Results of The Act
Below are listed the larger of the irrigation projects of the United States, with the area reclaimed or to be reclaimed as of 1925. (1)
- Arizona: Salt River, 182,000
- Arizona-California: Yuma, 158,000
- California: Orland, 20,000
- Colorado: Grand Valley, 53,000; Uncompahgre Valley, 140,000
- Idaho: Boise, 207,000; Minidoka, 120,500
- Kansas: Garden City, 10,677
- Montana: Blackfeet, 122,500; Flathead, 152,000; Fort Peck, 152,000; Huntley, 32,405; Milk River, 219,557; Sun River, 174,046
- Montana-North Dakota: Lower Yellowstone, 60,116
- Nebraska-Wyoming: North Platte, 129,270
- Nevada: Truckee-Carson, 206,000
- New Mexico: Carlsbad, 20,261; Hondo, 10,000; Rio Grande, 155,000
- North Dakota: North Dakota Pumping, 26, 314
- Oregon: Umatilla, 36,300
- Oregon-California: Klamath, 70,000
- South Dakota: Belle Fourche, 100,000
- Utah: Strawberry Valley, 50,000
- Washington: Okanogan, 10,999; Sunnyside, 102,824; Tieton (Teton), 34,071
- Wyoming: Shoshone, 164,122
Much of the West could not have been settled without the water provided by the Act. The West became one of the premier agricultural areas in the world. Bureau of Reclamation statistics show that the more than 600 of their dams on waterways throughout the West provide irrigation for 10 million acres (40,000 km²) of farmland, providing 60% of the nation's vegetables and 25% of its fruits and nuts. Currently, the Bureau operates about 180 projects in the West.
Not envisioned by the act, Bureau of Reclamation dams support 58 power plants producing 40 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually. Most of the large population centers in the Far West owe their growth to these power sources.
Read more about this topic: Newlands Reclamation Act
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