The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-12-11
THE COLORADO RIVER BASIN.
A Region of Vast Economic and Inter
national Importance.

!
national Importance.
There is no more interesting river IN
the world than the Colorado. Indus
trial scenically, and geologically it pre-
sents more diverse conditions than any
other lstream in the United States
From the crest of the Rocky Mountains
in Colorado and Wyoming it sweeps
across the intervening country Mexico
Arizona, and Nevada, to the head OF
the Gulf of California, the area drained
being about 100000 square miles. In
the Rocky Mountain region it flows
through a country covered by eternal
SHOWS and waters some of the most fer
tile and valuable agricultural lands in
| the world in western Colorado, north
western New Mexico, and eastern Utah
Ii traverses the famous. Grand Canyon
of the Colorado in the northern part OF
Arizona and finally passes over the
broad, fiat plains above the head Of the
| Gulf Of California. In this lowermost
portion the river strongly resembles the
Nile, having annual floods which distri-
butte silt over adjoining lands and render
them as fertile as those in the historic
valley of North Africa The Colorado
and its tributaries have other values
than that Of irrigation, for, descending
in steep channels, they present abund-
ant opportunities for the development Of
water power. Power has been developed
at few points, but the resources of the
Colorado basin are in this respect yet
practically untouched.
Observations Made to Prevent Disastrous
Inundation.
In a basin so literally provided with
natural resources it is fundamental
necessity, in planning for a utilization
of the river, to ascertain the amount Of
water available in the main stream and
| its principal tributaries, so that future
! developments, as well as those now I'M
! der construction, can be suitably de-
signed in type and capacity. For a long
period of years the United States Geo.
logical Survey has been making observa-
tions and measurements at many inn
portant points in the Colorado basin,
and the latest published information
on the subject is contained in Water
Supply Paper 26g Of the Survey, which
is progress report Of river-flow meas
urements in this basin for the year
1909. In this report are recorded obser-
vations at l79 stations, covering Grand
River and tributaries in Colorado; Green
River and tributaries in Utah, Colorado,
and Wyoming; the San Juan basin in
northwestern New Mexico; the Little
Colorado River basin in Colorado; the
Arsya L.
the discharge near the mouth of the main
stream at Yuma, Ariz. These records
are not only of local value for guiding
economic development, but they have an
international significance in connection
with the difficulties that have been en-
countered in the control of the Colorado
near its mouth in Mexican territory. The
escape of the river from its regular
channel and its diversion into the Salton
Sea are matters of recent history, and
the consequence Of a diversion of this
kind, which promised to inundate some
of the more fertile country in south
ern California have been discussed in
the public press.
Importance of Controlling the River.
The control of the Colorado for the
prevention of further outbreaks must
involve thorough knowledge of the trib,
utary flow, even in the high regions
Of its headwaters. in Colorado, and the
ultimate steps taken to prevent disas-
trous inundation will in all probability
involve the control of these upland tri-
butaries
The size of Colorado River is indicated
by its discharge in the year 1909, which
was 26,000,000 acre-feet, or enough water
to cover that number Of acres to depth
of | foot. Such an amount of water,
if poured upon Manhattan Borough Of
the City of New York and confined by
retaining walls, would bury the city
1857 feet deep, or it would make lake
GO feet deep over the state of Delaware.
A copy Of Supply Paper 269
may be obtained on application to the
Director of the Geological Survey, at
Washington, d. @.