The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1911-01-12

ley, In which event water may be again
re-opened to entry next year. 1t is
figured that settlers will require a
period of time to prepare land for the
actual use of water and the consequent
demand for additional water would not
be large until during the season of 1913.
Epitomized the Carson dam and the
building of proposed project extensions,
will enlarge the Scope of the Truckee-
Carson project in the ratio represented
by the figures 80, 900, the present acre
age, and 206, 600, which will be the area
in acres receiving government water
when contemplated plans have been
completed. 1t will be thus seen that
the matter of insuring a permanent
and independent water supply for the
lands now under ditch is not the only
important innovation contemplated by
the expenditure of the neary three
million dollars set aside. The Pyramid
lake reservation extension, covering a
very fertile district, comprising 10000
acres, will perhaps be the first to receive
attention following dam construction.
Then will likely follow the Carson lake
drainage scheme that will add $4,000
acres of rich sedimentary soil for the
attention of the new settlers. This
scheme has for its purpose the draining
of waters that now gather in high
water periods below the r. L. Douglass
ranch, through a canal to be cut by
dredges, to the lower sink, which also
receives a part of the flood waters of
the Humboldt river. The fall is more
than sufficient, according to preliminary
reports that were filed three years ago.
In district No. 8, southwest of town
are $4,000 acres of land susceptible to a
high state of cultivation, comparatively
level, embracing another extension,
while district No. 8 and 5, other con-
templated extensions, lie between Fal-
Ion and Saltwater and embrace respec-
lively 80, 900 and 5000 acres of land.
Still another body of excellent land lies
in what is designated as Churchill
valley" just above the Lower Carson
reservoir site, which includes all told,
Ia, 900 acres of land. This tract is
mostly river bottom land, level, and is
sure to be eagerly snapped up by home
seekers. The opening of the last
named district, is contingent, however,
upon the construction of the proposed
Alkali Flat reservoir east of Dayton.
This reservoir is planned as a future
adjunct to this project, almost indis-
pensible, and its construction will un-
doubtedly be matter of early consid-
Grafton. Its estimated cost is only
traction of that of the Lower Carson
reservoir, being in the neighborhood of
100000. Its capacity is large as it
will hold a maximum of water in stor-
age estimated at around 300, 900 acre
feet. Carson river gaugings show
that during an average season, the
flood waters will fill the lower reser-
voir when completed, but not the AL
kali Flat reservoir to its utmost capac-
ity. The water stored in the latter
reservoir, will accordingly, vary from
1000 to 300, 900 acre feet, according
to the season.
From the plans outlined it is shown
that reclamation officials expect to
utilize all of the flow of the Carson in
and out of season for irrigation, mini
mum to be allowed to go to waste.
From the nature of the project, the
Carson waters will be used solely in
this part of the valley and in the
Churchill valley, while the waters of
the Truckee will irrigate the Hazen,
Fernley and Pyramid districts. In the
meantime the investment having to do
with the connecting link between the
Truckee and Carson watersheds will
not be lost, for during flood periods
the Truckee water will be conducted
through this link tt drop into the Lower
Carson dam and there augment the
stored waters of the Carson. The
placing of the Lower Carson dam at
the exact spot selected, was influenced
by the fact that it would allow of the
supplementing of the waters of the
Carson with those of the Truckee dur
ing flood periods. 1t will be thus seen
that this reservoir, will when the pres
ent program is completed, conserve
the total flow of the Carson not taken
up by the Alkali Flat reservoir and a
considerable portion of that of the
Truckee river, which now runs to
waste into the Pyramid and Mud lakes,
there to evaporate, while the Lower
Carson Sink serves like purpose for
the Carson watershed.
In the end the wisdom of the plans
of the governments reclamation engi-