White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1922-03-19
IMMENSE BASIN TO Be
DRAINED BY COLORADO

The development of the ~agricultur-
al, water power and other
and the construction of works to pre-
rent floods in the drainage basin OF
the Colorado river offers problems of
national and international as well as
local and state interest, for the basin
has al area of 244,000 square miles
and includes parts of sever states ant
Mexico. AS all such development in
the basin is primarily limited by the
quantity of water available. reliable
stream-f1ow data showing the total
annual discharge of the river and its
distribution through the year and
through the drainage basin are need
ed for the proper consideration of the
problems involved, among which are
the effect of the use of the water Oh
The interests of the several states or
of the United States, the location and
design of hydraulic structures and
the administration and operation of
hydraulic works.
A study of the information now on
hand indicates hat the principal
needs can be met by accurate records
of the flow of the river taken at
twelve base gaging stations. six on
the main river and six on the princi-
pal tributaries. In addition to these
base stations secondary stations will
doubtless be needed for the solution
of special problems. The base sta
lions on the main stream are Yuma.
Topock, Boulder Canyon. Bright An
gel, Lees Ferry and Cisco. The sta
lions on the tributary streams are on
the Green, San Juan, Little Colorado,
Virgin, Williams and ella.
For the purpose of coordinating
stream gaging in the Colorado river
basin and obtaining the data required
the United States geological survey
purposes to cooperate with all those
who are interested in the develop
ment of the basin in establishing and
maintaining these base stations ac-
cording to standards that will yield
records of the highest type. These
standards will require that the sta
lions be equipped With water-stage
recorders and measurement cables.
In studying the water of
the United States the geological sur
vey maintains Offices in twenty-five
districts and three subdistricts. Four
of these districts lie in part within
the Colorado river drainage basin, as
follows.
Arizona-Roger c. Rice. district
engineer. 104 Agricultural building,
University of Arizona. Tucson. Ariz,
Colorado. Wyoming and New Mex
ico-Robert F~ollansbee. district engi-
neer, 403 P~ostofice building, Denver
Col.
Utah and Nevada-A. B.. Purton.
district engineer, 313 Federal build
ing. Salt Lake City, Utah.
California;. ID. McGlashan. dis
trict engineer, 32S Custom House.
San francisco. Cal. (subofice. 500
Federal building, Los Angeles, Call
The larger part of the work re-
CURED in connection with the base
stations mentioned above will be done
in the Arizona district.
The principal users of stream-fow
records at present are the United
States government represented by
the reclamation service, the federal
power commission, the weather bu-
reau. the national park service. the
geological survey and the Colorado
river commission), the states in
which the drainage area lie, the local
water users and the permittees, IL
censees and applicants for permits or
licenses under the federal power com
mission.
The geological survey can furnish,
in addition to records of stream-fiow,
many topographic maps, geologic re-
ports and other data that have a di-
rect bearing upon the solution OF the
problems OF the Colorado river drain
age basin. These data may be OBJ
tanned fom the director. United States
geologic survey, Washington, ID. C,
or from the district engineers in the
basin named above.