43 U.S.C. § 440 — Regulations as to use of water and requirements as to cultivation and reclamation of land; cancellation for noncompliance with requirements

This section gives the Secretary of the Interior power to regulate irrigation projects, and it sets farming deadlines for people claiming land under them. The Secretary may make general rules and regulations governing how water is used to irrigate land within any reclamation project. The Secretary may also require, for each water-right application or entry: farming ("reclaiming for agricultural purposes and cultivating") one-fourth of the irrigable land within three full irrigation seasons after filing, and farming one-half of the irrigable land within five full irrigation seasons after filing. The Secretary must also make sure claimants keep meeting these requirements over time, not just once. If a water-right applicant or entryman (someone who has filed a land claim) fails to meet these cultivation requirements, their application or entry becomes subject to cancellation.