The Parker post., 1913-03-15
BATTLE WITH
LOW WATER
WRITER VISITS INTAKE AND
FINDS NEW ENGINEERS HAVE
ERS.

Mutual Water company of the
Palo Verde valley has, during the
last sixty days fought and won one
of the hardest battles waged with
/ the Colorado River since the break
at the Imperial valley intake when
Salton sea was filled nine years ago
Few ranchers in this valley knew
WhAn they opened their gates and
turned the water into the freshly
seeded fields during January and Feb
ruary that the engineers whom they
employed to supply water were fight
ing to offset a low-water period in
the Colorado that has broken all rec
ords. The river reached the lowest
point this year that it has reached
since daily government reports on
river measurements were first es-
tabilshed on the lower Colorado.
| 1t has been a supreme test for
the engineers OF the company and
| they won, hands down.
Early in January the river reached
low stage that broke all records.
The current was sluggish and showed
u tendency to silt up the mouth of
the intake.
Engineer Clark looked the situation
over and said one of two things must
be done. Either a dredger must be
put into the river at the mouth of the
intake or the river must be made to
dredge itself. The latter plan seem
ed most plausible and he acted upon
it,. A crew was sent across by way
of Ehrenberg to the shore opposite
/ the intake with Instructions to throw
out jetties.
At that time the river was far be-
ell fr,reviess marks marks For !e7s, water
and still going down. The jetties
were thrown out from the reservation
side and inch by inch the entire
| force Of the current was thrown into
Blythe intake.
The danger point is now past and
while the river is still low the in
take is at the present time receiving
triple the volume necessary for the
land under irrigation A sluiceway
runs large part Of this water back
into the river before it reaches the
irrigated land.
The fact that these precautions
were necessary is no discredit to the
intake or to the company. 1t is
the ole, old story Of river that is
ever changing and wholly unreliable.
Every irrigation project from the del
IA to the head waters of the river hah
had the same problems to contend
with and the manner in which the
Mutual Water company engineers
nave handled the situation only adds
to the assurance that our water sup
ply is absolutely dependable.
The writer spent two days recent
ly going over work at the intake. 1t
was a pleasant two days because
there are a fine lot of fellows en-
ployed at the dredger, the intake and
on the work across the river; and
it was an instructive visit because of
the systematic way in which the
task of bringing water to the valley
lands is managed.
A r. Glenn, the gate-keeper at
;ne intake proved a royal host and
an excellent guide and he went over
every detail Of the work
His work is to regulate the flow o
water through the headgate according
the needs of the users. Twice
every day he takes sOundingS and in
forms the office in Blythe as to the
river elevations, currents, etc. At
times when the river shows a 'Lu-
dency to raise or drop rapidly he re-
mains at the gate almost constantly
phone.
Glenn rowed me across the river
to where Micheal McCabe and his
crew is putting in jetties. This work
consists of running short spurs out
into the river at strategic points and
thus keeping the currnet flowing con-
stantly toward the west bank These
jetties are constructed of brush, stalk
ed down and weighted with sacked
sand. The effect Of placing three
or four of these along at intervals is
very apparent and it is these that
have entirely offset the unusual low
water period of the past few weeks.
We stopped with McCabes crew for
supper and the writer can taste those
'cheeselets" which Frank Tweede,
the cook, fixed up yet. Supplies are
taken to the camp across the river
by boat and while there isn't much