The Hays free press., 1921-03-31

/ 'The primary purpose is TO use all this water
and make it create wealth for the nation. There
Is, however, another purpose. The lower Col
orado has become a menace. Like other such
streams it has built for itself out of sediment
trough that is hundreds Of feet above some Of
the surrounding country. Whenever there is
flood there is danger of breaking out of that
trough 1t did ten years ago and it re-
quired most frenzied fight to stop it There
is an area in southern California as big as Dela-
ware that might be submerged. The Imperial
valley might be wiped out. We must either coz
troll the flow of the Colorado build system OF
levees that must be watched and built higher
through all time If this latter project ad-
viSable from engineering standpoint it would
be next to impossible of actual accomplishment
because much of the area requiring levees is in
Mexico and international cooperation would be
difficult
1.-The canal which now waters Imperial valley
runs partly through Mexico. The reclamation
service plan is to substitute all-American canal
to take the water out higher up, to ditch
at a higher level that will double the area Of ir-
rigable lands in Imperial valley. The dam for
this diversion is already built. It is the Laguna
dam above Yuma. Already it is diverting water
for the irrigation of 100000 acres in Arizona. If
the stream were regulated by storage all the
water in the river would be harnessed and all
the land available could be irrigated. The lower
Colorado would become the Nile OF America
Twenty acres OF land is enough for a family
in this section so 100000 acres would make
homes for $4,000 families. The manner Of its
tropical corner of the nation.
Great Electrical Power.
"The electrical power developed would be very
large. When this reservoir is filed there viii be
a column OF water 500 feet high with the pressure
of this great artificial lake back Of ii. river
of water will be constantly flowing from beneath
the dam. 1t will have the force of that 500 feet
of pressure. It can be set to turning many
turbines 1t may be profitable to turn. 1t can
be generated so economically that it can be fur
nished at prices that will be surprisingly low.
The only material problem will be transmission
lines II is long distances to any centers Of pop
uIation. Mines WILL of course be considerable
consumers. With cheap power new uses will de-
velop.
very satisfactory results in power generation
have been secured at the Roosevelt dam. The
advantages of these projects in the Southwest
are many. Down there they irrigate summer and
winter and so there is constant flow OF water
through the dam. At the projects further north
the water runs but part of the year. There are
no problems of ice, none OF frozen ground frozen
pipes in the Southwest The electricity almost
makes itself every day in the year.
cat present we are hung up on the snag OF
finding the proper bedrock as a foundation for
our 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 viii be large. Estimates as
vet are little than guesses. There are
guesses that range from S40,OO0OOO to ST5OOOOOC
for different designs with different assumptions
"Of 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 agains
the lands benefited and every cent is paid bach
by those who use the water. The construction
money is merely loaned to the settler to be re
turned in nstallments covering period of twenty
years Three-fourths OF the land benefited by tl,i,
project is already privately owned The govern
ment will be asked to advance OILY the none,
that would be the share Of the lands that are
finance but about onefourth Of the project Tim,
the reservoir viii pay for itself. The land tbat
if irrigates will night be worth 500 an acre
The increased wealth and production OF the South
west viii be element OF profit in the f1turc
which viii benefit the entire nation"