The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1908-05-28

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feaaagd u Hsiaans IL gsrssy iinEirs
I -sas-aass-sas -
Storage Reservoirs iepreyeni Flood
And Az Navigation.
/ A plan hAs BEEN proposed 10 stol
forever Die costly spring foods NJ Pitts
burg aud other places along the river
which drain the Appalachian Noun
iAins. These annual dcThstatious ar
~ certain in the recurrence thai The.
have come " b. considered almost in
cyiiAble, al The efforts 81 the Gov
eminent wilh dams, restraining walls
and other engineering works have prov
ed inadequate 10 control the sireami
when they have been swollen With Tbs
melting winter SHOWS, On the oihel
hand, The Government projects have
proved unavailing 10 maintain these
same rivers 81 depth great enough tC
permit unhampered navigation later on
ID the year. when the food waters have
spent themselves. This latter trouble
possibly causes a greater financial los.
10 the South than the foods. but ~ il
is moi concentrated into brief specta'
cular outbnrsi, less IL heard of through
the newspapers. II was, indeed, The
problem Of navigation that gave rise 10
the present scheme.
Ii is now proposed 10 ~ to the seat
evil--lo the headwalers Of the rivers
and apply there two remedies First,
the maintenance OF forest cover which
will keep the ground porous so that II
will not shed all the water from its sur.
face Ai once but will soak il up and re-
lease il gradually; second, to establish
storage reservoirs at strategic points
which will retain surplus flow when il
is not useful but only does damage by
being allowed to run free, and will pay
il out. little by little, later on, when II
Is sorely needed.
The United States has spent $50, 600.
900 TO improve navigation on the rivers
which have their upland sources in the
Southern Appalachians and work al
ready undertaken win cost at least $780,
Oo0, 900 before il 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 precarious on many Of
these rivers, especially in the upper
stretches, during several months every
year that steamboat lines have to sus-
pend operations and many companies
have abandoned the field because with
the light draft vessels they are forced
TO use they can not compete with rail.
roads, although steamboat transporta-
ton is normally much cheaper than
railroad rates. The Government has
stfiven for i-foot depth, or even, in
some places, for a 3-foot stage and been
unable TO maintain il through the year.
Experts from the Geological Survey,
with the storage reservoir scheme in
mind, last year made careful study Of
the rivers which flow from both sides
of this watershed, located reservoir
sites, computed the amount of water
they would hold, the heights of the
necessary dams, and the periods dur.
ing which the rivers could be maintain.
cd at various depths above their low
water levels during the dry seasons.
The results OF this study are published
under the title 1.-THE Relation of the
Southern Appalachian Mountains to
Inland Water Navigation, F" as Circular
li3>ef the Forest Service, and can be
obtained free by writing TO the Forest
or at Washington. The initial cost of
these reservoirs would be greater than
the works under the present system,
but the authors Of the circular say that
The storage reservoirs would give the
relief, both in regardto navigation and
% floods, which the present projects
all to supply aud they point out that |
he relief so gained would be perma.
lent, whereas under the system now in |
operation there is continuous expense
n dredging the channels which become |
logged with sand and silt washed down
~ the spring floods, especially from
he interested areas around some OF |
he rivers.
In the long run the storage reservoir
would be cheaper as well as more effec-
i've, for, ms one Of the sponsors Of the
'lan says,lt is better business to add to
he tops of the rivers and get what you
want than to keep digging out the bot
oms in an attempt TO get a river deep
nough 90 float boat ia.