The Fallon standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1920-1958, 1921-08-31
Argues For New
Drainage Plan
Why Alternative Drainage
Plan Is Best
Editor Standard. .

| Eultor otdn nuar0.
The question raised by my letter
to the Board of Directors of the Ir-
rigation District at the regular Au-
gust session is of such Importance
from taxpayers standpoint as well
as from the standpoint of general
community welfare that it deserves
more publicity and attention than
it has yet received.
My proposal was to investigate
the plan of diverting more drainage
discharge into Carson lake bed and
eliminating the expensive "diago-
nal" drain.
At the board meeting l moved to
employ an engineer, not connected
with the Reclamation Service, to
make such an investigation and re-
port to the Board. The motion
failed for lack of a second. The
Board then passed a motion to ap-
point committee to investigate,
and Messrs. Dietz, Holmes and Will
hanson of the Board and Mr..
Walker of the u. S. r. s. were ap-
pointed. The committees report
has not been completed and cannot
be definitely foretold
In connection with the work of
the committee, | spent several days
in studying maps, plans and other
data and preparing preliminary
plans and estimates for the alterna-
tive discharge outlets. and have
satisfied myself that the following
conclusions are correct and would
be verified by any honest and i'm
partial investigation.
/. The alternative discharge
channels would have sleeper slopes
and freer discharge than the chan
nels eliminated
2. The area available for evapor-
alton surface is approximately a.
400 acres all of which could be used
the entire year If needed and could
dispose of $4,000 acre feet per year
by evaporation.
3. The total maximum annual
discharge ever likely to be develop
ed will not exceed $4,000 acre feet.
4 The construction cost of the
alternative plan, including levee
control of the lake bed, would be
approximately $4,000 less than the
old plan.
5. The shore line, or waters
edge, with the maximum of 14,40O
acres covered would be about one
mile distant and three feet lower
than the lower edge of present
farms.
6. The alternative plan would not
destroy or interfere with the pres
ent plan of draining the marginal
lands but would improve same by
furnishing an additional outlet for
surface waste.
The above conclusions have moth
ing whatever to do with pasture de-
yelopment, but are solely concerned
with drainage disposal. The con-
struction is completed, however, in
such final shape that pasture deyel-
opment can be undertaken at any
time by an inexpensive gravity sys-
tenn capable of developing 10000 to
$4,000 acres of properly irrigated
pasture if sufficient water can be
supplied.
The proposal to investigate this
alternative has been bitterly at
tackled and obstinately opposed by
Mr. Richardson, the Project Mana
ger, who gives as his sole reason
that the whole matter has been
thoroughly investigated and ire
yoeably settled long ago by a board
of competent engineers who pre-
pared the general plan. He was
particularly incensed at the publici-
ty given my letter to the Board, and
has stated in a manner that amounts
to threat that the entire Reclama-
tion Service from director down will
oppose the plan even If the district
board approves it, resulting in an
indefinite delay of the entire drain
age construction.
The competency of at least two of
the board of engineers has not been
questioned but one may be permit
ted to doubt the thoroughness of
their investigation when items like
S45, ,000 unnecessary construction
cost, and salvage value of drainage
water of anywhere from a quarter
million to million dollars have
been given no weight in their final
plan. At this time when the best
constructive minds of the public
spirited men of the state are con-
cerned with, and engaged in, the
formulation of plans for the best
development of the states all too
meager water resources, 1t is par
ticularly disappointing to find the
manager of this project obetinately
and unreasonably insisting on
spending $4,000 of public funds In
order to provide the means OF vast
ing possible maximum of 10000
acre feet per year of vanishing
water supply.
hardly expect majority of the
board of directors to stand with me
In opposition to Mr.. Richardson 3
def In this matter. Some of the
members seem to give no credenee
or attach no importance to my state
ments, calculations or conclusions,
evidently being satisfied with Mr..
Richardson's dietum that | am an
incompetent ass and not deserving
of serious attention. Others are so
/ FOR hv bto tbcoot. A