Arizona republican., 1921-07-17
WATER FUR ALL VALLEY ACRES l. FUR 16 MONTHS
Plenty For Irrigation If Not Drop of Rainfall In That Time Is Announcement Of Water Users

Two announcements of the greatest importance to the Salt River valley were made by the Salt River Valley Water Users association yesterday. The first is that the Roosevelt dam which is the direct cause of the wealth which is now concentrated in perhaps the finest agricultural re- zion in the United States-will con tinue. in conjunction with a plan for using the valleys drainage waters, to furnish water for the entire project for at least 16 months more even if not a single drop of rain falls in that time The second is that the power division of the association brought in sufficient income during the month of June to pay for the entire cost of the operation of the entire project during that time.
 Should the present drouth con- tinue (and the weather office has said that the year from July 1. 1920 to July 1. 1921, has been the dryest in the history of the valley). the Roosevelt dam will have carried this great irrigation section through three years in which certain ruin to any farming activities would have been the result of the rainless period had the dam not held back for them the waters of the Salt and Tonto rivers
 
 The plan of the Water Users asso- citation. as outlined by President F. A. Reid and Chief Engineer C. c. Cragin, is to use the underground waters of the valley to supplement the waters of the dam to insure an adequate supply, and this plan will furnish i water to the entire project for at least Is months more. And even the worst of the water of the under Cror orvfv, will not injure the land .- used con tinuously for two years or more. The plan contemplates the expendi- 1 ture of s100.000 to make the under ground flow available. and work on I the proposal is to start immediately By October 1 it is hoped to have the wells, drilled, and in the meantime | the pumps. motors and other neces- sary equipment will have been or dered, so that the use of the new
 water supply will start by not latel 1 than November l.
 Puts Cash Into Circulation
 A feature of the plan Is that | will mean the expenditure of larg' | amount immediately in this valley lust at time when such expenditure lis most needed Taking into consid-
 eration the fact that the Wate Users association has also appro
 priated s500oo for work of controllin' the flood waters of Cave Creek II conjunction with appropriations iron the state, county, city and interested | companies which will brs the tota amount to s35o, 900. the drainr se plaI means the expenditure in the valle, | within the next few months of nearl, a half million dollars, the great par 1 of which will remain right here 1 home.
 | The announcement concerning tn revenues of the power division Is on which is expected to arouse interes in every section of this part of tn I state. For the first time in the his l tory of the project the power pro | duced at the Roosevelt dam has pail
 the cost of operating the entire pro
 iect4-power houses. distribution
 water distribution. salaries. overhea'
 expenses-everythin in short. whicl
 goes to the operation of the entir
 system. This result has followed
 steady effort to bring such con
 summation about. and vindicates tn worth of the power system under tn
 Roosevelt project
 The following is a complete out line of the drainage plan as sub mitted to the association by c. : Cragin, chief engineer:
 Outline of Plan
 A conservative estimate of th
 amount of water that VII be avail
 able from the reservoir next seaso
 is 250.000 acre feet. Considering th
 present drought might continue fc another twelve months. 1t has bee
 estimated that under this conditio the yield of the Salt and Verde river will be as lew as the lowest years { record on either stream for the pa n forty years This minimum yiel - would produce SIS. 900 acre feet. Dt : ducting the amount that the Temp |. Utah and other non member lanS s would be entitled to and deducting c proper allowance for evaporation : the reservoir and adding tS.ereto il e yield at the Joint Head dam. the . would be available for this proje
 from these sources 2S0.000 acre fee
 With the completion of sixteen ne
 pumps this season there will be avai ', able from underground sources a
 ready installed 135.000 additional ac feet. It is estimated that the ne 's drainage pumps authorized by Il board of governors yesterday wou
 produce an additional 35. co acre fe
 or a grand total available for ne
 season on the Salt river project ls TOO, 900 acre feet.
 ie Know In Mid Winter
 s It will be known definitely by il l. middle of the winter that this wor s- condition is ooino to occur in Nhi,