The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1914-01-10
TO CONSERVE HUM
BOLDT'S WATERS

William f. Butler, assistant manag-
er of the Greater Humboldt Corpora
tion, arrived IN Winnemucca yester-
day morning from San Francisco and
will open branch office in Whine
mucca.
In speaking of the objects of the
company to "a silver state reporter
yesterday, Mr.. Butler said:
"E. c. Mcclellan, the corpora
tion s engineer, has completed the
preliminary surveys along the Hum
boldt, and work will soon be com
menced on the first unit, which will
consist of the building OF canals and
reservoirs, at cost of about mil
lion dollars.
"Fifty-f five per cent of the water
entering the Battle Mountain basin
remains there, and there is another
place between here and that point
where Ia per cent is lost. To save
this vast volume of water drainage
canals will be built.
Practically all the government
land lett in the valley lies between
Winnemucca and Loveloek. This will
be taken up under the Carey act and
irrigated by means of canal to run
practically the entire distance be-
tween the two towns. To raise the
money for this purpose the land will
be mortgaged, but after the improve
ment is completed will be sold, with
perpetual water rights. To raise reve-
nues for the project, the corporation s
bonds will also be sold, and they
should be dividend producers from the
first year"
"What bearing will your project
have upon existing water rights in.
quired the reporter.
''It will greatly benefit them,
was the reply. "'These viii have
first call on the water, and while at
present it is not always possible Ior
users to get the amount of water they
require at the needed time, we shall
guarantee them all the water allowed
by law, which will be available when
desired -
The plans of the company are bas-
ed upon several things that seem
worth serious consideration. Hum
boldt valley offers nearly the last good
irrigation project left undeveloped, for
the development started in the arid
region of the United States.
Irrigation projects under the Carey
act have paid those carrying them
through such good profits that invest
ors are looking after them, and since
.his one has been started it has been
under investigation by outsider, who
would like to obtain possession of it.
With this knowledge, the Greater
Humboldt Corporation is trying to
ha IN
their water rights. Should outsiders
secure il as matter are now, they
could construct the work the COM
pany proposes tao and use all the wa
ter thus saved for their own profit,
leaving the present water users for
ever in exactly the situation they
are now, or forcing them to buy a
full waiter supply from them at high
price, or go without. Now, it is a
matter of record that the Lovelock
valley only has full water supply
one year in ten; a partial supply for
six years; and almost nothing the 9th
er three years in ten. Before any new
settlers can come in, or any chance
for others to secure control of the
project, it is proposed to arrange so
those new people. who are bound to
come into the valley before many
years, shall be obliged to recognize
and protect the old timers, and bind
themselves to provide them with wa
ter before they can use any. To do
this, the Greater Humboldt Corpora
tion is going to bind itself to deliver
to these old water users, all the water
they can possibly claim for present
irrigation. Then, when the works are
turned over to those new irrigators,
as they are to be under the "Carey
Act" those new men must assume
the obligations entered into by the
Greater Humboldt Corporation.