Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1911-04-27
SHORTAGE OF WATER
Increase In Agriculture NeceSsi-
tates Use of Reservoirs.
All Available Sources OF Supply are
Being Employed to Render serv-
Ice Until Mountain Streams
are Used Several Times.

The shortage Of irrigation water
IN the natural streams last season re-
calls the fact that the waters used for
irrigation in earlier years were derived
directly from the melting SHOWS Of the
mountains to much greater extent than
at the present time. The cold Of the
higher attitudes was then the only
cause preventing the waters falling In
those regions, or formed by the melt
ing Of the snow, from flowing rapidly
from the place Of their precipitation
to the lower reaches Of the rivers,
through which they find their way to
Join the oceanic waters, writes w. P.
Hadden in the Denver Field and Farm.
This agent is as active now as then
but alone is inadequate to effect suf-
ficiently regular distribution Of these
waters to meet the varied and grow
ing requirements Of agriculture, and
1t has been supplemented by the use
OF reservoirs to store the waters and
prevent them from going to waste.
Not only has the attempt been made
to store the flood and other surplus
waters In order to subsequently dis
tribute them, that they might add to
the well-being and prosperity Of those
living in sections further down the
stream, but our agriculture has so in
creased that much more water is re-
quired than formerly and in order to
meet this requirement our reservoir
systems have constantly grown. All
available sources of water are rapidly
being made to render service, until
| the waters of the mountains are taken
out of the streams and returned sew
eral times before they are finally dis
charged into the bigger streams. We
may yet learn to further increase the
duty of water, but II we do we vii
not lessen the questions relative tC
the changes produced and suffered by
these waters used for the purposes o
irrigation. We will on the contrary
intensity them and probably find tina
new questions will be raised.
1t is we'll known but still more gen
orally accepted as a fact that the wa
tiers of rivers rising in high mountain
where there is little soil, scanty vege
tation and no human beings to POI
Lutte them. are comparatively pure
many of them very pure indeed. Thi
is the case with the waters of GU
mountain streams and is not fame
arising from the notions which we az
sociate with the mountains and thei
seclusion. The rocky face which thei
surface so generally presents does nc
wholly withstand the attack. gent
though 1t seem, of the falling rain {
melting snow. The rocks yield littl
by little, 1t is true, but the water
. never able to enrich itself greatly
mineral matter at their expense. III
work done by the waters IN year,
month, or even in a week. when mea
ured in the aggregate is surprising
large. but no given quantity OF tn
water. a gallon or so, carries mol
than an inflnitesimal part Of the pr
duct.
This water is usually colorless ar
free from organic matter because v
have no accumulation of decaying O
ganic matter such as peat, etc,
! CODldmlndle IL W mere lue surface
covered with soil there is little diffe
ence between the soil and the rocl
on which the soil rests. do not kno
whether the changes which take plai
In this soil proceed more rapidly tn;
in the rocks proper or not; 1t is pr
sumable that they do, but they are {
sentially of the same kind and this
true throughout the mountain regio
These waters suffer little change
long as they continue to flow ov
the rocky beds which they have c
for themselves in the TANKS of Il
mountains, or so long as they mo
through the soils which are lit,
= more than the pulverized rock
which they lie. This however is
. longer true when they Issue from 4
: mountains and enter the plains