Arizona republican., 1911-01-13
The Verde Soon Available.


conveyed the important news that the
secretary of the interior had denied a
motion filed by the Verde Water and
Power company which asked for a
review of the decision previously rem
dered by the commissioner of the
general land office against this com
pany. in which the commissioner cited
the company to show cause why legal
proceedings should not be instituted
to declare a forfeiture of its grant Of
right of way for canals and reservoirs.
the company having failed to do it's
proposed construction within the time
limit of the statute.
This decision of the secretary is of
vital Importance to the Salt River
Valley.
The Verde Water and Power m
pany, and it's predecessors in interest.
have held an exceedingly valuable
reservoir site on the Verde river, a
short distance from the old Mcdowell
military post, for a period of quite
twenty years. The proposed reservoir
would store water to the amount OF
some 100000 acre feet. No construc-
tion work was ever done on the pro-
posed dam site. but the original own
ers did-in 1898. we believe-construct
a canal through Paradise valley"
some twenty miles northeast of Phoe-
nix. il being the intention of the pro-
moters to divert the flood waters of
the Verde river from the proposed
reservoir into this canal.
There have been many complaints
in recent years that the later owners
of the project have been selling shares.
or water certificates. or something Of
the sort. to people through the eastern
and southern states. on representa-
tions to the purchasers that land
available for irrigation by them would
soon be available. A considerable
number of these purchasers have come
to Phoenix at one time or another.
and have expressed bitter disappoint-
ment at finding that the project had
made such little practical progress.
Latterly, we understand. the promoters
have represented that theirs was pri-
marily a power project. Government
officials at Washington have expressed
strong disapproval of the representa-
tions alleged to have been made by
the promoters in respect Of their irri-
cation scheme.
In all probability the reported
decision Of the secretary Of the
interior opens the way for the
ultimate construction of res
ervoir on the Verde for the benefit
Of this valley. This certainly will be
the result of victory for the govern
ment in the proposed legal proceedings
of forfeiture
In order that the destines of the
great agricultural empire within the
Salt River Valley may be worked out
properly. there should be a storage
reservoir on the Verde river as well
as on the Salt The immense Roose-
Welt reservoir now finished. provides.
10 he sure. for the needs of greater
section of irrigated country than can
be found i'm one body anywhere else
i'm the United States But that is no
reas on why We should be content
with such an achievement 1t should
only stimulate us to make the most
of the wonderful opportunities which
nature has provided.
The Verde river has a drainage area |
quite equal to that of the Salt al
though the VeIde carries perhaps not
more than tiree-fifth of the volume
OF water annually carried by the Salt |
But the Verde watershed is peculiarly |
a region of summer rains. The Verde. |
from time to time each year. carries |
immense floods in waste to the ocean. |
A portion of these floods. at least, |
should be stored for the irrigation of
the lands in the Salt River Valley |
The existing canal system could be
extended far beyond the capacity of
a reservoir on the Verde. A storage |
reservoir on the Verde would easily |
furnish water for the irrigation of
fifty thousand acres of land. which |
must remain desert until such storage
is provided.
The power generated at the Verde
reservoir could be transmitted to the
Paradise Valley" and by pumping.
a vast area could be brought under ir
rigation there-and the Paradise VAL
ley is a section which is pre-emi-
nently adapted to the culture of
oranges.
A reservoir on the Verde is, OF