The Parker post., 1913-06-28
CLAIM PRIOR
WATER RIGHT
IMPERIAL VALLEY AND YUMA
INTERESTS WOULD GAIN MON
OPOLY OF COLORADO RIVER
FOR IRRIGATION.


to guard their irrigation water sup
ply, even though it be at the expense
Of other projects already under way
on the Colorado river, is evident
from the attitude of Col W. H., Hola-
bird, receiver of the California De-
velopment company, who is endeav-
curing to have Secretary Lane take
steps to guard the Imperial interests
by legislation
Col Holabird has created an in
tensely interesting document, brist-
ling with facts and figures which
should go a long way in helping to
decide the justice of disputes as t
rights of water from the Colorado.
He first calls attention to the physi-
cal situation, showing that the Colo
RADIO has it's principal sources in
! Western Colorado, Southwestern wy
oming and Eastern Utah and is form
ed by confluence of the Green and
the Grand Rivers
''It is on these rivers that the
flood impounding systems which have
been suggested as solution to the
great water problem by the Reclaim
alton Service should be built" he
said in explaining the manner in
which real conservation can be car
ried out in very vital matter. To
hold back the flood waters of the
Colorado itself is an impracticabil-
ity on account of the silt which it
carries and which will fill any great
artificial reservoir that man can
build in a year or two, as proven by
the Laguna dam, and also on the
canals in the Imperial Valley"
Continuing with the brief, Col
Holabird shows that the Imperial Val
}ley project was the first to utilize
the waters of the Colorado in an
extensive way for irrigation and was
followed by the Laguna dam project.
Now there are as many as a dozen
projects, mostly private, which con-
template the irrigation of vast areas
of land along the river The brief
then outlines the actual work accom-
plished in building canals and the
1 facts pertaining to the use of these
canals in Mexican territory ~
About 100000 acres in the valley
Il ic tn iha md ad 4
from the system, although this en-
tire area has not yet all been
brought under water. In addition to
these are 244, 900 acres now being
placed under systems in Lower Cali
fornia, Mexico. which territory has
| the same prior. rights as Imperial,
according to the agreements made
between the Mexican government
and the promoters of the irrigation
scheme
| At the present time the maximum
diversion is 3206 second-feet By the
| time all the extensions are comp4et-
ed the average diversion will reach
| 5475 second-feet and the maximum
will run up to 1000 feet. The La
guna dam diversion to lands of
Yuma Valley, Gila Valley and Mesa
lands will aggregate 5000 second-feet
The Colorado River during it's low
est period, which happens to be at
the season when the most water is
needed and used, even at the present
time carries scarcely sufficient wa
ter. The brief shows by actual charts
OF the water used during the past
year, that a shortage is possible in
the supply for Imperial Valley when
the river does not carry more water
than last January Photographs fur
ther substantiate this and prove that
the river is practically drained by
the diversion to Imperial Valley
channels
Because of these things Col. Hola-
bird argues that there is grave dan
ger Of serious shortage in the water
supply for Imperial Valley and the
Yuma country if the threatened di-
versions for new projects are allowed
should they be permitted, litigation
involv ng interests of such magnitude
that it would impose an enormous
burden on all affected would inevita-
bly, ensue.
After reciting all of the possible
troubles arising from use of the wa
ter by new projects, such as depriva-
ton of the water from thousands of
settlers already in Imperial, interna-
tional dispute with Mexico on accoun
OF using all OF the water, and others,
he asks that Secretary Lane should
cause complete and comprehensive
investigation and report concerning |