The Florence tribune., 1900-02-24
SAN CARLOS RESERVOIR.
Letter of Prot. F. H. Newell Transmitting
 Lippincott's Report.
DEPARrMENT OF THE INFERIOR,

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,
 DIVISION OF PHOTOGRAPHY,
 WASHINGTON, December l, 1899.
 SIR: have the honor to transmit herewith manuscript prepared by Mir. J. E. Lippincott, giving the re- suits of surveys of reservoirs on Gila | River, Arizona, and to recommend that it be printed in the series of Water-Supply and Irrigation Papers.
 The investigations upon which this report is based were originally in- trusted to Mr. Arthur P. Davis, as he was familiar with the conditions through a preliminary survey. Before the field work was completed, how ever, his services were required by the Nicaragua Canal Commission, to ex- tend the studies of the water supply of Central America. The responsible oversight was then intrusted to Mir. J. B. Lippincott, who up to that time had been assisting MT. Davis. This report has been written by Mir. Lippincott, and his conclusions have been verified by Mir. James D. Schuyler. The latter has prepared a concise dis eussion of the matter, but at this time it is necessary only to quote his general conclusions and recommendations, as follows:
 (D That minimum of 10000 acre feet of water annually should be stored for the supply of the Indian reserva- tion.
 (2) That it is not feasible to obtain this supply from Queen Creek, al- though the construction of the dam and reservoir proposed on the stream is feasible if sufficient water supply were available.
 f3) That the Gila River is the only available source of permanent supply.
 t4) That it is not feasible or advis- able to build dam and reservoir on the Gila for storing so small quantity as 10000 acre-feet, on account of the rapidity witl which a small reservoir must be filled with silt.
 (5) That it is not feasible to con struct a reservoir outside of the immediate channel of the Gila River of sufficient capacity to provide for the wants of the Indians, filling the same annually by conduit from the river.
 (6) That 1t is not advisable to build a dam and reservoir OF the channel of the river of less capacity than one-half the total annual flow of the river in minimum years.
 sites exist on the Gila at the Buttes, Riverside and San Carlos.
 (S) That it is not feasible to build masonry dam at the Buttes, on account of the rotten quality of the rock, the great depth to bed rock, and the ex- cessive height of dam required to ob- tain storage of 174,000 acre-feet, or about one-half the minimum flow of the stream.
 t9) That the construction of a com bination rock-fill and masonry dam is feasible at the Buttes at cost of $2, ,643, ,327, storing 174,O40 acre-feet, but that it is not feasible to construct dam of any type of greater height or capacity.
 t10) That the Bnttes reservoir of the stated capacity may be expected to fill with solid matter in eighteen years, unless dreiged or sluiced out. (11) That it is feasible to construct masonry dam at Riverside at cost of $1,9S9,6 ,6O5, including damages for right of way and diversion dam at the head of the Florence canal, forming reservoir with capacity of 22l, ,134 acre-feet.
 Q2) That it is feasible to increase the height of dam at the Riverside dam at least 70 feet higher than the one estimated upon, giving an ultimate reservoir capacity of about 650, 0,000 acre-feet, which would not be filled with solid matter short of sixty-seven years.
 Q3) That it is feasible to construct a masonry dam at San Carlos at a cost of $l ,O3s, 1926, including damages for right of way and diversion dam at the head of the Florence canal, forming a reservoir of 24l ,396 acre feet capacity, and that the water supply is ample to fill such reservoir in the years of minimum flow, and that the volume of l storage will irrigate at least 100000 acres in addition to the irriga ton of the lands of the Indians.
 (14) That it is feasible to construct dam at San Carlos at least 70 feet higher than that contemplated in the estimates, forming a reservoir whose ultimate capacity would be approxi mately 550,000 acre-feet and who's, probable life of usefulness would b, sixty-three years before being filled with silt.