The Fallon standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1920-1958, 1922-04-26
Officials Adjust
Power Rights
Conferences Held at Carson City and
Reno Between State, Federal and
Power Co. Officials
SPANISH SPRINGS RESERVOIR
PLANS NEAR COMPLETION
Total of 47,OOO Acres to be Re-
claimed According to Plans
Made at Conference

At a series of conferences held
last week between representatives
of the state of Nevada. the u. 8.
Reclamation Service and the Nevada
Valleys Power Co., great deal of
work was accomplished toward set
tling upon definite program for the
development of the water resources
of the state. A compromise settle
ment of the power rights of the Can
yon Power Co. ON the Truckee river
was discussed and will no doubt be
accepted. The power rights of this
company have been the principal
obstacle in the way of starting work
on the Spanish Springs reservoir and
with that out of the way all that Ia
necessary is to get the approval of
Secretary of the Interior Fall.
According to the Reno Gazette,
the plans agreed upon during the
conference call for the reclamation
at an early date of 1900 acres of
new lands. Twenty-Five thousand
acres of this amount are upon the
Pyramid Bench, lying within WASH
oe county north of Wadswcrth.
These lands are within the Indian
reservation and IL the usual policy
is observed, the reservation Indians
will be given reasonable land allot-
ments and the remainder thrown
open for settlers. Fifteen thousand
acres are upon the Fernley bench
and seven thousand acres upon the
Lahontan bench.
Power Plant Contract
The reclamation service takes the
position that the extension of the
power contract held by the Nevada
Valleys Power Company at Lahon-
tan. for another ten-year period.
which would make the contract ex-
pire in 1894, will, in no manner in
terfere with land reclamation, and
that the consumption of water by
the plant during the non-irrigating
ed condition in the Fallon section to
any degree.
| The latter statement will be of
particular interest to settlers upon
the Newlands project, some of whom
contend that the operation of the
power plant during the non-irriga-
tion season, has resulted in a waste
of water from the Lahontan reser-
voir and damage to low-lying lands
where the drainage problem is now
serious.
May Enlarge Reservoir Later
1t was also developed during the
presence here of reclamation service
officials that, although the present
plans of the service contemplate the
construction of a reservoir in Span
ish Springs valley containing 1885,
900 acre-feet of water, that, later
on, the government contemplates in
creasing this to a capacity of 307,-
600 acre-feet as originally outlined.
This increase in storage capacity,
however. will probably not take
place within the next ten or twelve
years, according to present plans.
If this is done. according to those
who have studied the matter of re-
claiming the arid lands in Spanish
Springs valley, the reservoir, when
built to Its ultimate size, will leave
about 1000 acres of land in that val
ley capable of reclamation from wa
ters stored upon the upper reaches
of the river. The effect that the en-
largement of the reservoir to its full
size of 307, 900 acre-feet would have
upon the plans of Walter ]. Harris,
of Reno, who has planned the rec
lamation of 10000 acres in Spanish
Springs valley, was discussed at
some length by state and federal Of
ficials. Their conclusion was that
while 1t would cut the reclaimable
acreage in the valley in half that
the reclamation of the remaining
1000 acres of bench lands. not sub
merged by the reservoir would be
economically feasible.
Warm Springs Valley Considered
According to state officials attend
ing the conference the reclamation
service does not plan. at this time.
to include Warm Springs valley
within the project. although 1t pro-
fesses some interest in the lands of
that valley. which lies about twenty
five miles northeast of Reno. At
this time its officials say, the funds
allotted to Nevada are only sufficient
for the storage water and the con-
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