Arizona republican., 1921-08-16
W. J. \. COMPLETES
 SURVEYS FUR NEW
 DRAINAGE PROGRAM

m accordance with the decision 0d the board of governors of the Salt rsiter valley Water Users associat ton 10 expend S100,000 in the completion or a drainage system designed to take care of the underground water prob lem Of the valley permanently and at minimum of expense for mainten- ahce' It was announced yesterday by '. C. Cragin. chief engineer and gen. erai manager of the association, that all the preliminary surveys and in vestigations involved in the proposal nave been finished, and that the plans and specifications for the drill ing or 20 wells have been prepared and are ready for the bidders
 As necessary part of the work the association has started work on about $25,000 worth of ditching, so that all pumps not in operation now can be used without interruption and without interfering with irrigation water unless desired.
 It is estimated that the passing of the recommendations embodied in the report of President F. A. Reid yesterday concerning the assessment for the coming year will result in completing the drainage program early in the spring. It is also esti- mated that the entire cost of the system will not exceed the $110,000 which has been voted by, the board of governors for the work in addi- tion to s139,0O0 accruing from next years drainage assessment.
 Engineer Cragin said yesterday that in his opinion the completion of the proposed drainage system will mean the elimination of the under ground water problems of the valley. It Is also his opinion that the drain age assessment of 16 cents an acre due in 1923 will not need to be paid by the shareholders.
 Water Table Going Down
 Tt is of interest to the valley" Mir. Cragin said yesterday, ito know that for number of years up until 1919 the water table of the entire Salt River Valley project rose at the rate of one and one-half feet year, while since 1919, with the installa- tion of the /drainage pumps in 1920 and 1921, the water table throughout the project has been lowered an aver age of two and one-quarter feet, in- dicating the entire success of the plan to obviate the drainage problem by pumping"
 MT. Cragin also said yesterday that he believes the present installation of PdAAPo did tiic ~ IcW OHtS Cdltd for by the association's plan will be sufficient in all probability to draw the water table down all over the project to an average depth of IS feet from the surface. To do this, MT. Cragin said, it will be necessary to install equipment capable of talk ing care fthe annual inflow in ad- dition to lowering the general average of the table. But when the water table has been lowered it may be maintained at safe level by the operation of the pumps for only a part of the time. As far as it is possible the pumps will be operated only during the time of off peaks in the power load, which will mean that during these periods the cost of oper- ating the pumps will be nothing.
 Full credit, and the appreciation If the entire valley, is due, in the opinion of those conversant with the drainage plans of the association, to D. w. Murphy, of Los Angeles, the consulting engineer who originally suggested and made possible, through his experience and the advice given by him during two years, the prob able permanently successful drainage of the Salt River valley project.