The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1921-09-14
Harvesting Mad River
I'm Reclaimed Desert

tnHt II was once burned-out waste
reclaimed from the desert by irTiga
ton. and now threatened with destuc
ton by floods, sounds like fictioi
tale The valley, however, which ha
been saved from tie flood menanc
for another year, and which will eve
tually be. thoroughly safeguarded b.
modern engineering skill, is tn,
famous Imperial Valley Of Californi,
and Mexico.
The valley was once at the bottom
Of the Gulf Of California. In som,
dark prehistoric age ocean-going ships
could have sailed up the gulf where
prosperous cities and productive farm
lands are now situated.
For unnumbered centuries the Colo
rado River poured its floods into thu
gulf, carrying approximately one pei
cent Of alluvial silt with its waters
The silt settled as the river reached
tidewater, so that in the progress of
ages the entire north end Of the gulf
was filled with rich alluvial soil,
The river cut a new channel to tide
water farther south In time the old
delta dried up, leaving a plain which
slopes northward from an elevation of
about 40 fl. at the south to 260 TT. be-
low sea level at the lowest point to
the north. The delta only awaited the
digging of canals to bring the waters
Of the Colorado upon it and convert
it into vast garden from which
scores Of Icing trains leave every day
carrying its products to the markets
Of the world.
The valley had not been reclaimed
from the desert many years before
men began to realize that the Colo
RADIO River had not altogether com
pleted the work which has made this /
garden spot possible Theriver, fed
by the melting SHOWS Of Colorado,
Utah., and Wyoming, is subject to ex-
traordinary periods of high water
There is evidence, too, that the river
periodically overlooked into the great
below sea-level valley long after the
original delta land had been formed.
In order to protect the valley from
floods, great levees were built across
the south end of the valley from the
high ground on the east to the low
range of the volcanic mountains which
bound it on the southwest.
The Colorado River has never
ceased to bring down the same quanti
ties Of shit it brought to make the
valley. AS it nears its outlet during
flood season in the Gulf of California I
the slit is deposited in the river bed.
Ever since the valley was brought un-
der cultivation the river bed has been
building up at the rate of about one
foot per year, so that each year it has
been necessary to increase the height
of the levees Higher and higher the
leveem have gone, and obviously there /
is a physical limit to the height to
which they can be built to withstand '
the river. 49, @~@ {
With the river bed sitting up from q
the flood waters az the rate Of one
foot a year, the engineers in charge Of
the irrigation and flood-control work
frankly admit that five more years is
about as long as they can expect to ,
hold the levees. What, then, Is going }
Ia become Of it? The answer IS, simp-
ly-the valley is going to be saved by ,
skill. Long before the ,
Imperial Valley levees become HOPELESS,
the river will be hobbled and broken
10 make il a steady and harmless
stream, docile and subservient to the !,
win Of man. The check dams and
will be built wha'e there :
is bedrock to anchor them, and hy-
lroelectric power sufficient TO turn all
he wheels Of commerce west Of the |
Rocky Mountains will be developed. Q
This power win be used to convey the ?
mpounded waters to 2,000,000000 !
acres Of now parched desert lands, l