Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-10-01
Saving WATER WASTE
Movement to Conserve Supply OF
Natural Moisture.
WATERWAY CONTROL URGED.

PROFESSOR "SSSc Gays So-opSFdio1 OF
Congress and States In This Work
Would Add to the Nations Wealth,
Our Annual Rainfall Amazino.
1.-TWO hundred trillion cubic feet of
water on an average falls on the sur
face of the United States every year.
This startling statement was made by
DIR. w. J. McGee, secretary of the IN
land waterways commission ana an
expert connected with the bureau of
soils of the department of agriculture.
This is not a haphazard statement
on the part of one whose original re
search has made his name familiar to
scientists the whole world over, but
was made In the course of an inter
view which had for its primary object
a better knowledge of the conservation
of water and its uses for the benefit
of mankind.
1.-Two hundred trillion cubic feet Of
water" said Professor McGee, "is to
the average mind but two and lot OF
ciphers To be more explicit, it equals
about ten Mississippis, and that vol
ume of water is the entire basis of
our prosperity.
'The United States has an area of
100000 square miles, but that area
could be cut directly in twain, and with
the same amount of rainfall we could
sustain the same population that we
have today, conduct the same enter
pr4ses and raise the same products,
condition which l do not believe most
people appreciate. We know very
well, If we stop 10 consider, that the
market price of any commodity is de
pendent on the water supply. We buy
land in the eastern half of the United
States and say that there are so many
acres in this parcel or in that, but in
reality we buy water. This is funda-
mental Water is the first of our re-
sources. It is the natural resolvent.
1t Is power, fertility, everything. And,
being fundamental, values begin with
the water supply.
with the ten Mississippis falling
upon the land of the United States
every year, two Mississippis run Off
Thus one-fffth of the waterfall from
the heavens flows into the sea. OF the
eight Mississippis remaining about
i've Mississippis are absorbed, passing
of into the air, to be precipitated
again and again. A fraction in part
passes into the earth and slowly
reaches the oceans, while another frac-
tion is consumed, passing into chem
tcal combinations, such as plant
growth, etc.
What we want to do is to mini
mize the waste of water and max
imize the benefits which must accrue
TO the citizens and country by proper
conservation of water supply. If we
so control the water that the rivers
shall aow in uniform stage we will
solve the problem of inland navigation
and make the United States richer by
n thousand per cent than it is to-
day. In order TO do this we must
equalize the run of the streams at the
heads of the rivers, and this may be
done by dams and reservoirs and sci
entific cultivation of the soil along the
courses of both streams and rivers.
The levees of the lower Mississippi
have done q magnificent work, but the
prevention of floods is better far than
all the leNeeS IN the WOrlu.
What we want to do is to get back
60 nature in dealing with water, fist,
10 prevent floods, and, second, to com
pel the water to run clear and pure.
1t is n fact that each year the rivers
of the mainland of the United States
pour into the sea a thousand million
tons of richest soil matter in the form
Of suspended sediment, an impost
greater than all our land taxes com
bined and a commensurate injury to
commerce in the lower rivers which
are rendered capriciOus and difficult
Of control by the unstable load.
"The difference in the power value
alone between controlled ana uncon-
Irolled streams would In ten years pay
the entire cost of stream control in the
United States. And this, coupled with
the billion dollars loss every year
through soil erosion, due to floods.
would construct comprehensive sys-
ten of water control in the United
States.
1T seems to me, in view of these
statements, that congress should au-
thorlze the control over the waters in
order that this wealth might contrib
ute a thousandfold to mans happi-
ness and prosperity. Both the federal
government and the states have
shrunk from assuming control over in
land waters becuause they have been
fearful or invading each others rights. |
What ,,Se should aim to do is to so CO.
ord date the work on the nrincinln of |
.he greatest good to the greatest num- |
ber for the longest time. ard 81 COM |
prehensive policy, such as is urged by
the national rivers and harbors con
gress, toward the nayigable waters OF
the nation would bring untold pros
perity and aad immcasura1'y to the
nations wealth"