Arizona republican., 1920-07-01
COPY OF LETTER HERE WHICH RECOMMENDED
 PROJECTS APPROVAL

copy of the letter to Secretary of the Interior Payne in which Director A. F. Davis recommended approval of the proposition submitted last month Dy inc Auxiliary Eastern Canal Land owners association for the utilization ot waste waters to irrigate g.. 900 acres or land east of the Salt River project. with the secretary's note of approval attached. has been received at the Of fices of the association here. and was made public yesterday. The letter lv MT. Davis is explanatory It fol- lows:
 Washington, D. C..
 May 20 1920. The Secretary
 of the Interior
 Dear Mir. Secretary:
 transmit herewith a commpnfca- ton from Richard l.. Sloan. attorney Tor the Auxiliary Eastern Canal Land owners association. which proposes to build d canal eastward of and parallel 10 the most eastern canal of the Salt River project to cover higher lands to the extent of about 35.0Oo acres The proposition is explained in the en- closure accompanying the letter which IS herewith transmitted.
 The essential merits of this proposi- uon depend upon the extremely cratic and wide fluctuation of the water sup plys of southwestern streams. Years occaslonally occur, and sometimes sev- eral in succession, where the Salt River basin may yield between 2,00O,- 900 and 5000. 600 acre-feet of water; and other years, sometimes IS many as six in succession, where the yield averages less than one-e eighth of this amount. Such a drought occurred in the years 1S9S-1S04 inclusive. and in this hot. arid climate such drought means death to unirrigated vegeta ton and ruin to owners dependent thereon. Widespread ruin prevailed in the Salt River valley during the period above mentioned owing to the construction of-canal systems for which water could not be furnished
 On the other hand, long periods of abundant water supply occur in which water might he stored but this cGa- not be made available for a drought protracted over six years except by storing enough water to provide an additional supply during all of the six years. Assuming three acre-feet to each acre. it would require IS acre feet to add one acre or 1S0, 900 acre feet to add 10000 acres. The storage ca : pacity must therefore be sufficient foI this quantity of water plus the evap- oration during the period from the year when the surplus supply is obtained to the year when it is used, which might be about 10 years. Tn this hot arid climate, this evaporation is very high so that the storage requirement. would DC e enormously increased rom thls cause.
 For the above reasons it is not physi- cally practicable to utilize all of the surplus waters in irrigation by means of storage. but a large quantity of Sucf waters can be beneficially and profi- tably used if consumed in the years ir which they occur, by tracts Of land which while using the surplus waters can be so limited in their water rights not to interfere or detract from the rights of the older lands during per iods of drought
 The proper utilization Of the watel supply, therefore, means careful de, termination of the area which car bt given a reasonably complete supply during all years. and another totally distinct area which is entitled only tC such waters as can be considered sur plus without encroaching upon th' rights of the other lands The pro