely as to the correct gross and net acreages, therefore it has been necessary to insert these acreages according to the best information available, with explanatory footnotes. The writer has been assisted in this work by the following engineers: E. E. Debler, hydraulic engineer, Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, Colo. R. I. Meeker, special deputy, State engineer, interstate rivers, Denver, Colo. George M. Bacon, State engineer, Salt Lake City, Utah. William Herbert W. Yoe, State engineer, Santa Fe, N. Mex. John Whiting, State engineer, Cheyenne, Wyo. Thomas Maddox, member Colorado River Commission, former State engineer, Phoenix, Ariz. M. J. Dowd, chief engineer Imperial irrigation district, Imperial, Calif. It is not understood that each of the engineers mentioned agree in every detail with this report, but from data furnished by each of them an attempt has been made to arrive at a fair set-up for the lower basin. Summary of water-supply data on Colorado River [From pages 101 to 123, U. S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper No. 556, Water Power and Flood Control of Colorado River below Green River, Utah] [Values in acre-feet per year] 16, 100,000 Colorado River at Lee Ferry: Average recorded flow 1911-1923, computed from records of Green, Grand, and San Juan Rivers (Table 2 column 6, pp. 104–106) ‒‒‒. Colorado River at Lee Ferry: 1911-1923 records extended back to 1895 to include dry cycle 1895-1906 (Table 3, column 6, p. 108) 15,200,000 Reconstructed river at Lee Ferry (deduced from Table 6, columns 4 and 5, p. 110). This item is variously estimated at from 16 to 17 million acrefeet, and taking into account prior dry periods it is estimated at even less than 16,000,000. Colorado River at Lee Ferry: Corrected for depletion by irrigation, Estimated present consumption upper Colorado Basin above Lee Estimated future consumption in river flow, upper Colorado Basin COLORADO RIVER BASIN WATER SUPPLY 16,600,000 14.350.000 2, 365,000 5,470,000 7,835,000 8,880, 000 7,500,000 [Based on long time mean covering wet and dry cycles. Recorded flow corrected for depletion by irrigation] These figures represent approximately the total yearly flow of the Colorado River Basin unreduced by irrigation consumption; in other words, the run-off of the reconstructed river. Upper and lower basin terms fit definitions of same in Colorado River compact as drafted at Santa Fe, N. Mex., November. 1922. TABLE 1.-Total basin water supply. Reconstructed river [Values in acre-feet] Pe Upper Colorado River Basin.. Lower Colorado River Basin: Less evaporation from the Gila River and Colorado |