The herald., 1894-01-14
THE RESOURCES OF IRRIGATION
A Wicked Waste of Water in
This State.
A Brief Statement of What Capital
Can Do.
lakes and Rivers That Gould Be Made
to Turn Deserts Into Gardens
and Give the Idle
Employment.
lay O. MnLHo1LANn.l

The recent report by Mr.. Newell oi
the United States Geological Survey
that there is more land already in pri-
vate ownership than there is water to
irrigate, is deserving of further COM
ment. This is repetition OF the state
ment made by Major Powell at the Irri-
cation congress in this city last October.
The territory referred to by Major
Powell, and recently by Mr.. Newell, is
the whole arid region from Kansss to
the Pacific coast.
Now. if the whole OF that vast region
be considered together, it may be true
that there is not water enough available
to irrigate all the good land there is
within it. But Major Powell said there
are many thousands of acres that may
be irrigated by the construction OF
necessary dams and canals, and
in his recent report Mr.. New
ell repeats the same statement.
In our own state there is water enough
running to waste to irrigste, not merely
thousands, but several millions of acres
OF land. The land is there aswell as the
water, but poor men cannot locate upon
the lands and construct the works nee
essary to convey the water where it is
needed. In Modoc county Pitt river is a
stream nearly large enough to be navi-
gable. 1t flows through valley that
would support tens of thousands of peo-
pie; but there is not money enough
there to construct dams and bitches,
therefore the land is desert and the flood
waters of the river help to submerge the
Sacramento valley every winter.
In Lassen, which joins Modoc county
on the south, is Eagle lake. This
is very deep lake, and has
an area OF ITO square miles. The
water is pure and abounds in trout.
By running tunnel about half mile
in length, and constructing about 20
miles of canal, water could be taken
from the lake that would irrigste thou
sands of acres of land in Honey Lake
valley. In this valley storage dam of
Susan river above the town of Susan
vile would also afford water to irrigate
an additional large area. Attempts
have been made by the settlers to carry
out both of these enterprises, but want
of money has prevented the completion
of either.
Coming south on the east side of the
Sierra Nevada range to Lake Tahoe, the
Truckee river is seen leaving the
lake and flowing toward Nevada.
Standing on the bridge over the Truckee
at Reno every sprirg, volume OF water
may be neen rushing down that would
irrigate whole counties. All of that
vast volume of water is lost in Pyramid
lake. In the neigh borhood of Reno are
tens of thousands of acres OF good land,
now desert, that could be irrigated from
the Truckee river. Lake Tahoe could
not be surpassed in the world as a stor-
age reservoir. At com oaratively small
cost works that woulo save and make
available the whole of that great vol
ume of water. now wasted, could be con-
structed; but poor settlers couldn't do it.
Walker river also has it's source in the
Sierra Nevada range. This stream flows
into Walker lake, which is body OF
fresh water 80 miles long and 10 or IL
wide. Dams and canals wodld enable
Walker river to supply water for many
thousands of acres OF good land now
desert.
OVENS river is estimated by Mr..
Newell himself to have volume OF
10000 inches of water at its lowest
stage. and this increases to 500 600
inches or upward at food season in May,
June and July of each year.
Work is now in progress to take water
from Ovens river, in Inyo county, to
irrigate many thousands of acres of
land.
Here are. but q few streams flowing
from the Sierra Madre mountains; but
the aggregate volume OF water is enough
to irrigate several millions of acres of
land. No one who knows the streams
and lakes will dispute these statements.
just as little would it be disputed by
any one who knows the country that
there is plenty of good land where the
water may be applied.
While temporary makeshifts to
find employment for idle men
are well enough in their way, surely it
would be far more worthy of statesmen
to use the power of the government in
making the Improvements that would
enable hundreds of thousands of men to
become the owners of decent homes.
The land made fit for settlement in this
way should be sold to actual settlers
only, and in small tracts, not greater than
40 acres, and even 20 acres might be still
better.
In all the states and territories of the
arid region are streams and lakes that
could be made to supply vast aggre-
gate of water for irrigation. Those who
favor irrigation do not propose to put
water upon mountain tops or lofty pla :
teaus that 60 to make up go large part
Of the arid region, but only valleys that
may be reached with a comparatively