Imperial Valley press., 1922-07-22
TAP CENTRAL
AREA FIRST
Main Canal Will Run Not
Far to NOrthward of
Ell Centre
EMPTIES INTO ALAMO
District Engineers Ready to
Demonstrate Scientific
Soil Salvage
EMPTIES INTO ALAMO

Within the next two or three weeks,
perhaps soon after August !, actual
construction will begin on an important
unit of the great Imperial valley drain
age system.
While directors of the district have
been negotiating sale of district bonds
to obtain operating funds, the engi-
neering force under the direction of ID.
w. Murphy, consulting engineer, has
been quietly conducting Investigations,
preparing maps and profiles, and re-
ducing the problem of draining 1mper-
ial valley to a practical basis. Field
operations and scientific calculations
have matured the project from theory
into an event and soon there will be
demonstrated almost under the eyes of
Ell Centre people the methods by which
science opposes and overcomes the SUBJ
tie destroyer known as rising water
table.
Largest Pool in Central Area
A ground water survey of Imperial
valley has developed the fact that the
central area contains the largest single
snbsoil pool.
Accordingly it has been decided that
the next drain to be butt will be the
drain and which will empty into the
Alamo river at a point on line three
miles north of the center line of the
Ell Centre townsite or about one mile
north of Rositas dam. Thence the canal
will run in southwesterly direction
for about two miles and then wester-
ly terminating at a point somewhere
east of the Brawley main. 1t will pass
Ell Centre somewhere mile or two to
the northward.
The central area will also be provided
with another outlet running into Ala
mo river at a point about two miles
south of Alamorio townsite, thence run
ming southwesterly and westerly
through the Mesquite lake section and
passing east of Imperial. This canal
will be known as the Rose outlet. Each
of the drainage canals mentioned, with
their laterals and tributaries, will drain
somewhere between $4,000 and 10000
acres.
Canals Will Be Small Rivers
1t has been decided that the main
drainage outlets will have a maximum
depth of about Is feet at the point
where they empty into the Alamo river.
The minimum depth will be 10 feet.
The canals will be minimum of 10
feet i'll width at the bottom and from
40 to 60 feet wide on the surface. In
other words, when the drainage system
is functioning perfectly, the main
canals will be fairly sizable rivers.
The central drain is one of the most
recent developments of Engineer MUIR
ply S investigations. In early surveys
and original reports Murphy figured
that the central area would have to be
drained through one main canal, the
Rose waste running through the Mes
quite lake section into the Alamo river
near Alamorio. That it is practical to
drain the southerly section of the area
by canal running through the center
of the valley developed from later
studies after working up data collected
from the field in connection with the
drainage SURVEYS made under direction
of Engineer Vaughn Wood in charge of
field operations.
Right of Way Donations Asked
The precise time when eXcavating be-
gins will depend upon progress made in
obtaining rights of way. Work was
commenced on this yesterday. A form
of contract has been prepared provid-
ing Tor tne transfer 10 Ine TrlSdtlOn
district of an easement to a strip of
land wide enough to provide for the
drainage canal and for the necessary
roads to be used in building and main
tanning the canal. Property owners will
be asked to donate these rights of way
to the district and i'll view of the tre
mendous advantage to be gained no
difficulty is expected in procuring ease
ments. The promptness with which
necessary preliminaries are wound up
will be determining factor in the be-
ginning of actual excavation.
A high power, large capacity Bucyrus
dredge has already been delivered at
Meloland and will be ready to start ex.
cavating as soon as other details can
be taken care of.
Nos. 8 and 8 Nearest Completion
Engineer Murphy announces that pre-.
liminary Investigations are well undor
way in preparation of plans for works
to drain other sections. Those
nearest completion are the No. 8 aud
the No. Q water districts. Work