Imperial Valley press., 1922-06-16
Interior Department Chief
FavOrs Bond Issue to
Cover Costs
is NEEDED
Development Of Project
Told in Official Report
On Project

WASHINGTON, June 16.-
Secretary of the Interior Fall
today gave his endorsement to
the bill by Representative
Swing, Republican, California,
providing for the construction
of the Boulder Canyon dam
and federal development of the
lower Colorado river basin.
However, Fall indicated he
believed bonds should be issued
to cover the expense of this
proposed project instead OF ap-
propriating money direct from
the treasury.
The Swing bill authorized an
initial direct appropriation OF
S7O.OO0.OO0
The long expected Fall report on the
Swing Boulder Dam and All-American
canal bill (HR.11449) was released in
Washington today and the full text has
been received here by wire.
| The report reviews the important
steps which have led up to the intro
and after making particular reference
to the specific recommendations OF the
Davis report, reads:
H.R.11449 seemingly is intended to
give legislative expression to cOnsid-
cradle extent to the above mentioned
recommendations of the report on prob
lens of Imperial Valley and vicinity,
which recommendations / have hereto
e. Ia
for total appropriation from the gen.
eral treasury of $70,000,000. Apparent
! ly it would be the plan to utilize about
| $48 100000 for the building of dam
and incidental works at or near Boulder
canyon, and the remainder for con-
struction work upon the All-American
canal from Laguna dam.
Flood Control Importance
1t is roughly estimated that for $4S,.
100000 there could be constructed at
or near Boulder canyon dam 600 feet
in height, having capacity of about
24,000,000 acre feet. The upper 5,000,-
900 acre feet of this capacity could be
utilized principally for flood control,
and incidentally for irrigation and
power, and 100000 acre feet of the
capacity could be utilized primarily
for irrigation and power with prefer
ence for the former, while the lower
100000 acre feet would be required
for the storage of silt.
Such reservoir would develop about
100000 turbin horsepower, on the
assumption of the irrigation of a total
area of 100000 acres of land above
the reservoir, and total area of 1,500,-
900 acres below the reservoir. The bill
proposes that the cost of this reservoir
be not charged against any of the land
to be irrigated with its waters, but that
such cost be returned from the sale of
the right to use the water of the reser-
voir for the generation of electrical
power.
The proposed reservoir would be of
great importance in controlling the dis.
astrous floods of the lower Colorado.
Through the deposit of silt the river
has for years been gradually building
up great delta cone across the head
of the Gulf of California, and back of
! this cone it has been gradually elevat-
ing its channel. AS result, in periods
of high water it breaks it's low and
| unstable banks, overflowing the sur
| rounding country and producing great
| loss of property.
These floods are particular menace
to the large developments in and about
Yuma, Arizona, and in the Imperial
Valley in California. They have been
guarded against to a certain extent by
the construction of expensive levees,
| which afford inadequate protection.
Gua Flood Protection
A large reservoir in the vicinity of
Boulder canyon could be 80 used as sub.
stantially eliminate the flood menace
OF the Colorado river, but in order to
assure complete protection it would bs
necessary to take further precautions
against floods from the ella river,
which joins the Colorado short dis.
| tance above Yuma
! However, the floods in the latter are