Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-04
MAP OUT WATER
CONSERVATION
Flood Control Committee Out
lines Legislation Necessary to
Accomplish Purposes

Plans for a statewide policy of
water conservation and flood control
were outlined late yesterday at a meet
ing of the flood control committee ap-
pointed by Governor Brumbaugh in
the office of the chairman of the COM
mittee, DIR. Samuel G. Dixon, State
Health Commissioner.
Definite recommendations for legis-
lation were adopted which, if approx ed
by the General Assembly, will pe the
means of pdtting into effect the con-
servation policies outlined by Gov
ernor Brumbaugh in his message to
the Legislature.
Bills will be recommended which, IL
enacted, will mark the beginning of a
conservation program which experts
told the flood control committee will
eventually require the expenditure of
a hundred million dollars If the State
intends to conserve all it's waters and
provide adequate measures for the
control of its $4,000 square miles of
territory.
To Ask for Survey
In the first place, it was decided to
ask for an appropriation of $4,000 to
be used to meet an equal amount to be
furnished by the United States govern
ment toward the completion of a topo-
anu survey OIL
the state. A supplementary bill will
be drafted providing for making a
comprehensive survey of all the waters
OF the state, and upon this survey will
be based the plan for administration
OF the states water resources.
An appropriation of 100000 will
also be asked to make this stream sur
vey, and the work will be placed under
the direction of the State Water Sup
ply Commission.
In the discussion of the measures
suggested, it was brought out, opinion
was unanimous among the members
that every effort should be made to
avoid the mistake of rushing into
water conservation legislation before
there had been developed u logical
plan which would meet all conditions
IN the state and each part of which
would be step in securing the final
result.
Will Take Two Years
What we want to emphasize" said
Dr. Dixon, after the meeting, lis that
we are seeking a we'll thought out plan
and that we hope not to take any step
before we have the whole well ordered
scheme in view. 1t will take probably
at least two years to make the detailed
observations we need. They will pro-
vide map showing location, con-
dltlon, improvements. present use and
the state as well as other things nee
essary for the studies. This would also
include such things as floods and we
VIII know where they are likely to
occur and how best to prevent the
formation of conditions that lead to
them.
Then our survey ought to provide
FOR the measurements of all possible
water power, for drainage and agri-
cultural uses, and, of course for navi-
cation. At present we know little
about those conditions throughout the
state, and we might easily find that
vast unsuspected potentialities lie neg
lected when they might be bringing in
returns to the Commonwealth.
The Governor has expressed a liyeIy
interest in the work of this committee,
which was formed at his suggestion.
of course, and if things work out as
we nope 1t is not unreasonable to SUD-
pose that Pennsylvania. may be able to
place herself in very favorable light
as regards water conservation, com
pared with other states. and even with
the federal work.
Our committee feels it cannot ac-
cent too strongly the idea that a care
full examination must be made and
that when the work is actually under
taken we must know what we are do
ing at every step. There must be
nothing haphaZard in a scheme of
such magnitude"
Among the members of the commit
tee who attended the conference were
Clifford Pinchot, DIR. Henry S. Drinker.
Deputy Attorney General Keller, John
B. Eichenauer. George s. Webster. S.
B. Elliott, j. A. Walls, f. w. Walker
and Morris Knowles.