People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1899-06-15
Advise Lsrre Reservoirs.
From Wichita Beacon:

The United States ge' igic 4 survey
has surveyed more than Thru, large
Reservoir sites on the heal waters OF
t aDsss aud the C0lOrid rivers
a - TraGs- Mississippi; r.r,press
IN : closed urged that tne ! dersl
g. rnmen Shnn d build he. forage
res vOirs a. d feature . It's general
poll OF internal impr' an It's for
food protection and to Sir ia WASTE
waters Of winter for irri ! Ii when
needed. This subject :..rs.s very
close To the people here Il Kansas.
The diversion Of the wis Of the
Arkansas for irrigation / colorado
has so reduced the natura :. pply 10
this state and Arkansas Il, ,:lctic-
ally destroy its value up - Aver to
these states. The last Il .n-r> legis-
latnre discussed the ma ,-r a.. = is
proposed to take the matter lair Ge
courts in the interes s of k-G.as
against the irrigators OF Colorado, TO
compel the restoration Of the saLer
to its natural stream. There j.
considerable doubt expressed, how
ever, about bringing such litigation
TO satisfactory issue within any
'easOnable time, but this policy OF
aye reservoirs adopted by the
rrans-Mississippi congress and which
ne anlicy OF National Irrigation
'ngr"G.. seems to offer a solution
'"rtH OF cous. deratiOn by the peo-
Jle Of this state.
The report 81 CoiOnen Hiram NJ.
ChittendOn OF the United States
engineer corps, shows the value Of
reservoir construction from the flood
standpoint. He shows that the great
flood Of 1881 could have boon con-
trolled at Sioux City by reservoir in
the mountain valleys tfty-six miles
IN area by thirty-One feet deep and
reservoirs which he surveyed had
practically this area. Colonel Chit.
tenden states that levee construction
on the lower rivers to entirely control
floods is mistake. Millions OF dol
lars are spent BY the government for
such work and yet now and then
comes great flood, not only destroy
ing the levee work, but vast amounts
OF property and lives as well. Such
work Is only palliative. The cause Of
the evil is removed by going To ,he
source OF the floods aud buiiaihg these
storage reservoirs 10 catch tue Hatars
from the melting SHOWS.
Mr.. Maxwell OF California, stated In
bis address before the Trans. Missis-
sippi congress that is these reservoirs
were built In Colorado with capaci;v
to hold all the waters which run 10
waste (the Arkansas has risen tel
feet In the past forty eight hours and
Is now wasting a large amount Of
water which Kansas irrigatcrs would
like TO have in storage for future usel
there would be ample water for the
people Of both Colorado ana Kansas,
80 that there would be no cause for
litigation between the states. This
was his ground for asking the people
OF Kansas 10 stand by The federal
storage reservoir policy and against
The idea OF eeding the public TO the
states. There il not much public
land left In Kansas and, he said, IL the
lands were ali etded te the states.
Kansas could nOs 20 iutu Colorado
and build reservoirs and it Is certain
that Colorado would not build any
reservoirs for Kan ,as. The ceding Of
the lands to the states would effect.
ually deprive Kansas Of the great
advantage which the building Of
federal storage reservoirs on the head
waters Of the Arkansas would be to
her farmers in the Arkansas valley.
The people of Colorado, while
jealons Of their present water supply
and willing to fight for its title to tie
bitter end In the courts, would well
come the building Of storage reser-
volrs by the government and
equitable distribution of the waters
between the different states, as It
would not only give Colorado what
water she now uses, but additional
supplies.
A last point to be borne in mind by
the farmers Of Kansas is that the
continued diversion Of the Arkansas
10 Colorado will gradually result In
diminishing the underflow Of the
Arkansas valley, which Is now one Of
the greatest resources for a prosper.
Gus development Of that section. 1t
Is a well known fact that in az irri.
gated regions waters taken out for
rigation, largely precipitats back
into the river so that IL the flow of
the Arkansas we're perpetuslly
maintained by the building OF reser.
vOirs in the Colorado mountains and