Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 70.djvu/832

 776

43 USC 485a.

A l p i n e County, Calif.

L i t t l e Truckee River.

F a c i l i t i e s for a c c e s s, public health, etc.

Report to C o n g r e s s i o n a l committees.

PUBLIC LAW 858-AUG. 1, 1956

[70

ST A T.

to commercial power with interest on the unamortized balance thereof at the average rate (which rate shall be certified by the Secretary of the Treasury) paid by the United States on its marketable long-term securities outstanding on the date of this Act, and thereafter to the amortization of that portion of the cost of constructing the project which is allocated to irrigation but which is beyond the ability of the contracting irrigation organizations to repay as provided above, including interest that would have been paid by the irrigators on that portion of the irrigation allocation attributable to furnishing irrigation benefits to excess lands which is not repaid under section 2(b) above: Provided, That the Secretary, prior to the delivery of project water supplies, shall have entered into a contract or contracts with an organization or organizations as defined in paragraph 2 (g) of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 (53 Stat. 1187) which have the capacity to levy assessments upon all taxable real property located within their boundaries to assist in making repayments. (d) Water users in Alpine County, California, shall have the opportunity to contract for project water made available by the Watasheamu Reservoir before such project water is offered for the development of any new land in Nevada. Should any such project water be contracted for by Alpine County water users, then in that event such users shall be permitted to exchange such water for existing rights to natural flow or stored water of the West Carson River. (e) The use of waters of the Little Truckee River solely for the generation of electric power by the Washoe project shall not impair or preclude the appropriation of such waters in the future for beneficial consumptive use within the Little Truckee River watershed in California to the same extent as such waters may be presently available for such appropriation in the State of California: Provided, That if and when an interstate compact covering the distribution and use of the waters of the Truckee and Carson Rivers is approved by the Legislatures of the States of California and Nevada and is consented to by Congress, the operation of the Washoe reclamation project shall be in conformance with such compact, and the foregoing restriction shall not apply. SEC. 3. The Secretary is authorized to investigate, plan, construct, operatej and maintain minimum basic facilities for access to, and for the maintenance of public health and safety and the protection of public property on, lands withdrawn or acquired for the development of the Washoe project, to conserve the scenery and natural, historic, and archeologic objects, and to provide for public use and enjoyment of the same and of the water areas created by this project by such means as are consistent with its primary purposes. The Secretary is authorized to withdraw from entry or other disposition under the public land laws such public lands as are necessary for the construction, operation, and maintenance of said minimum basic facilities and for the other purposes specified in this section and to dispose of such lands to Federal, State, and local governmental agencies by lease, transfer, exchange, or conveyance upon such terms and conditions as will best promote their development and operation in the public interest. The Secretary is further authorized to investigate the need for acquiring other lands for said purposes and to report thereon to the Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives, but no lands shall be acquired solely for any of these purposes other than access to project lands and the maintenance of public health and safety and the protection of public property thereon without further authorization by the Congress. All costs incurred pursuant to this section shall be nonreimbursable and nonreturnable.

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