Imperial Valley press., 1914-06-02


engineer of the United States army
and consulting engineer of the de-
partment of the interior, who came
from Washington short time since
to superintend the expenditure of
the remnant of money that was avail
able for use on the lower Colorado
river, came over from the heading
last evening with Chief Engineer An
derson of the irrigation district, to
and advise with the members regard
ing the needs for river control.
General Marshall recently submit
ted to President Hamilton of the dis
trict written report on the needs,
and that letter was under considera-
ton at the meeting of the board as
we'll as General Marshall's verbal rec
ommendation.
The general said to the Press this
morning:
81 have been making a study of
the lower Colorado for the last four
years and have been endeavoring to
get from Congress an appropriation
of a million and half dollars for
the work which l think should be
done there, but have failed in this,
and I think the people of the valley
shoulG understand that the problem
is theirs to solve for themselves"
General Marshall's Letter.
Following is the letter in which
General Marshall has outlined his rec
concentrations to the people of the val
ley:
Department of the Interior. Pro-
lection of land and property in Impe
rial Valley, California. Office of En-
gineer.
yuma, Ariz., May 25, 1914.-Mr.
w. 0. Hamilton, President Imperial 1r-
rigation District, Ell Centro, CAL
Sir: Inasmuch as have very care
fully studied the general question of
the protection of lands and property
in the Imperial valley for four years,
and am now engaged in work required
by your people for that purpose, !
venture to offer my opinion as to
what is, in my mind, absolutely neces-
sary to be done within the next year,
or as soon as practicable, to make that
valley safe.
"It is simply to construct an en-
rocked or revetted river bank and
levee thereon from Hanlon's Heading
intake to the railroad Qnter-Califor-
nia) embankment, C. D. Junction,
south of the Alamo river, and an
earth levee thence on or parallel to
the line of this railroad as far as to
near Bataques Station; thence just
north of the Bayou Saiz, or Arroyo
Tortuoso, to join onto the Volcano
Lake levee, which must be raised ul-
timately to so feet above the gull
level. Ut is now 411s feet.)
'The levee from C. D. Junction to
Bataques need not be over five feet
above the general surface of the coun-
try-riprapped on the south side slope.
From Bataques to the Volcano Lake
levee it should increase in height un-
til it reaches the horizontal level line
of Volcano Lake levee at so fee.
above the gulf level You will note
that the C. D. levee is wrongly To-
Gated, being placed south of the Pare
dones, making necessary an opening
between the Volcano Lake levee ami
the C. d. levee for the Paradones to
flow through. The levee proposed here
in is between the Paradones and the
Alamo, and cuts off all the lower
delta of the Colorado, and abandons
it to overflows from that river, until
the governments of the countries con-
cerned choose to put it into definite
channel.
"The work outlined will cost about
$1,250,000, but would be good for 100
years if properly patrolled and main
tanned against burrowing animals. 1t
would be safely withdrawn from all
attacks of the Colorado river, and
such expenditures as am now max
ing (and wasting) would not be re-
quired at all.
"The levee would protect all lands