Arizona republican., 1900-08-20
WATER IN ABUNDANCE
A Day of Rejoicing For the Ranchers
 of the Salt River Valley.

After manths of weary waiting tha
 valley farmer to throw up his hat and wreath his face in smiles. It has rained. Not in Phoenix, to be sure, but all over the mountainous watershed that drains into Salt river and furnishes the irrigation water supply. Just how extensive the rains have been is yet un- known. but an immense volume of wa ter is now coming down the river and | the indications are that it is still rain ing.
 Storm reports have been coming in for three days. but the first indication that
 sufficient amount of water had fal-
 len to do this valley any good was on Saturday when the report came down from the Arizona canal dam that the river was raising. This was supple mented by a telephone message in the i.evening to the effect that the canal was bank full and water was running over
 the crest of the dam.
 All day yesterday tke river continued tC rise slowly and at 6 o'clock last ni.h1 q telephone message annuuncad that the canal was carrying it's full capacity , and q foot of water was running over
 he dam. This is said to be the er-lt- i ct flow that has passed down the river ' for two wears and while foot of wa ! te!' does not sound very big if means i a great deal tC those who und .rstand | the situation. It means thateafter all
 the wat T. that the north side canals can , carry has be on diverted from the river there is still a volume one foot in depth and 900 feet wide. the length of the | dam, passing on down the river: an amount more than sufficient to fill the | south side canals If it continues for any 1 length of time. It means that if tn 1 same flow continues after the canals | are full the river will be too deep for l fOr1ing at Tempe.
 | During the summer the greater part ! of the water used on the south side ! has been brought down the dam 1 through the upper end of the Arizona ! canal and again turned back into the | river near the Consolidated head. As i soon as the river flow reaches the Con | solidated head, the crOsscut canal, which supplies the south side. will 1 probably be shut off and the entire flow
 in the Arizona will then be divided be-
 tween the north side ditches If this : was not done last night 1t most likely i will be done today, s1 the farmers all | over the valley. on both sides cf the river. will have at least one good run of | water. and if the rise in the river last night lasts any length of time. there will
 he water to burr" or to put in stor- ] age reservoir.
 Here tn question of the hour again presents itself. A temporary abun- dance of irrigatinG water sh uId not
 have the Cffec. of binding the farmer | and business man 70 the neeI of wat-r | storage. On the contrary it should serve to convince the few who are r3ld- ing back from a f5ar that there will bc 1 no water to store, thac Salt river is
 abundantly able to supply the water | when the reservoir is ready to receive
 it. The indications now are that there
 will be more water in the canals thi-
 week than can possibly be used but
 just as sure as night follows day there
 will be more dry times and scarcity
 of water.
 The benefits to the valley from thc
 present flow are incalculable. It is toe