Show THIRSTY LAND Acres of Farm Lands Are Irrigated in Western U.S. I th second of two on world-famous Central Valley The prime objective of the Central Valley project is an equalization of tho fabulous agriculture empire's water resources between the surplus area of the north and the water-deficient southern providing for irrigation of more than one million acres of fertile farm This is how It was worked Surplus waters of the northern valley are conserved behind Shasta dam on tho upper Sacramento as well as Folsom under construction on the American and released as needed Reclamation projects provide additional recreational features for thousands of Bass and fishing are especially good In Shasta The water Is picked up by the Delta Cross Channel and flows south to the Tracy Pumping Plant on the rim of Central Valley's western There the water Is lifted feet into the Delta-Mendota to flow another miles south to Mendota pool on the San Joaquin At this point the Imported northern supply takes over the job formerly done by the San Joaquin By this San Joaquin waters can be retained behind dam and diverted still further south by the Friant-Kern Canal for irrigation use in the critically water-deficient areas along the east side of the San Joaquin valley as far down as At the dam another canal moves water 37 miles north for irrigation purposes in Madera The initial features of the which will be completed and in operation this will cost an estimated of which 87 per cent will be repaid through sale of water and power developed by the project over a sixty year The remaining 13 per cent is charged to non-reimbursable items such as flood ALTHOUGH THIS is a vast it is only one small part of the nation's reclamation program that has already proved to be a fruitful source of new wealth from the development of the west's great natural Reclamation opens new opportunities for people of this nation to build new new new industries and new business establishments in our best and oldest American Today some acres of arid and land are irrigated with crops produced on these lands averaging in excess of per year in Since the first reclamation project was started in the west has been provided with 95 dams with combined storage capacity of acre-feet of 35 power plants with more than kilowatts miles of irrigation miles of electric transmission In reclamation projects have produced worth of crops per in power in federal taxes between 1916 and and which is spent in every section of the United States each This Is the brief story of this nation's attempt to bring water to thirsty a story that has been repeated in many sections of the world since before the time of but never on such a vast |