The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1904-10-05
THE GREAT COL ORADO RIVER

The great Colorado river is the larges
stream, both in drainage area and discharge
that lies wholly within the arid portion O
The United States. 1t is formed by the juno
lion OF the Greer and Grand rivers, rising il
Colorado and Wyoming respectively, in re
gions of great precipitation, mainly In The
form of snow. Only a small percentage of The
water yielded by the basin Of the Colorado
has as yet been utilized for irrigation, anC
practically none for any other purposes. Th'
obstacles are many. Through most of its
course this river and its tributaries flow ri
the bottom of profound canyons, from which
IT Is impossible TO divert them upon irrigablS
lands. The river energies from its canyon q
short distance above the Necdles-thc cross
ing OF the Santa Fe Pacific railroad-and has
a series of valleys which between tins point
and the Mexican line aggregate about 500,00t
acres. In this region the waters are heavily
laden with sediment, which is a serious OBJ
stacle to their diversion The grade OF the
river is so fat that diversion canal taken
cut at the rivers bed must have so slight a
fall and so low a velocity that it would
quickly fill with sediment from the river.
For the same reason a canal must be very
long in order to command any considerable
area of land in the river valley.
TWO AND a QUARTER BILLION GALLONS A
MINUTE.
Measurements of the flow near Yuma show
that the river sometimes discharges mimi
mum Of about 5000 cubic feet per second. Its
maximum discharge is unknown, but proba-
bly, exceeds one-half million cubic feet per
second. As the river is supplied mainly by
melting SHOWS, its season OF high water cul-
inmates in June, and the how water season is
In the winter, when its sources are frozen.
The river is navigated more or less from its
mouth 10 the Needles by ffat-bOttom, stern
wheel boats, which sometimes even ascend to
the mouth of Virgin river. Its navigation,
however, is so difficult and prccarious as to
make il almost useless. At low water the
channel is so broad, shallow and changeabIe
that boats are continually running aground.
sometimes being nearly a week in advancing
ten or fifteen miles In times Of high water
she swift current greatly iInpairs navigation.
Wherever wagon transportation is possible,
this is preferred to the river.
The chief obstacle to the utilization of the
waters of this basin are: First, the great
Guctuation in discharge; second, the paucity
of land that can be reached by them; third,
the large quantity of sediment, making inn
practicable any diversion on small scale.
A comprehensive project is here presented,
which, il upon investigation, is found i'm
practicable will largely remove all of these
difficulties, and will also greatly improve
navigation at all seasons OF the year.
The development OF the mineral resources,
in which this country is rich, is greatly ham,
pered by the great cost OF power and the lack
of transportation, both important requisites
for the mining industry. The proposed plan
Will completely solve both problems.
sUBTRoPICAL CLIMATE.
All of the land that can be irrigated from
the lower Colorado may he regarded as hav
sag a Semi-tTOpical climate, where the grow
ing season for most products continues the
wear round-the requirements for water, how
ever, being greater in the summer season than
in the winter. 1T is here assumed that the
maximum use in July will be twice as great
as the minimum requirements in January;
and that a stream with the maximum flow of
two cubic feet per second i'll July, furnishing
about 1000 acre-feet per annum, Will supply
100 acres of land.
1t is probable that with proper regulation
the Colorado river will be able to furnish a
continuous stream of water for industrial
uses, varying from 10, 900 cubic feet per second
in winter 10 10000 cubic feet per second in
summer, in years OF smallest discharge, al
lowing the great floods Of wet years to sweep
TO the sea as at present. This will be Suff-
t,ient to irrigate 2000,0 900 acres of land, and is
SO far iii excess of the requirements below the
Grand Canyon that no restriction need to be
put upon storage and diversion of waters
from the tributaries of the Colorado.
A considerable portion of the valleys of the
lower Colorado consists of sandy flood plains
subject to occasional inun dations, and rough,
gravelly foothills with soil unsuitable for cul-
tivation. There arc also considerable areas
of sand dunes, and some tracts rendered bar
rem by alkali. All these it is proposed to re-
claim by impounding upon them the silt
which annually passes down the Colorado
river.
SERIES OF DAMS.
The general plan here proposed is the pro-
vision of a series of reservoirs on the Colo
RADIO river by the construction Of high dams
at numerous points where the Typography is
favorable and where the possible storage is
large. All of these dams will be provided
with large sideways through the base, in
order that the stored waters may be entirely
drawn off, together with their load of silt,
whenever it is found desirable TO do SO. The
reservoirs will serve as settling basins for sed-
Iment. The dams viii also be utilized to
raise the waters into canals, for the double
purpose of enclosing more irrigable lands by
such canals and of giving them a velocity
sufficient tocarry a large amount of sediment
In suspension until il can be deposited upon
She fields. The declivity given to the canals
will depend largely upon the character of the |
soil, and will be the highest permissible with
out involving destructive erosion. The fall Of
the Colorado river is slight that reser-
voirs of enormous capacity NAV be construct !
ed without involving dams of impracticable |
height. AT any time, by opening the Sluice- |
ways of the reservoir. the current of the river
will quickly cut channel through the de |
posted sediment from the upper end of the |
reservoir to the sluice gates; this being the |
longest dimension and deepest part of the |
reservoir will in all cases form an important |
part of this storage capacity, and to this eX- |
tent every reservoir can be permanently kept |
clear of sediment without expense. With |
this exception. each reservoir is expected TO /
gradually fill; when this occurs il is proposed !!
to draw down the surface of the reservoir |
permanently 20 to 40 feet, and TO convert all |
of the reservoir site except the river channel |
jntO irrigated farming land, and, if necessary. |
another reservoir for storage pur- |
poses higher up on the stream. This policy |
will greatly increase the arabic area. 1t will |
then be practicable, whenever desired, to |
close the suices and inundate all of the agri- |
cultural land in each filled reservoir and thus |
fertilZe il, as is naturally done by the river |
Nile for the valley. This is done artificially |
in some parts of Europe and Africa. With |
the deep, alluvial soil, semi-tropical climate, |
arid atmosphere. abundant water supply, |
and the possibility Of fertiiizing the fields
every year without expense. it is believed |
hat such regions can be farmed the year
round, and several crops taken Off annually, |
an acreage production being thus attained |
entirely without precedent in history.