Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1908-09-02
A REMEDY FOR FLOODS.
Storage Reservoirs to Prevent Floods and
Aid Navigation.

A plan has been proposed to
stop forever the costly sprlng
floods at Pittsburg and other
places along the rivers which
drain the Appalachian Mountains
These annual devastations are SO
certain in their recurrence that
they have come to be consid cred
almost inevitable. All the efforts
of the Government with dams, re-
straining walls, and other engi-
neering works have proved llade-
quate to control the streams when
they have been swollen with the
melting winter SHOWS. On the
other hand, the Government pro-
jects have proved unavalllng to
maintain the same rivers at a
depth great enough to permit un-
ham ,ered navigation later on in
the year, when the flood waters
have spent themselves. This lat
ter trouble possible causes great
er financial loss to the South
thar the floods, but as it is not
concentrated into a brief spec
tacular outburst, less is heard of
it through the newspapers. 1t
was, indeed, the problem of navi-
CATION that gave rise to the pres
ent scheme.
1t is now proposed to 60 to the
seat of the evil-to the headwaters
of the rivers-and apply there
two remedies: First, the mainten-
ance of a forest cover which will
keep the ground porous SO that it
will not shed all the water from
it's surface at once but will soak
it up and release it gradually !;
second, to establish storage resor-
voirs at strategic points which
will retain surplus when it
is not useful but only does dam
age 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. 10000 to improve navigatlon
Oh the rivers which have their
upland sources in the Southern
Applachians and work has already
undertaken will cost at least $685.
100000 before it is finished. This
does not include the Ohio proper,
which is largely supplied with
water from these sections, on
which more than s6,000,0O0 has
been spent. Despite this outlay
navigation is SO precarious on
many Of these rivers, especially
in the upper stretches, during
several months every year that
steamboat lines have to suspend
operations and many companies
have abandoned the field be-
cause with the light-draft YES
sells they are forced to use they
can not compete with railroads,
although steamboat transporta'
ton is normally much cheaper
tnan railroad rates. The Govern.
ment has striven for a 4-foot or
even, in some places, for a 4foot
stage and been unable to maintain
1t throughout the year.
Experts from the Geological
Survey, with the storage reservoir
scheme in mind, last year made q
careful study of the rivers which
from both sides of this watershed,
located reservoir sites, computed
the amount of water they woulo
hold, the heights of the necessary
dams, and the periods during
!. which the rivers could be main
tanned at various depths above
their low-water levels during the
dry seasons. The results of thi'
study are published under tht
title "The Relation of the South
; ern Appalachian to Inland Waite
Navigation" as Circular 143 o
the Forest Service, and can be oh
tanned free by writing to the For
ester at Washington. The initia
> cost of these reservoirs would b.
, greater than the works under tn
: present system, but the author
of the circular say that the stor
3 age reservoirs would give the re
y lief, both in regard to navigatio,
and to floods, which present pro
} jects fail to supply and they poin
7 that the relief SO gained would b
permanent, whereas under thu
system now in operation there i
a continuous expense in dredgin
O tha channels which become clog