The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1914-07-15

With the ending of the fiscal
year on June Goth, the local recla-
nation Office is casting up the years
work in preparation for the annual
report of progress on the Truckee-
Carson project to be included in the
annual report of the Reclamation
Service which Secretary Lane will
submit to Congress on December 1st.
This seems to furnish fitting occa-
sion for presenting to the readers of
this paper a review of project oper-
ations which have been chronicled
in our columns from time to time
during the year.
Perhaps not many. realize that
work on the Truckee-Carson project
was started twelve years ago, dur
ing the early fall of 1902, but a few
months after the passage of the Rec
lamation Act which occurred in
June of that year In fact, this pro-
| ject was one of the first on which
work was undertaken, which seems
entirely fitting since Nevada's need
for reclamation was doubtless great
er than that of any other state and
our Senator Newlands was the
strongest and most influential advo-
cate of federal reclamation. The
first work undertaken was that Of
surveying and locating the canal
lines. Actual construction was COM
menced on the Truckee canal in the
summer of 1913 By the middle of
1906 the Truekee canal, Carson di-
version dam, and main canals had
been finished. The season of 1906
was the first in which wator was de-
llyered to the farmers. The sys-
TEN of laterals and bitches for the
delivery of water to the lands then
occupied was practically completed
during the year 1907, although
there have been constant small adj
Editions to the distribution system
from year TO year since that date.
The principal features of construc-
tion during the past year are as fol-
lows:
Lahontan Dam.
Construction of the Lahontan dam
was commenced early in 1911 and
the progress TO date has been up to
schedule time and within the esti-
mated cost, the total of which for
the entire structure is approximately
1,500,0O0.00. During the past year
force averaging about 800 men
and from 70 to 80 animals have
been employed. A great deal of the
work has been done by thoroughly
modern construction plant actuated
almost entirely by electricity gener-
ated at the Lahonan power plant,
feature that has saved the project
thousands of dollars in the cost of
the dam
During the year the main gravel
fill and water tight embankment
was built up about 80 feet, the up
stream slope of which was paved
with rock TO a height of about so
feet. The rock for this paving was
obtained from quarry not more
than mile away. from whence 1t
was conveyed by construction trains
to the end of the dam, where it was
picked up by the galloway and de-
posted in it's proper place in the big
structure.
The right spillway, one of the mas
siye concrete features of the dam,
was completed during the year, as
also were five arches of the concrete
roadway which will extend across
the top of the dam. The concrete
outlet tower was completed and the
controlling gates installed therein.
Several sections of the left spillway
we're concreted, this structure being
held back to protect the main en-
bankment from damage by floods.
One unique feature built during
the year was four-foot diameter,
reinforced concrete syphon which
extends from the Truckee canal,
down across the river under the
spillway pool and up on the other
side connecting with the canal which
will supply water to about 5000
acres of fertile soil on the Lahontan
Bench
BY June 30th the Lahontan dam
had reached a stage of completion
which enabled il to be operated for
the storage of some $1,000 acre feet
of water and this will be available,
if needed, for the irrigation season
of this year
Lake Tahoe Dam.
The concrete dam to control the
outlet of Lake Tahoe was completed
in October, 1918. This outlet is