Arizona republican., 1917-07-11
YUMA PROBLEM
 |S THEME FUR
 EXPERIMENTING
Imperial Valley People to Try and Reach Agreement
 With Yuma Citizens Over Possible Flood Overflow

Senator Mulford Winsor of Yuma county is in the city on various kinds of business one of which he says is to find out in advance something of the intention of the Gila with re- spect to floods, a mighty vital sub- ject at Yuma. just now. There was never such a high stage of water at Yuma for so long a period. Night before last 132,000 second feet passed Yuma and the volume has been not lower than that any time within two weeks and has been as much as 155,- 900 second feet Just before MT. Winsor left home it was learned that the Green, Grand and Gunnison riv1 CTS were emptying new floods into the Colorado. Concert of action on the part of the Gila at this juncture would be very serious matter.
 At the present there is no danger at Yuma and there will be none un- less the Gila sends it. The highest stage of water there in the present flood has been 31 feet but that in- dicates greater flow than past floods with a stage of B feet since the bottom of the river has been so secured that it carries more. Resi- dents in the Yuma valley believe that
 
 35 feet.
 There is one permanent cause of nervousness there and that is the construction of a wier across the Colorado to raise the water after the floods have passed so that the great canal for the Imperial country may be filled. Such an obstruction in the river is always a menace to the levees of the Colorado in flood time This matter was made the subject of a memorial to the congress and the department of the interior by the last legislature in which It was suggested to avoid the necessi- ty for such wier, that new head ing for the Imperial canal be taken out of the river.
 However, said MT. Winsor, the people of the Yuma valley will raise no objection to the wier if the people of Imperial will indemnify them against damage in consequence of it. It is realized that such an area as the Imperial Valley with its 5O0,O0O acres must have water even at the risk of some damage to the Yuma valley.
 But the people of Yuma are not satisfiel with the provision or the flood control bill which authorizes the construction of wier in tlle Colorado regardless of the effect upon it of the Yuma valley. A del egation from Imperial will shortly be at Yuma for the purpose of com ing to an agreement with the citi- zens of Yuma relative to this mat ter.
 Crops are looking well in the Yuma valley, never better. There are about 1000 acres in cotton, mostly long staple and it is doing well, so well in fact, that the growers are lock- ing forward to well-lined pockets when the cotton is sold at 75 cents pound So sure are they that 1t Will bring that price that there is not a grower in the valley who would now contract his crop at that figure.
 In illustration of the sentiment with respect to the cotton crop, MT Winsor said that he has so acres in long staple cotton and 1t IS so promising that a neighbor across the road, the owner of 4o-acre, highly improved farm, had offered to give him a deed to the farm for the cotton crop. The deal was not made, from which circumstance 1t may De doubted whether MT. Wlnsor or his neighbor is the more enthusiastic oyer the cotton outlook.