Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-03-25

and make it create wealth for the nation There
u.s. however, another purpose The lower Col
orado has become menace. Like other sucn
streams it has built for itself out of sediment
trough that is hundreds Of feet above some OF
the surrounding country. Whenever there IS
Hood there is danger of breaking out of that
trough. It did so once ten years ago and It re-
quired most frenzied fight to stop it. Inere
is an area in southern California as big as Dela-
ware that might be submerged The lmperla
valley might be wiped out We must either con-
troll the flow Of the Colorado or build system OF
leyees that must be watched and built nlgneE
through all time If this latter project were al
visable from engineering standpoint 1t WoWu
be next to impossible of actual Accomplishment
8 because much of the area requiring levees Is ~
Mexico and international cooperation would be
difficult
"The canal which now waters Imperial valley
runs partly through Mexico The reclamation
service plan is to substitute an all-American cana
to take the water out higher up, to run ditch
at higher level that will double the area OF r.
rigable lands in Imperial valley. The dam Tor
this diversion is already built. 1t is the Laguna
DAM above Yuma. Already 1t is diverting water
for the irrigation Of 100000 acres in Arizona. Ii
the stream were regulated by storage all the
water In the river would be harnessed and all
the land available coulG be irrigated. The lower
Colorado would become the Nile of America
sTwenty acres of land is enough for family
in this section so 100000 acres would make
homes for $4,000 families. The manner of its
cultivation is intensive. It is the most nearly
tropical corner Of the nation.
Great Electrical Power.
.vrhe electrical power developed would be very
large When this reservoir is filed there Will be
column of water 500 feet high with the pressure
of this great artificial lake back of 1t. river
Of water will be constantly flowing from beneath
tho dam 1t will have the force of that 800 feet
tt he cnf f0
turbines as it may be profitable to turn. It can
he generated so economically that it can be fur
nisbed at prices that will be surprisingly low.
The only material problem will be transmission
lines 1t is long distances to any centers Of pop
ulaton Mines WILL of course, be considerable
consumers. With cheap power new uses VIII ue-
velop
yVery satisfactory results in power generation
have been secured at the Roosevelt DAM. The
advantages of these projects in the Southwest
ore many. Down there they rrigate summer and
winter and SO there is constant flow of water
through the dam. At the projects further north
tba water runs but part of the year There are
NO nroblems Of ice none Of frozen ground, frozen
Mines in the Southwest The electricity almost
makes itself every day in the year.
"At present we are hung up on the snag of
finding the proper bedrock as a foundation for
orr dam. We are boring holes in the bottom of
the river with diamond drills in search of bed
rock we have not yet found it at the site which
was our first choice.
"As to the cost, it will be large. Estimates as
vet are little more than guesses. There are
guesses that range from $40,00OOO0 to $75,O00O0O
for different designs with different assumptions
.aDf course the theory is that in the long run
these reclamation projects cost the taxpayer moth
ing at ALL The government advances the money
for building them, but it is charged up against
the lands benefited and every cent is paid back
by those who use the water. The construction
money is merely loaned to the settler to be re
turned in installments covering period of twenty
wears Three-fourths of the land benefited by this
nroiect is already privately owned The govern
ment will be asked to advance Only the money
that would be the share of the lands that are
still owned by the Indians. Thus it will have to
finance but about one-fourth Of the project. Thus
the reservoir will pay for itself. The land that
it irrigates will night be worth $500 an acre
The increased wealth and production of the South
west will be an element of profit in the future
which will benefit the entire nation"