The Bottineau courant., 1906-01-05
.RECLAIMINC ARID LAND
Eleven Government Irrigation
Projects Now Under Way.

WORK WILL COST OVER S37,OO0,OOo
Many Miles of Canals and bitches
Dug - Millions of Dry Acres to BE
Sacramento Valley People - How
the Value Of Land Is Increased by
Irrignting 1t.
A bulletin issued by the geological
survey says the approval by the secre-
tary Of the interior Of the Rio Grande
reclamation project in Texas and New
Mexico, and the Carlsbad project in
New Mexico. will bring the number Of
reclamation projects up to twenty four.
or these eleven are under way. They
provide for the reclamation Of 1,3O3, 600
acres of arid lands at cost of $751;,
O29,5T.
On June 80 the total cost of con-
struction and engineering work per-
formed by the reclamation service, to-
gether with the administration ex-
penses, amounted to $5,462, ,169. On
that date the reclamation fund had
reached a total of $2S,O2S,571. 1t was
estimated at that time that the receipts
for the fiscal years 19O6O8 would
amount to $9,OO0,OOO, so that the sum
Of money available for reclamation
purposes up to the end Of 1908 will be
$37, 7,O2S571.
Since the work Of reclamation began
seventy seven miles Of main canals
have been constructed and flfty-four
miles Of distributing canals, as we'll as
1856 miles Of bitches and 147 bridges.
OEer 9,35O,O0O cubic yards Of earth
have been excavated and three and
half miles Of tunnel driven.
Labor, the bulletin says, is one Of the
most serious problems the engineers
have to confront Several contrac-
tors" the bulletin adds, engaged on
government projects have already fail
ed because of their inability to secure
the services of sufficient number Of
workmen. and others are on the verge
equally difficult to find competent sub
contractors ana rOremen.
The people Of the Sacramento valley,
in California, are anxious that the gov
ernment should extend the irrigation
work that it Is now doing In the west
so as to take in a part at least Of
their land. The Development associa-
ton Of the Sacramento valley, which Is
taking very active interest in the
subject, has representative In Wash
ingtOn now in the person of w. A.
Beard, the secretary Of the association
Mr.. Beard has already had an inter-
view with the secretary Of the interior,
under whom the general scheme of the
reclamation service is being plotted,
and while there has been nothing def
nitely promised to the Sacramento peo-
pie yet there is considerable prospect
that the valley will be included in the
work mapped out for the coming year
At the recent hearing at the interior
department Mr.. Beard and Director
Walcott Of the geological survey were
both present, and the whole situation
was clearly put before the secretary.
The Sacramento valley is about 80
miles wide and 200 miles long. 1t con-
tains a little over 100000 acres Of
arabic land, and the surveys that have
been made Of 1t show that there is not
only water enough in the Sacramento
river to irrigate the whole Of it, but
that there are reservoir sites enough
to hold the water for distribution dur
Ing the long dry summer without inter-
WI 80 %I1
er. This is an unusually favorable
showing for any irrigation project The
reservoir sites are such also that the
work can be done economically and
with more than usual speed.
The counties interested in the work
have been cooperating with the geo.
logical survey for about six years in
the surveys and preliminary investiga-
tions. The state appropriated $4,000
to aid in the original survey work.
Now that the Investigation is practical
ly all done the Sacramento Valley as
sociation has taken up the work vigor-
ously in hope Of seeing one or another
of the several projects put through.
The people Of the valley do not expect
to see the whole Of the work taken
up at once, but they are in frame Of
mind where they will heartily support
the engineers Of the reclamation serv-
ice, no matter which Of the several
units Of the work they elect to start on
AS has been said, the reclamation
service has work under way in eight
cen states that will ultimately cost
over $37, 100000 and will reclaim some
thing over 100000 acres Of land, but
there are more than 100000 acres in
the Sacramento valley alone that are
easily susceptible Of irrigation and
have the water and reservoir sites.
The rate at which land increases in
value when once it is under ditch" is
almost inexplicable to the average
easterner. The land in the Sacramento
valley now which is irrigated by pri-
vate enterprise is worth we'll over SITS
En acre, while equally good land that
Is not irrigated can be had for $50.