Omaha daily bee., 1902-06-23
GOVERNMENT AID TO WEST
Possibilities for Good CO 'ned in
the New Irrisf Nm
Undertakings. 81, ~.

Prof. Clarence T. Johnston expert in charge
CT the irrigation Investigations Office in this
city, which controls all Of the irrls1tion
work done by the national government in
the west and south, gives the following in
teresting interview regarding the new irTi-
cation bill. Prof. Johnston is one OF the
greatest irrigation experts in the country
and has but recently returned from al ex
tended trip through Egypt and Italy as an
expert OF the Agriculture department of the
United States to study the irrigation sys-
TENS in those countries:
The first act of congress carrying an APP
preparation for reservoir surveys which has
given us any valuable results was passed
appropriated to pay for. the examination
and survey of reservoirs in the arid region.
Colonel M Chittenden CORPS bpsge OF o engi tEe
work. He surveyed two reservoir sites in
Colorado and three in Wyoming during the
While the parties under him were making
careful surveys and estimates OF the cost
of the proposed work Colonel Chittenden
spent his time in making examinations Of
the sites and in studying reservoirs gen
orally. In his report he gives full particu-
lars regarding each and makes some gem
eral recommendations which are valuable
now that appropriations are available for
carrying on construction work on some
what extensive scale. He has always main
tained that the government construction
of reservoirs need not in any way necessi-
ommends leaving the completed works in
the hands of the states. The government
the works itself. The stored water. he
holds, should be distributed under state
laws, but the government should operate
the works in cases of emergency
Possibilities of Storage.
He estimates the total volume Of water
which can be stored in the west al some
thing like 265, 100000 acre-feet and assumes
gtructiOn at this rate would doubtless fur
nish water for lands in advance of settle
ment. The mean cost of large number
of completed reservoirs which he has
studied was $5.35 per acre-foot Assuming
that those constructed by the government
quire yearly expenditure therefor of
something like $l,43O,0OO to store the entire
sum made available by the bill just passed
is twice this amount. Should each of the
western states and territories receive, an
average sum of $150OO0 per year the task of
storing the waters could be accomplished
slowly, yet with sufficient rapidity to en-
able each state to yearly offer new lands
In the light OF recent experience In reser-
voir construction it is plain that these fig
ures are not far from the truth. There are
a few large enterprises In the country
which have been exploited by engineers
of these works viii not be solely reservoir
enterprises. The cost of many of them lies
principally in the diversion of water from
one drainage basin to another. The cost
of all Is too great for private enterprise to
undertake but t, IN many 131y places private en-
this or that locality should be entitled to
national aid In time many of these prof.
government, but it would be a bad policy
to undertake too large an enterprise a first
only to furnish arguments TO those who do
not favor national aid. Sufficient reser-
voir construction has already taken place
in the arid west to demonstrate that prac-
tically all the water of stream can be
stored in small basins, and at a reasonable
reservoirs are located near the lands they
irrigate and become more like bitches or
| canals as far as private interest In them
Government should Assist.
Because the government did not store
water for the irrigation of its lands when
they were public, II is no good reason why
| II should not come in at this time and help
the farmers who have done SO much TO heib
| themselves. There is a disposition at pres
! ent among those who are interested In ma
| tional irrigation to restrict the use OF water
| made available by government construc-
| ton to lands now unoccupied, Those who
and the irrigated communities depending
upon them believe that the greatest good
SadSp s9eS works. sS rst m W RHmer
| water to the farmer now on the ground
during the season Of scarcity, One can
ing July, August and September and find
| crops suffering for water. If the govern
already using water and builds reservoirs
| which are to store water for new lands and
| diversion works for carrying the water to
| them the farmer now on the ground is not
| benefited. With all of the surplus water
stored It may be impossible for him to
utilize the small site near his farm and pro-
| tect himself during the later summer
months. Government aid extended in this
| way would be detriment rather than a
benefit to those in whose interest the meas
| ure was supposed to have been passed.
| Fifty years ago II would have been ad-
| visable for the government to have under
taken the construction OF irrigation works
for the reclamation of public lands only
| The time for this kind of work has almost
expired, II will be impossible to so locate
| terests will not be affected.
Since the time of Colonel Chttenden's
surveys much reservoir construction has
amlned by him are now utilized and the en-
| tire flow of some OF the streams where
will go on through private enterprise until
each irrigator who Is able to protect him
self will have an interest in storage works
the % farmer Who cannot @ contrbute snS towar66 mer6
| the construction OF reservoirs great good
win be done. After that If the streams
be brought under cultivation.
| While II Is the dream of the western far
mer. to see his neighborhood become a
thiclSly populated community. yet he does
not desire the newcomer to be aided by the
| government in such a way as to inture him
streams the mountain forests were un.
| touched. The tie-chopper and the sheep
! man have destroyed much of this and the
| winter SHOWS melt early each spring. The
irrigator has been compelled to build stor,
age reservoirs to take the place OF these
natural water conservers on many of our
streams. Manifestly the government should
either build storage works for him or per.
NIT the water to run as II does until he Il
ment has authorized the destruction of the
forests Should It not make the loss good
20 the irrigator?