Weekly Phoenix herald., 1883-01-05
Our Water SUPPLY.
communicated

the question of q more extensive, bet
ter, and more reliable supply of wa
ter has engrossed the attention of the
people of Salt River Valley, and we
arc informed by the press of Pho
rix that an enterprise for the pur-
pose of procuring it is assuming
practical shape. Although it is i'm
probable that the parties that have
taken under their control the devel-
opment of said enterprise have not
made themselves thoroughly &C
quainted with the possibilities and
of the undertaking, still
it is probable the people interested
have not generally given the ques-
ton that consideration that will en-
able them to comprehend the magni-
tnde of the enterprise; and for this
reason few statistics and figures on
the subject will not be considered
out of place, even should they come
from an old prospector. When the
fact that we, as nation, are fast be-
coming the moneyed metropolis of
the world (our national increase in
wealth being estimated at from three
to four million dollars per day. is
taken into consideration, it need not
be wondered at that money is becom-
ing q drug on the market, neither
need it require any metaphysical dis
QUESTION to demonstrate the fact that
every available means for the invest
ment of capital that gives promise
of yielding moderate but steady in
come will be looked after and occu-
pied in time. But it is necessary to
bring the capabilities and magnitude
nf our water supply to the notice of
the general public outside OF this
Territory If we want to elicit a suffi-
cient amount of capital to give
guarantee of success to the enter
prise.
AS a starter in this line, will give
some facts and figures that 1 think
will stand the test of criticism, if
one should be elected, and if they
do not, the criticism will correct the
facts and figures and at all events
the end desired will be attai ed. The
area of tillable land over which the
waters of Salt River may be made
to flow, lying east of the Aqua Fria,
cannot fall far short of one half mil
lion acres, about equal amounts ~.
ing on each side of Salt River.
To irrigate an acre of land the
amount of water necessary as gener-
ally decided upon by the farmers of
the valley, by experience, is about
300 gallons an hour, or five gallons
To irrigate 100000 acres of land
would require constant flow of
!, 100000 gallons minute. A river.
at a speed s miles an hour
about the speed of Salt River two
hundred feet wide and three feet
deep would give a flow of $500, 400
gallons of water minute, which
would be amply sufficient to give a
continuous supply of water for $780,
900 acres of land at the above esti-
mate. There IS no one that is IA
miliar with tho annual flow of water
in Salt River, including its spring
and summer freshets, that does not
know that 1t will give( if some way
is provided to husband its waters
during the freshet~) continuous
supply of over twice that amount.
All that is necessary to procure this
supply of water is to build reser-
voirs of sufficient capacity to hold
the water, and to excavate canals OF
sufficient capacity to carry it from
the river to the reservoirs during the
spring and summer freshets.
The facilities for construc ting res
ervoirs, at least on the west side of
Salt River is all that could be re-
quired. There are many valleys in
closed, more or less, by the noun
tains north of Phoenix, which, by
EN- thanking from one mountain to
another, can be cheaply converted
into large reservoirs 20 or 80 feet
deep. But t. in ure speedy devel-
opment of the resources of the valley
under this water supply, and at the
same time give permanency to the
improvements and to protect the
people against extortion, aad 10 give
the capital invested in the water sup
ply guarantee of given interest
on the money invested, requires
and careful consideration at
this time and should have some leg
islation. In the first place to give a
farmer a guarantee that when he
plants an orchard, vim evard, or tim
Der OF any character, that he Will
always have sufficient water sup
ply to insure Its steady growth, there
should be law enacted that when a
given supply of water has been con-
tracted for per acre, it should there
after become perpetual part of the
freehold of the lani That the cap
ital invested in procuring the water
supply shall thereafter have I sure
guarantee of a given income on the
invested. there should be
given perpetual water rentage on
the land supplied. That the corpo-
ration supplying the water should