The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-05-22
COLORADO MUST NOT DIVERT
ARKANSAS RIVER.
An Extraordinary Case Filed In the
United states Supreme Court-How
the Trial Might be Saved.


WASHINGTON April 3O.-Attorney
General Goddard of Kansas, is here TO
file a bill i'm behalf of his state in the
Supreme court for an order to enjoln
the people of Colorado from diverting
the water of the Arkansas river and its
tributaries for irrigation and other pur-
poses and compelling Kansas to go
dry. The Arkansas river rises in the
Rocky Mountains of Colorado and re-
ceives the rainfall of an enormous wa
tershed, but, however, is practically dry
for six months of the year. 1t comes
out of the mountains at Canon city,
Col, a roaring torrent, flows through
thirteen counties of Kansas, with val
ley as rich as that of the Nile but after
the spring floods, practically disappears
on reaching the Kansas line because its
waters are consumed by the population
along it's route in Colorado. 1t is one
of the most important rivers in the west
from an agricultural standpoint, and
nearly one-fifth of the population of
Kansas is directly dependent upon 1T.
The rapid increase of the irrigation
system in Colorado is absorbing 50 large
a share of the water that during nearly
nine months of the year, and especially
in the summer season, when it is most
needed, the bed of the river in the state
of Kansas is a plain of drifting sand.
This has been a matter of great concern
TO the people OF IndI state, anu dlItl
careful investigation Governor Stanley
instructed the attorney general to APP
peal to the Supreme court of the United
States for protection. The result of the
bill filed today, which is an entirely new
proposition in litigation and is likely to
bring about legislation by Congress for
the regulation of irrigation upon
streams that flow through more than
one state. The irrigation experts of
the government are especially interest
| ed in the subject, because they hope
it will bring to the attention of Con-
! gress the practical side of the question.
Instead of going to law about this
matter" said Mr.. Newell, the hydro
| graphic expert of the geological survey,
ut would be better for the people of
| Kansas to spend the same amount of
money in finding out the facts and solv
| ing their problem in a business-like
way. There is plenty of water in the
| Arkansas river for both Colorado and
| Kansas, and if they would give us the
money they are going to spend in this
suit we would demonstrate how to con-
serve and utilize it. The Arkansas riv
| er drains an area of 5000 square miles
of watershed for it's permanent supply,
and that area during half the year Is
| covered with heavy SHOWS. Where it
leaves Colorado and crosses into Kan
| sas the Arkansas drains an area Of
$4,000 square miles.
! "At Canon City, where the Arkansas
! leaves the mountains, it carries an an
nual average of 100000 acre-feet of wa
ter-that is water enough to flood half
| a million acres of land one foot deep.
| The greater part of this water passes
down that valley in two months-May
and June-and is practically wasted.
With all their irrigating systems, the
people in the Arkansas valley have the
benefit of only a small percentage of
this matter. Less than thirty per cent
of the water that flows in that river
is utilized, consisting mainly of that
which comes after the spring rise.
Nearly all of the flood flow now wasted
could be saved by the construction of
storage reservoirs
1--WE have made surveys of the head
waters of the Arkansas" continued Mr..
Newell for a series of reservoirs that
will utilize the rain and snow fall OF the
high mountain catchment area. Such
a system will cost an average of so
per acre of the land reclaimed and the
result will be- First to prevent dan
ger from ordinary floods; second, to in
sure a permanent and adequate supply
of water for both Colorado and Kansas
third, to increase by millions of dollars
the value of lands in the Arkansas val
ley; fourth, to give a certain instead
of a speculative value to all agricultural
developments.
cat Hutchinson, Kas., for example
the water of the Arkansas comes in one
or two great spring floods, which are
not only useless so far as agriculture
purposes are concerned but are apt tC
: do great damage.
For the remainder of the year the
people of Western Kansas have prac,
tically no river water. By controlling
these floods, by holding back the melt
ing snow and regulating the flow Il
can be made uniform and released dur
ing the dry months when it is mos
needed When this is done that part o
the state, and in fact the entire Ar
kansas valley, will not suffer from thu
prevailing droughts and the usual crol
losses"