Milford chronicle., 1920-10-01
LOWLAND DRAINAGE
POINTS LESSON HERE
THE STATE OF DELAWARE MIGHT WELL
FOLLOW ARKANSAS BIG RECLAMA-
TI0N PROJECT.

a drainage project the largest i'm the
United States and which. except in size
Is similar in some respects to what Is
needed in lower Delaware, has just been
started in Arkansas. The work. which
Will cost from S5,000.000 to $4,000. 600 and
occupy about three years, is being done
under the direction of John Lyle Har-
rington, of Kansas City, one of the fore
most engineers in this country. The ter
ritory covers three hundred square miles.
and is situated along the White River
an Important tributary of the Mississippi
River When the project is completed.
all of this land will be reclaimed for cul-
tivation, just as would be the case in
the lower part OF this state with the in
stallation of modern methods of drain
age
Mr.. Harrington. who has many rela-
tives and friends in Delaware, is famil-
lar, in a general way. with the lowlands
of Sussex county. He has never gone in
TO the matter for the reason that it has
not been brought to his attention.
The district affected in Arkansas be-
gins n little way below Helena and eX-
tends to the mouth Of the White River
where the latter stream empties into
the mississippi. When protected. drained
and mlde ready for crops. the land will
sustain a population of fully $4,000 peo-
pie, and will annually produce crops
worth from $40 200. 900 to S15, ,000. 900. The
work is being done by the White River
Drainage District of Phillips and Desha
counties. Mr. Harrington viii prepare
plans and specifications and supervise
the construction. As may be imagined.
the task will require the highest order
of engineering judgment in order to
make sure of such permanent and ade-
quate protective works that the people
who live behind them will never be put
in jeopardy.
A description of the undertaking will
be Of interest to Delaware insofar as it
may have bearing on reclamation im-
provements that are some day likely to
be made in this State. The lower reaches
OF the Mississippi River and its tributar-
les are subject to overflow at the high
water season. The Government has built
levees along both sides of the Mississippi
throughout most of this distance. open
ings being provided for the tributary
streams to enter. All of these streams.
when they overflow, deposit silt; hence
their valleys are as rich as those of the
Nile. The annual overflow, however.
greatly interferes with the growing OF
crops on the higher levels and absolute
ly prevents cultivation on the lowlands
where the overflow is deepest and most
frequent.
The whole country was covered with
the finest hardwood forests in the Unit
ed States. but the trees are now being
rapidly cut down. leaving the land ready
for the final clearing for cultivation when
drained and protected from overflow. Ly-
ing Between the Mississippi and White
of the finest of these lands, suitable, es-
pecially, for the growing of long staple
cotton: The lands are protected from
the direct overflow of the Mississippi.
but are subject to the overflow from the
White Rivers own current and also
from the Mississippi when it backs up
the White.
BY building levees along the White
River and connecting them to levees al
ready installed along the Mississippi, a
basin. three hundred square miles in
area, viii be created. To care for this. 1
large pumping plants will be built in
addition to the establishment of drain
age bitches. Whatever water may enter
the basin when the rivers are high will
be pumped over the levees.
Not only will the work require engi- |
neering skill of a high order in order to |
protect the residents of the district, but
this will be necessary to ensure drain |
age sufficient to make the land satis- !
factorily tillable. Moreover, pumping
plants must be built that can be oper- |
ated economically and yet with sufficient |
power to prevent flooding of the basin !
from within. The cost of this vast pro- !
ject will be met by taxes levied against |
the land
Mr.. Harrington himself owns and oper- |
ates 1000 acres of rice-growing lands |
within sixty miles of the scene of the big |
project.