The Arizona copper camp., 1920-04-03

under cultivation from pumps, most
of which lies near Casa Grande. 1t
is needless to add that these two
towns are both rapidly developing in
to cities and are places of the great
est activity at the present time.
"a dam 22O feet or higher at San
Carlos would provide ample water for
the continuous irrigation of over 15O,-
000 acres and would so raise the wa
ter table under the valley floor as to
bring in a very large additional area
by pumping From its inception, the
project will doubtless L,e Joint
pumped and stored water project.
WATER FOR PUMPING
"The return flow to the river after
a few years OF constant irrigation of
the project lands near Florence will
provide an ample, uniform and per-
manent water supply for the Pima In
dians, whose reservation lies along
the river next below this valley. Ir-
rigation experience in the Salt River
valley at Phoenix has shown that this
return flow after a few years amounts
to tremendous volume.
"At the present time the Salt River
Valley Water Users association are
operating large number of pumps to
keep down the underground water
level. A very recent drainage report
to that association estimates that ap-
proximately 100000 acre-feet of water
per year must be pumped and drained
from underneath the project lands
Properly caring for this contin-
gency at the outset by system of
pumps will mean not only that none
of the project lands in our valley will
water-log' but that a large additional
area may be irrigated.
"The Florence Casa Grande valley
is exactly similar in it's physical char
acteristics to the adjoining valley on
the Salt river under the Roosevelt
dam. The two valleys have the same
general kind Of soils-the elevation
t..
The location of the San Carlos dam
is strikingly similar in relation to the
lands under it to that of the Roose-
velt dam. There can be no question,
therefore, but that the great success
of the Salt River valley can and will
be duplicated, perhaps even on a
larger scale, in the Florence Casa
Grande valley.
ga large additional area outside of
the project limits is to be developed
near Casa Grande t'y new corpora
ton just formed to supply electric
power for pumping.
There are many other details in
connection with this project which l
will not have time to discuss. For
instance, | would like to have dis
cussed the silt question, as some years
ago objection was made to the San
Carlos on account of the Gila river
silt deposits This has been settled,
| however, by proof that a high dam
at San Carlos would last over 200
years if nothing at all were done to
remove the silt, and, as the dam would
pay for itself from three to five times
every year in direct benefits derived,
the silt question is no longer a deter
ring factor. The Alma and Red Rock
reservoirs in New. Mexico can be used
as flushing reservoirs for the San Car
los and it's life made practically per-
petual.
"The San Carlos project from every
'tangle is a perfectly practicable, feas-
ible project and nothing can prevent
it's ultimate and early construction.
"O Summarizing, we find a prof.
ect perfectly feasible and practical
"(2) 1t will irrigate approximately
10000 acres in the Florence-C Casa
Grande valley.
"(3) To this acreage, later can be
added perhaps another 100000 acres
from the pumping made possible on
adjacent lands in the valley.
"(4) The storage of the devastat-
ing floods of the Gila to prevent dam
age to the Imperial valley project and
the Yuma levees "a point l have no
opportunity to develop.
"(5) The securing of uniform
and permanent water supply for the
Pima Indian reservation.
"(6) The cost of the dam alone
will probably run from six to eight
million dollars, or per acre cost of
$40 to SIS, really an insignificant sum
when the productivity of the land un-
der irrigation is considered. (This
point l have not been able to dis
cuss.)
"(D The lands to be watered are
wonderfully productive-six to eight