American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1911-08-10
WELL IN THE DEsERT
Securing Domestic and Irrigat-
ing Supplies in Arid Region.
New and Broader Conception Of ReIa.
lions Of su~bterranean Water 70
irrigation Have Recently Pre-
vaiied-AmpIe Quantities.
Quantities.

Sinking Wells IuCO dtCi-UCoitki 6
strata to secure domestic and irriga-
ton supplies is now being resorted to
as v before. New and broader
conceptions OF the relations OF subter-
ranean water to irrigation have re-
Gently prevailed. Individual irrigation
undertakings have been recently es-
tablished very largely upon wells and
pumps or upon flowing wells, where
ever they can be had. During the lest
three years there have been perhaps
ten times as many pumping outfits set
up for irrigation as had been en-
ployed during the whole earlier irriga-
ton OF this state, says the Denver
Field and Farm.
Large irrigation companies have
sunk groups OF wells and pumped
from them into their distributing
bitches and fumes. Individual irri-
gators have sunk wells. and bought
pumping plants when the ditch water
failed and have now learned the su-
~periority OF home supply. to be drawn
up just when 1t can be used to best
advantage. and often to be had for
much less than the rates Of the ditch
companies. Large regions which had
secured irrigation systems have
been forced by drouth to seek water
and having found 1t below ground in
ample quantities they will not fail in
the future to use irrigation as q sup
plement to the rainfall.
Many OF these plants are centrff-
ugal pumps run by steam. These
are the larger plants. fifteen to forty
horsepower and in some instances
more and the size of the pumps
ranges from four to twelve inches.
Most of the smaller pumps are run by
gasoline. although several use crude
oil and many of them are also cen-
trifugal. Some OF these are deep-well
pumps and they are very satisfactory
in raising water from a greater depth
than 100 feet. From 100 to 800 feet
they work admirably. The cost Of
pumping differs materially with the
different kinds OF power. sizes of
pumps and depth OF wells. Figuring
from what may be a safe average of
the actual cost Of fuel. a No. 4 pump.
centrifugal with gasoline as power,
at seventy feet depth, will cost about
SO a day. This should result in 900
gallons a minute. $4,000 gallons an
hour, or 800. 1000 gallons a day OF ten
hours.
Such a stream of water is calcu-
lated to irrigate about five acres a day
to a depth OF a little more than two
and one-half inches. A better and
safer estimate would probably be four
acres a day to a depth Of about two
inches. But. generally speaking. 1t
Is safe to say that at a cost of SO an
acre land can be irrigated two or
three times at Sc an acre annually
and 1t is certainly worth the money
IN dry seasons like the present. The
average cost of a plant is about ST.
200. In many cases the cost will be
only a fraction OF that given. But
even the higher figures are below the
cost warranted by the saving of a
crop, as the experience of individuals
has shown. Over large areas OF the
country windmills are used as motors
for irrigation pumps and careful ac-
counts Of their efficiency are avail
able. They unquestionably serve an
excellent purpose under favorable
conditions up to the limits of their
capacity.
Gasoline engines are being used
even up to a capacity OF 5000 gallons
Of water a minute, but the ordinary
plants are less than one-tenth of that.
Crude-oil engines are also used and
team plants using small stationary
and portable engines are pressed into
service. while electric motors, along
horsepower circuits from generators
at waterfalls or other great sources
Of power. are being fully employed.
Instance of the profitable employment
Of all these agencies are abundant all
over the arid region. or course such
an installation calls for a reservoir so
that a good head can be retained and
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