The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-03-10
SECURITY MEASURES MIGHT Be TAKEN
REMOVE DANGER OF FUTURE FLOODS
Railroad Company Should Cooperate With the
County Commissioners, Farmers and
Canal Companies in Establishing
Permanent Drainage System

IHdC the last one was gong TO De the
last one that would ever happen, bu,
people living in the country where
these floods come thru might as well
make up their minds that they are
always going to happen or always
liable to happen. Moreland, Rock.
ford, Thomas and the intervening
belts may as we'll prepare for these
foods so they can minimize the losses
when they come. "A well defined
drainage system should be formed
thruout that country. The canals
the railroad company and all the
ditch owners should participate in
forming system to conduct it down
the country to Snake river with the
least possible damage and persons
building houses and barns should
locate them and construct them with
a view of these floods. The county
should participate in these plans by
the construction of large bridges,
wherever the road crosses the drain
age system. If bridges are not used
then large metal tubes, capable of
carrying the volume of water to be
expected should be put in so that the
water will not back up and destroy
the road grades. These floods would
not cover great amount of terri
tory we're it not for the fact that at
intervals there are canals, bitches and
grades that hold it back. The amount
of territory the flood will cover will
be an inverse ratio to the amount Of
outlet provided thru the distractions
that are now lying across it's path.
These floods occur once in several
years as rule; sometimes ten years
apart, but for the next ten years we
may have one every spring. Then
there is the ever recurrent danger Of
the canals breaking and turning q
flood of water down thru that country
in the summer time when the crops
may be destroyed by it. If a good
drainage system were supplied to
drain the water off quickly and keep
it3 from forming these great ponds
at the distractions, then the damage
to crops in summer from breaks in
the canals would be reduced. The
Idaho Republican suggests that a
meeting of all the parties concerned
should be held right away while the
matter is fresh in memory, while
people understand just where the
water runs and where the drains are
iIeeded, where the present experience
has shown the volume of water and
the size of drains required and lay
the preliminary plans for this drain
age system. 1t might be we'll to en-
ploy an engineer to go out and go
over the situation while the marks OF
the food are present, so he can plan
to build drainage
system that shall be adequate with
out being wasteful, building every
thing in proportion which would not
likely be done unless there was one
for the whole system.
II, on the other hand, the railroad
company looks over the situation and
puts in its drains to suit itself; each
canal company makes it's own drains
to suit itself; each man owning a
lateral ditch makes his own drains
to suit him and the county commits
sioners order up drains to suit them
selves under the grades, then it is
a certainty that some of them will be
building larger drainage systems
than the others are building and the
of the whole system will be
by the smallest outlets
provided for the water. II one en-
gineer studies the whole situation
and plans to handle it thruout, MAX
ing plans to take care Of the flood
waters from the desert and the
waters from the canals when they
break, then no money need be wasted
and no unnecessary damage suffered
from the small outlets made by the
fellows who build the smallest one.
The convention to consider these
things should include the railroad
the county commissioners
and the boards of directors for all
canal companies concerned as well
as the owners of all bitches crossing
the drainage belt and the persons
who have farms and buildings along
the line. They are all interested and
by combining the system could easily
be provided. Neglecting this matter
means losses; acting promptly means
a small expense we'll invested for
insurance against losses. .Iy4
We suggest the name of theDesert
Drainage System.