The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1920-05-01
NEVADA ONE VAST h
WATER RESERVOIR
Irrigation Expert Asserts State
Is Geological Freak in
That Respect
fRv Newton Hibbs.

Water for irrigation is the para
mount requirement of Nevada. The
study and PRONUNCIATION of the prin-
ciples of photography is almost a
patriotic duty at this important juno
ture of Nevada history. The agri-
cultural interests Of the State must
be extensively developed to perpetu-
ate prosperity.
The Nevada water problems are
special. The general rules OF con-
servation do not apply to Nevada
conditions. The precipitation with
in the drainage limits OF the State
is about 100000 a~cre-feet. The
agricultural demands will never
reach a higher figure than 25,OOO,-
900 acre-feet. Nature has provided
for us the greatest reservoir system
in the world. Nevada is one great
reservoir. Every acre-foot OF this
precipitation is impounded within the
boundary lines of the State. Every
important area of tillable land has a
natural sub-surface reservoir avail
able for the irrigation of every arabic
acre. These natural, underground
storage reservoir waters can betapped
and distributed for irrigation for half
the acre costs of the average surface
reservoir system 1T is estimated that
a practicable reservoir system In the
Humboldt river basin would cost a
hundred dollars for every acre re-
claimed. An equal amount of land
can be reclaimed by pumping from
the ample underground storage in
the same district for twenty-five dol
lars an acre. This cost of twenty
five dollars an acre would provide
electric power for pumping and in
sure more economical distribution of
water than is possible from any of
the great surface projects.
There could be no justified cry Of
water waste IL the larger tributary
valleys Of the Humboldt basin were
irrigated by pumping static water to
the surface. In that event the low
err stretches of the Humboldt river
would carry a flood stage of water in
July and August. An agricultural
waste of water is never to be consid-
cred. The waste from uncultivated
land by evaporation is greater than
the whole demand of the most Ok
haustive crop. It Is the general rule
that irrigated areas require drainage
in a very few years. The irrigation
of half the arabic land of the Hum
boldt basin would conserve sufficient
water for the other half.
Electric power could be generated
by the 3 of oil shale for fuel to
meet the requirements for the irri-
cation of the great Humboldt basin:
and the same source of power would
make Nevada a great manufacturing
commonwealth. Shale for fuel and
underground water for irrigation are
knocked by the technical man who
rides forth on his dark blue hobby
horse. The technical men made the
world stand still for a thousand years
by knocking the discoverer of the
philosophy of the solar system. Ma
ture has made Nevada a geological
freak insofar as this State is zone great
water storage reservoir. The earth
substrata are extremely pervious and
the natural reservoir divisions are
maintained at convenient levels to
accommodate the varying attitudes of
the old lake beds which make up all
the tillable res Natural condi-
tions cause an artesian force of slight
degree in all these Nevada valleys.
Now I will shock We man of science.
This ~artesian force causes the deep
water to pump itself. Water found
at whatever depth in any Of the val
legs of the Humboldt basin will rise
to a convenient level for pump irri-
cation. The average depth of water
for pump irrigation for the areas sug-
gested above is less than twenty feet.
This water can be pumped for the
most exhaustive crop for three dol
lars an acre.