The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-11-18
WHAT OUR GREAT
RIVERS DISCHARGE

Colorado river discharges during an
average wear into the Gulf of Califor-
mia 33S, 100000 tons of mud and silt
as suspended matter. In addition to
this the Dissolved substances in the
water include 4,550,0O0 tons Of sodium
chloride, or common salt; 3,740,00O
tons of Glauber' s salts; 100000 tons
OF lime; 100000 tons of gypsum, and
100000 tons of EPSON salts In
spite of all this dissolved material the
Colorado at its mouth is not consider
ed to be stream of unusually high
naturalization for that region of the
country. The reason is that the river
also carries SO enormous an amount Of
water that the dissolved salts con-
stitute a comparatively small proper
tion of the total discharge. Other
streams in the country contain dissolv-
ed salts in greater concentration-for
example, the Elm Fork of Red river,
in Oklahoma, discharges nearly 1,30O,-
600 tons of common salt annually. AL
though this amount is not so great as
that discharged by the Colorado it is
much greater in proportion to the size
of the area drained. The discharge Of
salt from the Colorado is equal to 20
tons annually to each square mile
drained by the river, but the salt in
Elm Fork of Red river is equal to L.
$50 tons per square mile OF area drain
ed. The same river discharges annual
" ~ 900 tons of magnesium chloride,
l68,000 tons of EPSON salts, 5000
nf -
lime. These qualities, too, are consid-
erably greater than those carried in
the Colorado in proportion to the size
of the drainage area.
Belle Fourche river, at Belle
Fourche, South Dakota, discharges
191, 900 tons of gypsum, 10000 tons Of
Glauber's s salts and $4,000 tons Of
EPSON salts. The mud and salt car
ried in suspension by this river amount
to 10000 tons. Milk river at Havre,
Montana, discharges annually 41,0O0
tons of salt and 10000 tons of EPSON
discharges $4,000 tons; Salt river, at
Roosevelt, Arizona, discharges 288,UO0
tons of salt and 10000 tons of Epson
salts; and the Rio Grande discharges
245,000 tons of lime and 368, 900 tons
of Glauber 8 salts.
Determines Practical Value Of Waters
The foregoing are a few of the fig
ures of incidental interest presented
by Water-Supply Paper 274 of the
United States geological survey, en-
titled sSome stream waters of the
western United States.' The work re-
ported by this volume is, however, Of
higher practical Importance than the
above statement would Indicate It is
the result of an investigation of the
quality of western stream waters made
for the purpose of determining their
availability for use for irrigation and
other purposes. For water supply
system the quality of the water
available determines its usefulness
quite as much as the quantity. Some
waters contain ingredients that make
it impossible to use them for irriga-
ton unless certain precautions are tax
en- in applying them to the land and in
draining them off. Certain ingredients
in water make it unavailable or de-
structive if used in boilers and the
quality of water used in a manufac-
turing plant may very largely deter
mine the quality of the product of
manufacture. The report just publish
ed therefore cannot fail to be of ma.
terial value to the manufacturing and
agricultural interests of the west;
and the proper consideration of the in
formation that it contains will prevent
many costly mistakes in connection
with the industrial development Of
that part of the country.
A copy of this report may be OBJ
tanned free on application to the Di-
rector of the United States Geological
Survey, Washington, D. G.