, 1902-05-27
AID FOR IRRIGATION
PROF. MEAD DISCUSSES CUES
TON BEFORE SOCIETY OF
CIVIL ENGINEERS.
Reservoirs a Necessity to the Largest
and Best Use Of the Water Supply
Of the Arid Reoion-Stera9s
Works Located In Streams Hinder
the Proper Flow Of the Floods.

the Proper Flow Of the Floods.
Washington. D. c., May 27.-(Spe
ial to The Republican)-At a recent
meeting OF the American Society Of
Civil Engineers. Prof. E!wood Mead
irrigation expert for the department o.
agriculture. discussed the question
Should the National Government
Build and Operate Irrigation Works.
In the course of the discussion. Prof
Mead said in part:
There are two classes of irrigation
works which the national government
may properly build and operate. I'm
der the first are reservoirs located in
the channels of streams whose water
is used in irrigation; under the second
are diversion works Of great magnitude
and cost. Both promote the public wei
fare in such ann that public opin
ion should favor the extension Of this
| aid.
Reservoirs are a necessity to the
largest and best use of the water sup
ply Of the arid regions. There is scarce
ly a stream which can be fully utiliz
ed in irrigation without storing a part
of its flow. This is due to the fact
that streams do not rise and fall with
the demand for water in irrigation
are high when but little water is used
and low when water is most needed and
most valuable.
While the mountain SHOWS are melt.
ing, large volumes of water IL to
waste. but when the SHOWS are gone,
streams shrink to a mere shadow OF
their former volume and this shrink
age occurs when the needs of irriga.
tors are greatest. The studies Of the
duty Of water now being carried on by
the irrigation Investigations of the I'm
tied States department Of agriculture
show that water Is most needed In the
month of July. The measurements OF
the water used in irrigation in the diff.
ferent months of the irrigation season
when compared with the flow OF
streams. as shown by the gagings of
the United States geological survey,
reveal the fact that a large part OF the
water supply runs to waste before 1t
can be profitably used. Weber river
Ia Utah has dropped from 1883 cubic
feet per second in June to 455 cubic
feet per second In July. The high wa
ter flow Of the North Platte river in
June has been "a times its low water
discharge in August. The discharge of
Clear creek, one of the irrigation
streams Of northern Wyoming in June.
1898, was $4,000 acre-feet; In July 1t
was less than 10000 acre feet.
F%our-ffths of the streams used In
irrigation furnish similar examples.
Irrigators have come to understand
this. They have found out that a
shortage of water in July and August
is as destructive to the farmer on irri-
gated land as is a drouth to the far
mer who depends on rain. Without
reservoirs. successful agriculture in
the west is restricted to crops which
only require early irrigation and which
are almost invariably of little value.
or to the area which can be irrigated
from the law water flow Of streams.
nafNrn thncn foptc uynrn nndarlt0Od
many bitches were built to utilize the
floods of spring and early summer.
Much of the land under these bitches
is now either idle or the settler, who
cultivate 1t often suffer severe losses.
The construction Of reservoirs Is the
only means OF improving these unsat-
isfactory conditions. Water which now
runs to waste can thus be made to per-
form an important service by bringing
under cultivation large areas not farm
ed or unproitably farmed. Such e
ervoirs will not only increase the farm
ed ares but add to the profits and Sc
curity Of the farmer and will be worth
far more than they will cost. Why
then should their construction not be
left to private capital? The answer is:
To avoid legal and economic compli-
cations over water rights. Storage
works located in stream channels must
receive all the water which comes
down from the mountains above. They
intercept the water when the river Ia
low, when it is all needed and all be-
longs to those having vested rights.
Many Of these reservoirs will be In
places remote from the lands now IT.
rigated. The farmers who need all
the natural flow can not see what Is
taking place, and when they suffer
from shortage the reservoir which
stands between their farm and the
mountain SHOWS. II 1t Is a privaae
property will almost inevitably be
held responsible. Distrust and ankle
ty thus reused will lead to controversy.
II not litigation. All these evils viii.
be less likely to arise II the works are
public. Irrigators living below will be
less likely to suspect interference with
their rights when the works are under
public control than when they are op-
Grated for private gain.
There are other reasons why these
works should be public property.
Where storage works are built and con-