The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-03-03
HOW WATER is
STORED IN WEST
Department of Agriculture COL
IeCts Irrigation Statistics.
THE TWIN LAKES RESERVOIR
IT IS THE LONGEST IN STATE OF
COLORADO.
lSneciaI Corresnondencel

especial SpOu0euCe-l
VJTASHINGTON. Feb. 26.-The Office
/ w of irrigation Investigations, Of
department Of agriculture. has
/ been engaged during the past year in
/ the collection of statistics concerning
] the number of reservoirs in use in the
country Tor purposes Of irrigation the
amount of money expended in con-
struction and the benefits derived.
One Of the significant facts of recent
1 irrigation development has been the
amount of money expended in the con-
1 structiOn Of reservoirs. Reservoir build
/ ms is rivaling canal building in its
/ expenditures, and is a great improve
ment over the latter in the profits re-
/ ceiVed from the investment. Expert
cree has shown that many streams fail
just when water is most needed, and
that without a reserve water supply
the irrigatOr is in as much danger Of
drouth as his neighbOr who depends
upon rain. Hence. wherever there are
favorable natural opportunities the
farmers under bitches are building
dams and storing water for use when
streams are low. As a result of this
the area cultivated is being increa sed,
and it is made possible to grow much
more diversified and valuable crops.
The Importance OF this development
| has led the office of experiment sta
lions Of the department of agriculture
to begin the collection Of data showing
the location and number of these res
ervOirs and the benefits which have
come from their construction Tnis
work is under the immediate direction
OF the irrigation investigation OF the
" fiGH ho rc-
suit Of last seasons work. Some Of
this information is given below. In
one valley in Colorado there are TWEEN
/ ty-seven of these reservoirs, and in
another thirty-four. In one of these
valleys the reservoirs hold enough
water to cover all the land irrigated
to a depth of four inches; in the other
to depth of six inches, and furnish
tWO-thiTds of the water supply for the
last half of the year.
OF these the Cache la Poudre has an
area of 500 acres, and holds $780, acre
feet. It is owned by the farmers, and
helps to irrigate 10000 acres of land.
1t cost to build it S105 900, and It is
now worth $500 600 The drouth of
1901 was so severe that all Of the
crops under this reservoir would have
been a failure without It, and it is
estimated that it saved the farmers
OF the valley over $500, 900, or five times
its original cost.
SOME LARGE RESERVOIRS n
The Windsor reservoir has a surface
area Of zoo acres, and a capacity of
1874 acre-feet It's first cost was $780,,
600. and it is now valued at 100000.
The Tom Wood reservoir furnishes
water for 900 acres. 1t cost originally
$1,000, and it now furnishes $1,000 worth
of water to irrigators each year.
Lake Loveland is the largest reser-
voir in these two valleys. 1t cost Sf25,-
600. It's ownership is divided into 800
shares. which are now worth $1,000
each, making the value of the reservoir
more than twice its original cost.
The largest reservoir in Colorado is
at Twin lakes, on the Arkansas. It
has a surface area of about $500 acres,
and a capacity of 69,G66 acre-feet. The
value of this reservoir to the farmers
along the Arka nsas river is greatly in
creased, because this has proven one
of the most favored regions for grow
ing sugar beets.
Without a late water supply their
production would be impossible, but
with this reservoir to draw on farmers
are assured Of an adequate water sup
ply for the entire season, and this has
factories and q great increase in this
industry. Another important reservoir
on the Arkansas river is the Koon, sit
uated near Great Bend, Kan. This
reservoir is now in course Of construc-
ton. When completed it will have an
area of over sixty square miles, and
viii hold, when full, 496,S75 acre-feet of
water, enough to cover 250.00 acres to
depth of two feet It is planned to
fill it from the flood waters of the Ar
kansas river, which viii require a
main canal thirteen and a half miles
long.
The land which can be irrigated from
this reservoir lies in three counties,
and has an area of between 100000 and
300,0 600 acres. 1t is believed that the
construction of these two reservoirs
will GO much to relieve the friction
which has existed between the states Of
Kansas and ColOra do over the division
Of water on the Arkansas river, as it
viii make il possible 10 utilize much
Of the flow which formerly ran to
waste
A reservoir at Wheatiand Wyo..
which cost $50 600 to construct, served
to irrigate 1850 acres of land in 1901,
OF which the crops grown were worth
$50, 800. This reservoir holds 2.100
aCre-feet. Without it the crops would
have been a complete failure; hence,
the value per acre-foot for last season
was about 81 With results like these,
it is not surprising that reservoir con-
structiOn should be receiving marked
attention