The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-16


 steadily increasing volume and frequency
 The flood commission of Pittsburg has been engaged for more than three years in making q complete survey of the water | shed of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers and investigation of the flood prob lems of Pittsburg, which is now comple ted. The following is quoted from tn, first chapter of the report of the com missions:
 1. Floods at Pittsburg are increasing 1T frequency and height. g. There is every probability that Pitts burg will some day experience a 40 foot flood
 g. The damage at Pittsburg resulting from a flood of given height is steadily increasing.
 4 The direct losses due to flood damage at Pittsburg amounted to over $12,000,00f in the last ten years, while in one year and five days, between March 15. 1907, and March 20. 190S three floods occurred, caus- ing a direct loss at Pittsburg of about $6500,000.
 5. If works for flood relief are not car ried out, the direct losses due to flood damage at Pittsburg alone will, on a conservative estimate, amount to 0,00o,00t in the next 20 years.
 6, The flood losses along the Ohio val ley in one year, 1907, are stated in the l preliminary report of the inland water ways commission for 1908 to have amount ed to over S1o0O00,000.
 Annual Losses
 The chief of the water resources brancf of the United States Geological Survey MT. NJ o. Leighton, estimates that the average annual damage by floods on the Ohio river and all it's tributaries averag- ing the damage over 10 year periods, is not less than $50,O00, GOO; $50, GOO annual. ly is per cent per annum interest on a total investment of S1.000,O00,0O0, and the states and national government would be justified in spending that amount o money to completely safeguard the entire region drained by the Ohio river from de structive floods, because the works foi | flood prevention would not only protec against floods. but would create com mercial and industrial development tha would justify the expenditure of ths money in that territory even though tht question of floods was not involved. | When reservoirs are built for flood pre- ! vention storage must be provided for tn, | normal flow of the streams which may be used for power development as we'll as | flood prevention. In addition to this, very large emergency surplus of storage capacity must be provided, which can bs done on all streams by building reser- voirs which would flood a given area o 1 territory only in the event of unusua | floods which come only once in severa | years In the intervening period th' lands thus overfoweded at long interval; would be used for grazing and for timber production.
 Can Regulate All Streams
 There is not a river or stream flowing
 into the Ohio river. the flow of whicl could not be regulated by preserving tho 1 foraSfG nd Vrno11a n oo tba tor. i sheds, preventing denudation and ero | sion, storing the excess flood flow in ar tificial lakes. and thereby regulating and | so far as possible, equalizing and stand ardizng the flow throughout the year This system of control would develol power for industrial purposes that woull more than justify the state and nationa governments in carrying out the projee solely for power for industrial uses, an, in aid of navigation and interstate com merce, with supplemental excess storas, provided for unusual floods.
 The government is already committed to a plan for the improvement of naviga tion on the Ohio river by the canalizatioI of the Ohio from Pittsburg to Cairo. bl a system of locks and dams which vii cost a total of S600O0. GOO when completed It Is necessary for the continuous ant satisfactory operation of this system O locks and dams when completed that thu natural low water summer flow of thu | Ohio river should be supplemented b, an adequate reservoir system, from whicl water may be drawn whenever needed ti fill the pools. prevent stagnation. repen ish losses by seepage and evaporation an, l furnish the necessary river flow when tn, natural supply is inadequate. | If the Ohio river were continuousl, navigable the year round, as it might b made if the lock and dam system wer supplemented by an adequate reservoi system. the commerce that would be de veoped on that river and it's beneficial effect upon the commercial and manu | featuring industries in that section of tn country would alone justify the construc tion of the necessary reservoir system.
 Power Development
 Referring again to the question of powe development the possibility of the crea tion of values by such development i shown hy the plans adopted by the city a Los Angeles for bringing a municipa water supply from the owens river, Thy i county, to the city of Los Angeles. Tn value of the water supply would hay | justified the cost of constructing tn aoueduct which will bring pure noun tain water a distance of 250 miles in sui ficient quantity to supply city of 9ooo, l 900 inha abitants.
 | The system VIII uellNel -9e'VsVu'' Sa"oh I tnet every 24 hours into reservoirs lo oated nearly 1000 feet above the city. consists of 9S miles of covered conduit, miles uncovered 21 miles of open cana
 F miles of inverted syphons. 43 miles 0 | tunnels 10 to 13 feet in diameter, and
 reservoirs along the line holding the months supply.
 The total cost will approximate S25.Go. COG and the water power ncidentall created will be utilized in producing i2o, coo. H. P peak load of electrical energy the sale of which will provide fun
 lnree ennalch 10 cnNer tue interest an,