The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-11-07
OUR NATIONAL
 WATER RESOURCES A Vital Matter Calling For Scientific In-
 vestigation. TIME TO STOP WASTE Also Time to Look Care fully to the Need
 of the Future.
TIME TO STOP WASTE

Water is by far the most important among the vast natural resources of the United States; and with the growth of cities and towns, and the advance In sanitary science, its inn portance is becoming more strongly emphasized each year. While large cities spend scores of millions of dol lars to secure supply of pure water, millions of acres of arid land offer agricultural possibilities provided ir- rigation can reach them. The rapid settling of the country adds to the problem; for while it calls for addi- tlonal supply, 1t at the same time contaminates surface waters. The pioneer may drink from the nearest stream; the town dweller must be chary of his own well. Like other natural supplies, water has suffered in the past--and Is still suffering-from negect and waste. The consequences of deforestation-the spring floods and changing river beds; here secured and there silted--are well known When we'll is tapped, it is at once declared "inexhaustible.' Tn answer to this, the ground-water level in northern Indiana has fallen 10 feet in 10 years.
 Water Is vital necessity, but 1t is also great economic value. Water power for the generation of energy, water depth for the navigation of our rivers and canals, the transportation of water for irrigation purposes, are problems in which vast capital and much labor are invested. Many large projects calling for the use of water have been doomed to failure, owing to the fact that plans were made and work undertaken without sufficient knowledged of the conditions govern ing the supply.
 The investigation of water supply is too broad q problem for state hand ling. Many streams traverse more than one state, and the needs of one may be the handicap of another. The United States geological survey has therefore been commissioned to un- dertake the work, Special appropria- tions have been made by congress and for several years systematic records have been made of river flow with the view of ultimately determining all the important features governing the flow. of the principal streams of the coun- try. The more important streams are being first measured; stations are established on them, and maintained for a period long enough to insure adequate average records. When !, oh ta3t "A work is discontinued att that point, and transferred to some other stream. During 1908 flow was studied at about | 700 stations, distributed along the principal rivers throughout the United States. In addition to these records,
 data in regard to precipitation, evap-
 oration, water power, and river pro- files were obtained in many parts of the country.
 Correct measurements of surface river flow call for 8 skilled collecting of data, and much after calculation. But tis straightforward work when properly undertaken. In the case of underground supplies of water, the problem is complicated by the diff culty of obtaining complete data. Un-
 til the folding and faulting of geologic horizons are more fully known than they are at present, it will not be possible to make the fullest or most ] economical use of underground water supplies. It is unfortunate that while l many deep borings have been made, samples of the cuttings have been
 carelessly preserved or labelled, or even destroyed. In some of the. vest
 ern states, where the rainfall is slight future prosperity depends on the tap ping or transportation of water In Imany cases an adequate supply is Istored under foot, waiting to be tap
 ped. If the geologic horizons were fully mapped, it would be possible to Indicate the exact spot for borings, to obtain the maximum flow of water. Under present chance methods of bor- ling, some wells gush out and send millions of gallons of water to waste;
 others flow feebly or cease altogeth- Ter. Sometimes a we'll is sunk which irobs some other well of it's flow, and lin some districts of arteslan wells the
 water level is gradually falling.
 Many eastern and southern sections
 of the country are to-day suffering from ignorant tampering with water
 or water-collecting areas in past years and a similar carelessness in the West of to-day might lead to similar trou-