The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1919-02-21
IRRIGATION
ORGANIZATION

IN compliance Win the request or
Mayor Witcher that a mass meeting
be held Sunday afternoon at the city
hall for the purpose of forming an
organization to aid in securing feder-
al aid to reclaim groundwater lands
In eastern Nevada. a large number OF
people were present and temporary
organization formed, says the Ely
Record.
At an adjourned meeting held
Monday evening, which was we'll at
tended. 1t was decided to form a per-
manent organization to be known as
the Eastern Nevada Reclamation As
ISOLATION, and the following officers
were elected: A. B. Witcher, presi-
dent; w. A. Leonard, vice-president:
Thomas A. Bath. treasurer; G. s.
Hoag, secretary. A committee on
finance was appointed by the presi-
dent as follows: d. c. Mcdonald,
John Gallagher and s. c. Patrick. A
committee on organization and by
laws was also appointed as follows:
G. s. Hoag. c. A. Eddy and d. c. Nc
Donald.
After some discussion 1t was de-
cided to admit members from all Sec
tiOAb Vi cdStcIu INcNdud, db IL was tUc
idea to make the association repre-
sentative of the entire eastern section
of the state rather than to confine
the work of reclamation to the val
leys of White Pine county The
membership fee was fixed for the
year at $40, and 1t was the sense of
the meeting that there would be no
dues.
After considerable discussion by
those present 1t was decided to send
q representative of the association to
Washington in the near future, in
order to call the personal attention
of Secretary Lane to the importance
OF the groundwater lands of eastern
Nevada, in order that he might be-
come familiar with this class OF land
resources and make provision in the
bill which he Is now drafting for
their reclamation on the same gen.
eral terms as the lands of irrigation
and swamp drainage projects. 1t will
also be the privilege of the committee
TO point out to Secretary Lane the
TACT that under. this plan there will
be several hundred thousand acres OF
land available for reclamation within
very short time, while under the
other proposed plans the land would
not be available for several years.
G. w. Riddell OF the United States
geological department was present al
the meeting and In addition to the
address which he delivered before
the association Sunday afternoon
said that in his opinion Snake, Spring
and Newark valleys in White Pine
county also furnished splendid fields
for the development of groundwaters
for irrigating purposes. He also sale
that Butte and Glover valleys in Elkt
county were most favorably consid
cred by the geological department
for such enterprises, and that from
general report he had reason to be
lieve that the field could also be ex
tended to the lower White river val
ley in Nye county, and to the upper
portion Of Railroad valley, wher'
grOundwater was demonstrated in /.
number of wells some years ago whel
drilling was done for potash. 1t II
also known among local people tha
perhaps Lake valley. in Lincoln coun
ty presents the most favorable fell
of all valleys in this section for thi
particular class of work, and it i
also probable that many thousands o
acres Of land could be reclaimed b,
the same method in Cave valley, ais
in Lincoln county, and it was 70
these reasons that the association de
cided to extend its field of endeavo
beyond the confines of White Pin
county. 1t will therefore be the oil
ject of the association to secure ap
propriations for all valleys in easter
Nevada where the possibilities of Sc
curing groundwaters are probabl
and have been recommended by tn
geological survey.