The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-12-12
GIANT PROJECTS
I ARE DISCUSSED
u. S. Engineers Submit Re-
ports on Government Irri-
- cation Work.
ACHIEVEMENTS DESCRIBED
STRAW BERRY VALLEY PROJECT
TO BE OUTLINED TODAY.

Great projects were discussed at the
reclamation service conference held in the
Commercial club building Tuesday. A. p.
Davis, acting chief engineer. presided.
Methods of encouraging and enforcing
economical use of water upon the Va-i-
Gus projects were considered. The best
means of securing and training skilful.
tactful and competent superintendent and
watermasters was also given attention.
The conference will probably continue for
several days.
Natural Drainage.
4 paper, entitled National Drainage:
Inc New Policy" was read by c. j.
The work of the reclamation service
IN the four and a half years il has been
Ia existence has attracted so much at
tention all over the country said Mr..
Blsnchard, that the swamp land states
1naugurated movement at Oklahoma
City last week, looking TO the reclamation
cf the vast areas of submerged lands in
the middle west. the south and Atlantic
coast states. While this movement is en-
tiTely separate from that of national irri-
cation, it was the unanimous desire of
the delegates assembled that the work of
drainage should be done by the reclama-
ton service
The drainage congress went on record
as being unalterably opposed to any divi-
sion of the reclamation fund for the pur-
poses of drainage. thus insuring the cor
or national drainage"
Hondo Nearly Finished.
The report of w. NJ Reed. engineer of
the Hondo projects in New Mexico is rs
follows:
This is one of the first projects upon
which actual construction was begun. 1t
is situated in the southeast part of New
Mexico. the reservoir being about twelve
miles southwest from the city of Roswell.
The reservoir consists partly of a nat
1N~irae to std Of fIa IL,
river channel The reservoir has an area
OF 1000 acres and capacity of 1900 acre
feet This project is farther advanced
than any under the reclamation service,
il being now 80 per cent completed. 1t is
expected to irrigate from ii during the
season of 1907.
Carlsbad Project.
1.-The Carlsbad project is located about
seventy-five miles south of the HondO
project, and contemplates the use of the
waters of the Pecos river. This project
has been partially operated by a private
corporation for the past sixteen years
Heavy floods in 1904 destroyed the main
diversion dam, and the owning corpora
ton having had poor success in the past,
sold all its interests to the government
"The reclamation service is now recon-
structing the dam. and improving the syS-
tenn I'm many ways
while the system will not be entirely
completed. it is confidently expected to
place water In the canals in March and
For two years the people under this
system have been without irrigation. but
owing 10 favorable rainfall conditions
have lost but few of their trees. though
they have been deprived OF crops"
a.-- Work in Wyoming.
John E. Field. engineer of the North
Platte project in Wyoming and Nebras-
ka, read a report Of the work of his dis
trict as follows:
THE condition of the work at present
is well advanced. Storage facilities at
the Pathfinder reservoir are sufficient for
the demands which will be made on it
during the coming season, and the con-
tractors are in a position to keep up the
estimated progress on construction and
Will be able to meet the demands for
the-seasons of 1908 and 1903. The inter-
state canal is completed and ready for
use on the first fifty miles and will de-
iiver-water to some 20.JO0 acres in 1907.
This land is entirely in Wyoming. The
for a full season and The entire tract is
taken up.
'NThe second fifty miles will he fin
ished early in the spring of 1867 and the
lateral system, covering some 5000 acres,
will be completed by fall. At least $4,000
acres should receive water for beneficial
use and the entire tract should be ready
i'm 1865 for full seasons irrigation.
Land is Taken Up.
-sAu the land on this 50. CO0-acre tract
is now-either decided or has been filed
being nut on the land, sucn as fences,
>hufIdings and wells. Considerable of the
n land is being broken, some OF which viii
he dry farmed during the coming sea-
. son
The particular crops a. present are