Three 30,000 kilowatt units for the Parker power plant were ordered in February. These were expected to be ready to operate in the Fall of 1941. Contracts had been completed or were being negotiated which would utilize the full capacity of the three units, and there is sufficient market to justify the immediate installation of the fourth unit.

The Elephant Butte power plant on the Rio Grande project was nearing completion and will be placed in operation during the fall of 1940. Contracts had been completed or were being negotiated which would utilize the 90,000,000 kilowatt-hours of energy to be available annually.

The station service units at the Grand Coulee power plant, Columbia Basin project, will start operating during the fall of 1940. Three of the main units had been ordered. Power plants were also under construction by the Bureau of Reclamation at Shasta Dam, Central Valley project, and Green Mountain Dam, Colorado-Big Thompson project. At Marshall Ford Dam, in Texas, the Lower Colorado River Authority is installing the power plant.

RECLAMATION FUND

Accretions to the reclamation fund remained at a low level as will be indicated by the table below:

The effect of the provision that repayments of allotments made 'rom emergency funds to reclamation projects be deposited in the reclanation fund has not as yet been felt, and it is not expected to be felt or several years, owing to the fact that the projects on which this noney was expended, for the most part, are not completed.

As a consequence, it is anticipated that by the close of the 1942 fiscal year the reclamation fund will be so depleted that it will be unable to carry the construction of all the projects now being financed from the fund. Two means of correcting this situation, which soon may become critical, are suggested. Either the reclamation fund should be increased by an advance from the General Fund of the Treasury, or certain of the more costly of the projects now being constructed by appropriations from the fund should be financed by appropriations from the General Fund of the Treasury or in other ways.

Repayments

Construction payments during the year totaled $2,293,980.25; operation and maintenance collections amounted to $1,101,522.51; and water rental receipts were $503,549.67. Arrearages at the close of the fiscal year were: Construction, $1,442,705.95; operation and maintenance, $243,645.43; and water rental, $171,526.85; amounts which represent slight increases over comparable figures for the previous year. Operation of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 in future years should largely correct situations resulting in such delinquencies.

Accretions to the fund:

Sales of public lands_.

Status of Reclamation Fund

Royalties and rental under Mineral Leasing Act__.

Potassium royalties and rentals.

Federal water-power licenses__

Receipts from Naval Petroleum Reserves, 1920 to 1938, act
of May 9, 1939-

$112, 949, 987.30

61, 228, 715. 45 657, 555. 67 828, 455. 07

29, 778, 300. 23

10,000.00 336, 729. 33 599.29

2, 155, 821. 44 56, 312, 092. 07 1, 868, 592. 36 49, 748, 858. 86 5, 120, 527. 26 1,442, 705. 95

338, 825. 67
45, 148.98

138, 327. 74 7, 580, 494. 87 978. 495. 04

86, 668. 41 167, 829. 54

Refunds.

Total collections.

Contributed funds applying to construction cost not included in above table.

1 Contra.

Other credits for fiscal year, $425,387.89.
Decrease for fiscal year, $7,177.64.

1, 896, 444. 25 50, 238, 624. 31

54, 900.00 2, 101, 258. 83

Accounts Receivable, Operation and Maintenance Charges (After Public Notice)

New Mexico-Texas: Rio Grande. 149, 542. 92 1,843, 294. 23 154, 819. 29 1, 827, 794. 23

North Dakota:

9, 129.70

15,500.00

524, 631.53 11, 282, 208. 06 499, 910. 78 11, 047, 745. 642 62, 935. 57 171, 526. 85

1 Other credits for fiscal year, $3,638.89.

POPULATION OF THE PROJECTS

There was a slight increase during the past year in the number of farms irrigated, bringing the total to 53,205. The population on these farms was 227,835. The 1940 census made possible the revision of population figures for the 258 towns on or directly tributary to the projects, which, with the elimination of one duplication, gives a corrected figure of 609,782 as compared to 676,928 in 1939. The combined population of these towns and the irrigated farms is 837,617.

Within the areas thus developed as the result of the construction of the Federal irrigation systems there have been established 937 schools and 1,148 churches. There were 108 banks serving the settlers. of the project farms and towns.