The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1914-05-02
Fundamental
PRINCIPLES
OF DRAINAGE
Abstract Of Remarks by Nathan c.
Grover, Chief Hydraulic Engineer,
United States Geological Survey,
Before the Drainage Congress at
Savannah, Georgia, Week Of April
&c, 1915

The nation must seek its additional
domestic supply of foodstuffs by re.
claiming its waste areas and by cul-
tivating more extensively all it's ag-
ricultural land.
The drainage of swamps will be as
effective as irrigation of deserts In
increasing the area Of arabic land
The failure of some of the private
or state irrigation projects for which
public lands have been segregated is
full of pathos, and the final record
of some of the failures has been fill
ed with tragedy for the thousands
who have suffered financial ruin.
Most Of the failures could have been
foreseen and averted by an honest
and thorough consideration of funda-
mental factors, but the desirer, for
gain was too great and caution was
thrown to the winds.
Plea To Put Drainage Reclamation
On Sound Basis
In starting the new form of nation
al activity which is now proposed
the drainage Of swamp lands-a ser.
ious attempt should be made to put
the work on a sound basis and to
avoid as far as possible the mistakes
made in irrigation. Irrigation and,
drainage have much in common and
are liable to practically the same dan
gers-in fact, in many localities not
only in the west but in the east, drain
age must be accompanied by irriga-
ton. General methods for financing
and managing drainage projects hav-
ing been devised, the data necessary
for designing the drainage system
may generally be collected in such
field survey as can be made, within
a period of few months, except as
regards the quantity of water for
which the canals must be designed.
Measurements OF Stream Flow
Necessary
This last determination, however,
involves the collection of records ex-
tending over long periods. No such
determinations have been made, so
far as am informed, for large swamp
areas in the Southeastern States. De
signs for drainage construction have
had no other basis than general re-
cords of precipitation and evapora.
ton, and the result has been that
drainage systems have been designed
and partly constructed with INSULT
cient capacity to accomplish the de-
sired results. Disappointment may
follow for thousands of small purch-
asers of land who have been assured
that the land would be speedily drain
ed.
Sounds Note OF Warning
The failure of one project will have
rs baneful effect OH all and failure
of considerable number will make
the financing and colonization of 9TH
ers impossible Thu result will be a
situation like that which is today pre-
venting the financing and colonial
ton Of irrigation projects, in which
the intrinsic soundness and value of
individual projects will be completely
lost sight OF in the general distrust
caused by the failure to recognize the
fundamental factors controlling all
such developments.
Let us profit, then, by the expert
ence of others and see that drainage
work is started in a safe and sane
way. Let us first obtain reliable
data in regard to the quantity of wa.
ter that must be removed from the
land.
Several years should be devoted TO
the determination of this fundamental
factor before there will be assurance
that the records cover the ordinary
range of conditions caused by huctu-
atoms in precipitation.
The measurement of run-off need
not and should not wait until arrange
ments have been made for financing
and managing drainage works but,