Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-08-10

growth of irrigation in the Imperial
valley is one of the remarkable ro-
mances of the conquest of the desert.
Twenty years ago, transcontinental
travellers heard the train porter an
nounce that they were passing through
the great Colorado desert, where moth
ing would live except rattle snakes.
horned toads, centipedes and scorpi-
Ons.
Deepest Soil in World.
With vision worthy of a seer, some
hardy pioneers went into the valleys
forbidding arid areas which lie below
the level of the sea, diverted the wa
tiers of the Colorado river and created
the most productive region in the
world.
Everything that the human family
needs grows in Imperial valley II
months out of the year. AS many as
II crops of alfalfa have been cut in
one year; from there comes the high
est-priced cotton in the world; and
there are great harvests of wheat, bar
lev lemons oranges, dates and canta-
ing the edge of the valley, the lOwland
soil is the deepest soil that has been
discovered anywhere in the world. For
thousands of years, biologists say, the
soil was filling in there when the val
ley was an inland sea. No rain falls
except once in two or three years it
sprinkles a little overnight or for Il
day
Evaporation is the only way to get
water out of the valley, and the old
Salton sea might be revived by an
overflow of the Colorado river. The
reclamation engineers say that the
present irrigation projects fail to pro-
tect the land within the valley, and
hence the movement for the new sys-
tenn by way of an all-American ca
nal Nature has through many CEN
turtles protected this great depression
from overflow.
The reclamation engineers in gen.
eral regard the Imperial valley prof.
ect the greatest irrigation project in
the world, and the survey they are
making is solely for the purpose of
determining the route that will be fol-
lowed when the actual work of con-
structing the canal system is begun.
Indications are that the engineers will
decide on diverting the water from
Laguna dam, which now furnishes the
water for the Yuma irrigation dis
trict in Arizona.
Would Cut Down Flood Menace.
These storage reservoirs would be
of value other than for irrigation. The
engineers point out that any storage
on a large scale would have the bene-
fetal effect of reducing the peak of
the flood discharge in the lower Colo
RADIO, thus cutting down the flood men,
ace to submersible lands in the delta
region as we'll as in the Imperial val
ley.
The work Of the engineers in sur
veying the all-American canal route
does not mean that the construction of
the canal will be started as soon
as they have completed their
work. Indeed, there remains the
most important phase-the f1nanc-
ing of the project that is found to be
the solution of the problem. The ca
nal system, it is estimated, would cost |
$30,000,00O or more. but the govern |
ment may join hands with private in
terests in bringing about the redemp- !
ton of 100000 acres of land-the |
richest in the world
Sooner or later, government officials |
concede, the canal will be built. and |
when completed it is expected that the |
vast aforementioned area will be |
opened to settlement. 1t may be then |
that because of the wonderful prOduc- |
tivity of the region that the govern
ment land when disposed of will be |
parceled out in small areas so as to |
give everybody chance.