Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1908-05-29
Storage Reservoirs to Prevent
FLOODS and Aid NaYiqati0n.

FlOOdS and Aid Navigation.
A plan has been proposed to stot
forever the costly spring floods a,
Pittsburg and other places alone
the rivers which drain the Appala.
chan Mountains These annua,
devastations are so certain in their
recurrence that they have come to
be considered almost inevitable.
All the efforts Of the Government
with dams, restraining walls, and
other engineering works have
proved inadequate to control the
streams when they have been swol-
len with the melting winter SHOWS.
On the other hand, the Government
project have proven unavailing to
maintain these same rivers at a
depth great enough to permit un-
hampered navigation later on in the
year, when the flood waters have
spent themselves. This latter
trouble possibly causes a greater
financial loss to the South than the
floods, but as it is not concentrated
into a brief spectacular outburst,
less is heard Of it through the news
papers. It was, indeed, the pro-
blem of navigation that gave rise to
the present scheme.
It is now proposed to go to the
seat of the evil-to the headwaters
of the rivers-and apply there two
remedies: First, the maintenance
ofa forest covers which will keep
the ground porous so that it will
not shed all the water from its sur
face at once but will soak it up and
release if gradually ; second, to es-
tablish storage reservoirs at strate-
gic points which will retain surplus
flow when it is not useful but only
does damage by being allowed to
run free, and will pay it out, little
by little, later on, when it is sorely /
needed.
The United States has spent $50, /
900, 900 TO improve navigation on
the rivers which have their upland .
sources in the Southern Appala-
chains and work already Under
taken will cost at least $50, 900, 600
before it is finished. This does not
include the Ohio proper, which is
largely supplied with water from
these sources, on which more than
So, 600, 900 has been spent. Despite
this outlay navigation IS SO precar-
ious on many Of these rivers, especi-
ally in the upper stretches, during
several months every year that
steamboat lines have to suspend
operations and many companies
have abandoned the field because
with the light-draft vessels they are
forced to use they can not compete
with railroads, although steamboat
transportation is normally much
cheaper than railroad rates The
striven for 4foot
depth or even, IN some places, for
4 3-foot stage and been unable to
it throughout the year :
Experts from the Geological Sur
yev, with the storage reservoir
scheme in mind, last year made a
careful study of the rivers which
low from both sides of this water
she'd, located reservoir sites, COM
1uted the amount of water they
would hold, the heights of the ne Z
,essary dams, and the periods
which the rivers could be main
aimed at various depths above their t
levels during the seasons. {
The results of this study are pub a
ished under the title THE Rela-
ion of the Southern Appalachian !
Mountains to Inland Water Navi- /
-ation OF, :" as Circular I43 of the /
forest Service, and can be obtained
rec by writing to the Forester at t
The initial cost of {
hese reservoirs would be greater g
han the works under the present t
ystem, but theauthors Of the circu- v
ar says that the storage reservoirs I
you'd give the relief, both in re- c
ard to navigation and to floods, f
which the present projects fail to
upply and they point out that the 4
e1ief so gained would be perman- P
Mt, whereas under the system now I
i operation there is a continuous o
Expense in dredging the channels Il
7hich become clOgged with sand a
nd silt washed down by the spring W
Gods, especially from the unfor- c.
sted areas around some of the
vers.
In the long run the storage re- A
.rvoir method would be cheaper as
ell as more effective, for as one of
le sponsors of the plan says, it is
etter business to add to the tops of 6,
lie rivers and get what you want =,
ian to keep digging out the bot w :"
.