The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-12-01
IRRIGATION IN SOUTHWEST
Uncertainty Of Water Sup
ply is Serious Obstacle to
Snyder Project.


Tho Leader Bureau.
a board Of consulting englneers com-
posed OF A. y. Davis assistant chlef
engineer OF the reclamation service, W.
H. Sanders. consulunE engincer and p.
NJ Hail. supervising engineer have sub
mittcd TO the director Of the geological
survey report on the Red river pro-
iect ia oklahoma.
This project conlemplates The COM
struction OF a dam across the north fork
Of Red river about eleven miles north
west of snyder and about six miles
northeast OF iteadrlck Okla. This dam
win form "a reservoir Of about coo, 600
acre-feot capacity ana win raise the
water on each side Of the river into
canals which will irrigate land very soon
after leaving the reservoir, The dam
site has grante abuttments and the
borings show granite foundations at the
depth of about sixty feet The bed Of
tho river is composed Of quicksand and
mud and Is SO unstable as to make un-
safe any type OF dam exce,t one Of
masonry founded upon bedrock
The protect conicmplates two canal
systems. one on each side Of the river
divertlng from the resegSir dam al an
elevation Of twenty-ive feet above the
I floor of the reservoir The western, OF
Greer, canm viii supply 10000 acres ana
hive II capacity Of 400 second feet fh"
construction OF this canai win be soine-
what difficult owing to having TO cross
"a mile Of choppy bench land parallel
ing the river below the dan. a mile and
Ia quarter through broken sand hills and
400 feet of rock. The distribution sys-
tenn viii be simple ms the laterals are
nearlv an on level cross sections, most
OF them following section lines ih'
eastern canal. which VIII divert at The
northeast end OF the reservoir dam, has
two miles OF construction on rough bcncf
Land and ave on sandy hslisides. Il
reaches the main body OF the land az
the eleventh mile.
} Data in regard TO water supply is I'm
tied. as the measurements did moi begii
: urti last April These measurement
, show a discharge at the dam site o
, 27S. 900 acre-feet 20 the end Of Septem
l ber AID the discharge for the year !
estimated at s7Soo0 acre-feet Thi
J year. however. was an unusually we
yenr and there measurements throw IN
tie light on the flow In dry years. tn
uncertainty OF the wnter supply IL
very serious obstacle 20 a definite rec
. ommendatlon az the present time. an
e IN "A more arid region no decision coul
he reached until several years obsei
s vntions had been made Under the Re
e river project the conditions are dinei
d ent The mean annual rainfall In IN
Ie vicinity Il about twenty nine inches, an
st Is gufricient to keep trees alive ana
J. produce some crops without Irrigation
The shortage OF irrigation would not !
nearly 40 serious as In more arid r
o zion with the present data, howeve
- lit IA not safe to set the exact acr'
age which should be comprised In IN
" proiect on a tract OF $4,000 ncrea q
y cost OF construction would be about
Q per acre. including maintenanee TOT .
wears. Il Is not believed that the ma
ioritv OF the land owners would be VII
ing to pay this amount for the oenen
m Of irrigation, although there Is appa
ne entity no doubt that Il would be so'
4 Investment n tho water were proper
y used.
ar A careful examination Of the wate
is pase,np the reservoir site shows IN
ie thev contain an average OF one-tenth
! one per cent OF salt solution. which pc
he centaRe would be increased In
vcar IL would be unsafe to use gu
water for irrigation unless the irrigat
lands are thoroughly drained, The
40 rlsablo lands are all FIRST class tho %
=, however. is mostly a heavy clay ain
or cult 20 drain and unsuitable for the
oeption Of salt water without perie
!, drainage From cursory examinauo
!, made recently It appears that about
- per cent OF the salt in the water con
"a from three springs which now into y
Nv Nv fork a branch Of the north fork Of K
River. II is thought TO be possible
eliminate these springs BY diver'ing a
evsporatlng the water, but no estllh.
has yet been made OF the cost OF doi
this.
The board recommends that the eh
,es necr OF soils be instructed to visit sn
on der. make careful estimate Of the c.
~ OF draining the lrrigable lands ana
he anime the feasibility and ayailplliy
.o- using the waters on that land that
ia bcri.igs at the Navajo reservoir be g
an ,tlnued 10 completion, and that Aiu
M. wards borlngs be made at the Lug
lns reservoir site TO determine tho posii
hat