The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-20
GOVERNMENT IS TO
LOOK INTO MATTER
Famous Salton Sea Subject of
Extensive Study the Pres
ent Season.

| Preliminary arrangements have been
made by which the most extensive and
useful study of evaporation and allied
| phenomena ever made will be carried on
| in Salton sea, under a cooperative ar
rangement made by the United States
| geological survey, the United States
weather bureau. and tho United States
| reclamation service.
The breaking In Of the Colorado river
to the Salton sea In southern California
and the great engineering battle that has
into their old channel are quite familiar
to the general public The flooding OF
the salton basin TO depth of about
property and improvements. There are,
however. a few favorable features con-
nected with 1t, not the least important
studying evaporation. Here is an inland
sea, suddenly placed In all old BASIN In
warm climate. where evaporation Is
great; and nc wi without any important water
OF the Colorado river TO its old channel
has practically cut off influx to the sea.
The water which remains can readily be
measured and accounted for, and In order
TO determine the evaporation 1t will mere
S be necessary to observe the rate of
recession of this great lake and to take
phenomena. In fact. the chance for de-
cisve work along this line is one that
could hardly be expected to occur in
millennium
The rate OF evaporation from water
surfaces, in the arid country especially,
Is exceedingly important. because 1t must
be taken into consideration in connec-
tion with the determination of the
amount OF water available for irrigation.
A reservoir OF large surface extent. con-
stantly exposed 10 sun and wind. will
irrlgate many acres. So far the measure
ments that have been made are unsat-
isfactory, and when the hydraulic engi-
ncer desires to know the rate Of evapora-
which may or may not be suitable FOR
this purpose, Nevertheless. In determin-
Ing the number of acres that can be
irrigated from certain reservoir. the
engineer must make some allowance for
tho amount OF evaporation and must de-
crease the number OF acres to be irri-.
the new Roosevelt reservoir In Arizona
II has been estimated that the evapora-
ton Will amount TO about six feet per
year, 1nasmuch as the total area OF the
reservoir will be 1920 acres the amount
of water lost will be 97,92o acre feet,
sufficient to irrlgate 1880 acres. assum-
ing a duty OF water equivalent to "a
mating the number of acres that can be
irrigated from the Roosevelt reservoir,
It is necessary to exclude nearly $4,000
for evaporation II will be appreciated
from this that the evaporation from res
ervoir surfaces is an important matter.
and anything that can be done 10 provide
precise data by which the engineer can
make accurate computations Will eventu-
ally mean saving of enormous sums of
money,
A conference committee from the three
bureaus represented, consisting OF w. c.
Mendenhall for the geological survey, G.
F.. Marvin for the weather bureau, and
G. z Grunsky for the reclamation serv-
ice, has recently made a plan for the
evaporation work that has been approved
By the bureaus. and the work Will be
carried on under the direction OF Prof
Frank Bigelow OF the weather bureau and
DR.. G. K. Gilbert Of the geological sur
vey, The recommendations, in brief are
that the observations be continued over
several years and that they be under
taken as soon possible after the sum
protective structures built TO force the
mer floods OF 1907 provided that the
Colorado river into its normal channel
Withstand these floods, thereby indicating
that the evaporation studies will not be
interrupted by further extensive add-
results are primarily a contribution to
meteorology. although of the greatest
value TO engineers, the observations will
be made by trained representatives OF
the weather bureau. Supplementary
studies of the character OF the basin.
waters. and OF engineering and geologic
questions that may arise, will be carried
on by the geological survey, The expense
of installing such unusual and expensive
equipment as may be found necessary
will be borne by the three cooperating
bureaus. Prof. Bigelow and DIR, Gilbert
will meet for conference at Yuma. Ariz..
ceed to the Salton basin To determine
upon the details of the investigation