Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1916-06-13
Additions to Project Consist
of 1000 Acres of School
Land and Remnant of
Class A Land Left Out In
First Report
WOULD FORCE THE
NEW SUPPLY ISSUE
BY Declining to Recommend
Additions to Project
Without Additional Water
Supply, Board Said to
Have Rendered Service

supply, Board SAID to
Have Rendered Service
Summarizing a summary of the re-
port of the second session of the pro-
iect survey board the summarizer
finds that 1900 acres have been
added to the project. OF this land,
l 900 consists of school lands pass
ing into private ownership under
recent legislative act, and 900 acres of
Glass A land, left out in the first
report because it was not cultivated
Deeper analysis of the report leads /
some to the belief that the nine \
thousand odd acres of the famous 81
000 whose owners secured the second
session of the board, may have re-
course to law to compel the govern +,
ment to continue service of water J.
Temporary service was offered the
$4,000 acres under contracts specify
ing that such service would not es-
tablish water rights The law and
precedent in water right cases, how
ever, seems to indicate that the ap-
plication of water on land under ,
what conditions soever, establish
water rights. inasmuch as this appli- |
cation materially alters the value and
status of the land. and the cessation
of such application of water consti-
tutes an irretrievable loss to the
owners
Bearing out the Republicans story
on the report, before it had been sub
mitted to Washington. the report ad =
vocates the construction Of the three
proposed amendments to the project
TO increase water availability. These
features are the Verde dam on the
Horseshoe site. the additional pump
ing plants and the lining of canals to
prevent loss by seepage, and thereby
entail an actual addition to the water
supply.
The discussion Of underground sup
ply and the danger of raising the
water level is treated in the report
just as was forecasted in The Re
publican
Projects Within Project
The report does not recommend the
well advocated raise in the duty of
water for the Tempe and Utah water
users who are in the position of
members to two little projects within
/ the big one 1t had been urged that
/ by raising the duty of water for those
| projects, the water duty of the valley
could be made more nearly uniform
! and a saving effected that would per-
nit of the irrigation of some thous-
| and additional acres. The board did
not consider this saving a material
one, and ignored the suggestion.
To Force Further Works
The attitude of the survey board in
its second report is interpreted to
| mean that it firmly believes in the
addition OF storage and other facili-
ties to bring the water supply up
even with an enlarged project. In
fact, by refusing to recommend GER
tain measures like raising the duty of
water for the Utah and Tempe lands
and the inclusion of the $4,000 acres
in permanent water service. the board
appears to be working 10 force the
project as a whole to take steps &c
increase its water supply by develop
ing two sources or conservation OF
present supply, or by a combination
of the three
If Ii is true that the board wants
to make it more clearly apparent
that additional water supply must be
developed, and is taking these meth
DDS to do it, the board is doing some
thing quite constructive for the pro-
iect. according to some high officials
In the water users association.
The summary of conclusions. to-
gether with recommendations of the
board are here given in full:
SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS
]. The evaporation figures adopted
by the Original Board of Survey
should be adhered to, as being suffi-
GENTLY accurate for all practical pur-
poses.
g The monthly per cents of tota
annual use of water used by tn,
Original Board of Survey in its com
putations agree fairly closely with thu
average for the project and should
not be changed.
3.TThe duty of water of As acre
feet at the points of diversion
adopted by the Original Board o
Survey is higher than the duty o
water now practiced on the projec
and is the best assumption that car
now be made for determining the flu
ture use of water in the, valley base,
on all the data available up to tn
present time and a reasonable allow
ance for increased economical use.
4. The increased supply of waite
that might be secured for the Sal
/ ID. h.. ;,;,
crests of the Roosevelt Dam is prac
tically valueless and unreliable.
5. It appears probable that tn
construction OF the Horseshoe Dam o
the Verde River is a feasible, eco
nomical and desirable adjunct to tn
Salt River Project because of its gen
eral usefulness to the Project in ad
dition to furnishing water suppl
for IS or 20 thousand acres of land.
6. The imposing of a reasonabl
duty of water on the lands under tn
Tempe and Utah Canals would ef
feet saving of water for the ProjeC
sufficient to irrigate about 5000 acre
of land, but the imposing of such
duty of water on these lands is NJ
considered desirable
Z. The Original Board of Survey
estimate of a maximum of 150,0t
acre-feet per annum of undergroun
fIoxu auoilabIa fr, ,,,,r,ni ,,,,rnoc.