Volume 84 · 861
Public Law 91–409
To reauthorize the Riverton extension unit, Missouri River Basin project, to Include therein the entire Riverton Federal reclamation project, and for other purposes.
Approved September 25, 1970
Statutory text
AN ACT
To reauthorize the Riverton extension unit, Missouri River Basin project, to Include therein the entire Riverton Federal reclamation project, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That the general
Missouri River Basin project.
Riverton extension unit, reauthorization.
plan for the Riverton extension unit, Missouri River Basin project, heretofore authorized under section 9 of the Flood Control Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 887), is modified to include relief to water users, construction, betterment of works, land rehabilitation, water conservation, fish and wildlife conservation and development, flood control, and silt control on the entire Riverton Federal reclamation project. As so modified the general plan is reauthorized under the designation “Riverton unit of the Missouri River Basin project”. The Riverton extension unit shall be operated in such manner that identifiable return flows of water will not cause the Wind River to be in violation of water quality standards promulgated pursuant to the “Wafer Quality Act of 1965 (79 Stat. 903).
Amendatory repayment contract
Sec. 2.
The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to negotiate and execute an amendatory repayment contract with the Midvale Irrigation District covering all lands of the Riverton unit. This contract shall replace all existing repayment contracts between the Midvale Irrigation District and the United States.
The period for repayment of the construction and rehabilitation
Repayment period.
and betterment costs allocated to irrigation and assigned to be repaid by the irrigation water users shall be fifty years from and including the year in which such amendatory repayment contract is executed.
During the period required to construct and test the adequacy of drains and other water conservation works, the rates of charge to land classes and the acreage assessable in each land class in the unit shall continue to be as established in the amendatory repayment contract with the district dated June 26, 1952; thereafter such rates of charge and assessable acreage shall be in accordance with the amortization capacity and classification of unit lands as determined by the Secretary.
Sec. 3.
Construction and rehabilitation and betterment costs of
Unproductive lands.
the Riverton unit which the Secretary determines to be assignable to lands classified now or hereafter as permanently unproductive shall be nonreturnable and nonreimbursable: Provided, That whenever new lands or lands now or hereafter classified as nonproductive, are classified or reclassified as productive, the repayment obligation of the district shall be increased appropriately.
All miscellaneous net revenues of the Riverton unit shall accrue to the United States and shall be applied against irrigation costs not assigned to be repaid by irrigation water users.
Construction and rehabilitation and betterment costs of the Riverton unit allocated to irrigation and not assigned to be repaid by irrigation water users nor returned from miscellaneous net revenues of the unit shall be returnable from net revenues of the Missouri River Basin project within fifty years from and including the year in which the amendatory contract authorized by this Act is executed.
Sec. 4.
The limitation of lands held in beneficial ownership within
Ownership limitations.
the unit by any one owner, which are eligible to receive project water from, through, or by means of project works, shall be one hundred and sixty acres of class 1 land or the equivalent thereof in other land classes, as determined by the Secretary.
Sec. 5.
Lands available for disposition on the Riverton unit, including property acquired pursuant to the Act of March 10, 1964, shall be sold at public, or private sale at not less than appraised fair market value at the time of sale. The Secretary may dispose of such lands in tracts of any size, so long as no such disposition will result in a total ownership within the unit by any one owner in excess of the limitation prescribed in section 4 above.
In the disposition of lands on the Riverton unit, resident, land-owners on the unit who have not obtained relief under the Act of March 10, 1964, as amended, shall have a prior right to purchase tracts in order to supplement their existing farms.
Sec. 6.
The provision of lands, facilities, and project modifications which furnish fish and wildlife benefits in connection with the Riverton extension unit shall be in accordance with the Federal Water
Interest rates.
Project Recreation Act (79 Stat. 213).
The interest rate used for purposes of computing interest during construction and interest on the unpaid balance of the capital cost allocated to interest-bearing features of the project shall be determined by the Secretary of the Treasury as of the beginning of the fiscal year in which construction of said interest-bearing features is initiated, on the basis of the computed average interest rate payable by the Treasury upon its outstanding marketable public obligations, which are neither due nor callable for redemption for fifteen years from date of issue.
Sec. 7.
Appropriations heretofore or hereafter made for carrying on the functions of the Bureau of Reclamation shall be available for credits, expenses, charges, and cost provided by or incurred under this
Rules and regulations.
Act. The Secretary is authorized to make such rules and regulations as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
Sec. 8.
There is hereby authorized to be appropriated for rehabilitation and betterment of the facilities of the first and second divisions of the Riverton unit, for completion of drainage works for said first and second divisions, and for fish and wildlife measures as authorized by this Act, the sum of $12,116,000 (based on July 1969 prices), plus or minus such amounts, if any, as may be justified by reason of ordinary fluctuations in construction cost, indexes applicable to the types of construction involved herein. There are also authorized to be appropriated such additional sums as may be required for operation and maintenance of the Riverton unit.
Approved September 25, 1970.