Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-05-29
STORAGE RFS[VO|RS
A Plan to Prevent Spring Floods
and Aid Navigation.
WILL STOP FLOODS OF pITTSBURC
AND ALSO AT The PLACES ALONG
THE RIVERS WHICH DRAIN THE
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS.

A plan has been proposed 10 stoP
forever the costly spring floods at
Pittsburg and other places along
the rivers which drain the Appa-
lachian mountains. These annual
devastation are so certain in their
recurrence that they have come to
be considered almost inevitable.
fAll the efforts of the Government
with dams, restraining walls, and
other engineering works have prov
ed inadequate to control the
streams when they have been swol-
| len with the melting winter SHOWS.
On the other hand, the Govern
ment projects have proved una
vailing to maintain the same rivers
at a depth great enough to permit
unhampered navigation later on IN
the year, when the food waters
have spent themselves. This lat
ter trouble possibly causes great
er financial loss to the South than
the floods, but as it is not concen-
trated into brief spectacular out
burst, less is heard of it through
the newspapers. 1t was, indeed
the problem of navigation that gave
rise to the present scheme.
1t is now proposed to go the seat
Eof the evil--to the headwaters OF
the rivers-and apply these two
remedies: First the maintenance OF
a forest cover which will keep the
ground porous so that it will not
lshed all the water from its surface
at once, but will soak it up and re-
lease it gradually; second, to estab-
[lish storage reservoirs at strategic
points, which will retain surplus
L
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 up
E land sources in the Southern Appa-
, lachians, and work already under
! taken will cost at least $50, 600, 900
before it is finished. This does not
include the Ohio proper, which Is
largely supplied with water from
h these sources, on which more than
ls6 900 900 has been spent. Despite
this outlay, navigation is SO pre-
carius on many of these rivers,
,tespecially in the upper stretches,
= during several months every year
% that steamboat lines have to sus-
. pend operations and many compa-
'e MES have abandoned the field be-
'e cause with the light-draft vessels
s. thew are forced to use they can moi
20 compete with the railroads, al
tthouoh steamboat transportation Is
=, normally much cheaper than rail-
II road rates. The Government has
IN striven for 4-foot depth, or even,
Of in some places, for a 3-foot stage
o. and been unable to MAINTAIN IL
ID throughout the year.
~ Experts from the Geological sur.
te vev. with the storage reservoir
ct scheme in mind, last year made {
~ careful study of the rivers whicf
II, Aow from both sides of this water
us shed located reservoir sites, com
us puted the amount of water the.
would hold, the heights OF the nee
nj Il e s and the periods durn'
y. ~ which the rivers could be MAINTAIN
TN cd at various depths above thel
low-water levels during the dry sea
sons. The sesults of this study stu, a ar
nnblished under the title "The Re
Iation of the Southern Appalachian
Mountains to Inland Water Nav
!" cation, !" as Circular l43 OF the Fol
~, est Service, and can be obtalne
u :, free by writing to the Forester
m M washington. The initial cost
". these reservoirs would be create
'[Y than the works under the presear
'Gr system, but the authors of the eli
L. cular say that the storage reservoir
would give the relief, both in r.
card to navigation and to food
,ir- Which the present projects fall
Of slnply and they point out that tt
' relief so gained would be perm'
nant. whereas under the systel
now in operation there's a contin'
Gus expense in dredging the char
nh neIs which become clogged wit
mi; sand and silt, washed downrby Il
Nv spring floods, especially from tt
Wit interested areas around some
w. the rivers.
mt. In the long run the storage res
is voirs method would be cheaper
II Ill os affective for. as one OF &