Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-10-25
The Great Pipe Line.
Yuma Sentinel

From every side comes inquiries as to the plan of lrrigating the great valley of the Colorado below Yuma.
 The first and most practical proposi- ton, seems to be, to go up the river IS or 20 miles above Yuma, dam the river where both sides and bottom are com posed of solid rock, put in the necessary locks for the passage of such steamers as ply both up and down the Colorado. then take the water out on both sides of the river by either of the three methods. which have been proposed.
 1st By system of canals, with fumes across the aroyos and cations.
 2d. By Hume built from the dam to the points where the water will be used for irrigation.
 3d. By using iron pipes, to feet in diameter and piping the water all the way from the dam. until it reaches the great Natural Canal System of the Col orado Valley.
 Each of these are practicable plans. The iron pipes will cost more than the ditch, or the Hume and ditch combined. but those in favor of using the pipe line argue that while the first cost will be greater, that the current expenses for repairs on the fumes and ditches and the saving of water from evaporation and leakage, will more than pay the inter est on the increased cost of the pipe line. It is also claimed that the security of the pipe line from the overflow of the river. and the local storms which fill the ar royos at times, will more than offset the difference in the cost of the two or three lines as proposed.
 2D. GREAT PIPE LINE
 as proposed, is to go up the Colorado River, still further and dam the river. and put in locks for vessels as before. and then on much larger scale, put in lare- CT iron pipes and more of them and lead the water farther to the eastword cover. ing larger extent of good country that cannot be reached by the lst system i Also to carry the water to the westvord in pipes, so that the mesa and valley lands can be reached, which lie to the west of the summit of El Rio, on the s. F. R. R. This system will also supply 1 the valley Of the Colorado, the same sr plan No. l. This is a gigantic undertaE- ing, but one that will pay. It has beer estimated that the 1st great pipe line, Ditch and tlumes will cost S4.O00. .00l Plume line e............... 5.OO0OOr Iron pipe line e........ 7O0O09l While the I'd great pipe line built only O iron pipe will cost not less than S10,000. U00. The great question with all thes, propositions Is, what is to be done witl the sediment which the Colorado Rive always carries in it's waters The ditcl and Hume plans offer the most seriou, obstacles. The iron line can easily talk care of all the mud and sand that vii ever find it's way into it, but the questio! with the ditch line, OF ditch and Rum line combined is not 50 easily solved.
 ANOTHER PLAN
 has been suggested, and that Is, to tax the water out at the bluffs just below E Rlo, i've miles below here. The obiec ton to this plan is first, the difficulty 0 putting in any sort of dam or locks second, to prevent the overflow of th river below that point-third, to get th water on to any of the mesa lands, b5r dering the great body of valley land 0 both sides of the river-foufth, the wate taken out at this point would only irr gate the valley lands. not even all ( these, and still this plan has it's advC cates.
 Of these three plans, the second if ca, ried out, would cover the largest area country, nearly all of which is good f. cultivation.
 The time is not far distant when one these plans will be adopted and the line will be built, and when this is don Yuma will be in the center of the be: farming districts on the coast.