The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-01-04
FOUR RESERVOIR
SITES FEASIBLE
Report ON Irrigation Possibilities
of Martin Creek and Little
Humboldt Holds Encourag-
ment for Projects

Good news for Humboldt county
seems to be breaking so fast with
the coming of the New Year that
it appears impossible to assimilate
all of it promptly or indeed to
find time to adequately convey the
Importance Of happenings in news
stories. Suffice it to say that the
whole trend of events is magnificent
in scope and portends great things
for this county.
The latest news to back up the
opinion expressed is contained in
the report of Kirk Bryan, geologist
in the United States Geological
Survey, who says, in all practical
intent and purpose, that the four
reservoir sites, one on Martin Creek
and three on the Little Humboldt,
in the northern part of this county
near Paradise Valley, are feasible
and susceptible of building at rea-
sonable cost. Because only one of
the reservoir sites has been surveyed
it is not stated what actual land
acreage would be irrigated in event
of completion of the reservoirs, but
the presumption is natural that it
is far greater than that which would
make the cost of the reservoirs pro-
hibitive as relates to the cost per
acre to be irrigated. In other
words. it is believed that the cost
per acre to put water on the land is
far below the salable value of the
land to be reclaimed.
land to be reclaimed. Mr.. Bryan's
report has just been received by
County Farm Bureau Agent Joe Will
son, who has for months taken
leading part in the reservoir plans.
1t will be remembered that Kirk
Bryan was the geologist sent to
Humboldt county by the Geological
Survey to investigate the possibili-
ties of developing artesian water in
the new Orovada farming COM
munity, which now numbers more
than one hundred families. I'm
fortunately Mr.. Bryan apparently
is not yet ready to report on the
possibilities for artesian water, but
his report ON the feasibility of the
Martin Creek and Little umboldt
reservoir sites is probably of more
Importance to the people of this
vicinity, because each of these prof.
ects would probably furnish cheap
electrical energy for pumping of
irrigation water. The report on the
artesian water possibilities will come
later.
In considering Mr.. Bryan's report
on the reservoir sites it is well to
consider that while it is optimistic
in every particular he had little
time to go into some of the more
involved details of the projects
and paid particular attention to geo.
logical conditions as they relate to
the possibility of impounding the
water and as to the probable leak
age from the natural contours of
the sites, which could easily be of
such material as to rapidly lose any
water stored by dam building. This
latter possibility, in his opinion and
from his knowledge of geological
structures, is highly remote, and
it is this particular which is greatly
encouraging in his report.
The one reservoir site on Martin
Creek, Mr.. Bryan says, presents no
seriously difficult problems of dam
construction and there is no prob
ability of leakage through the rocks
of the reservoir.
No. l reservoir site on the Little
Humboldt river presents a project
capable of the erection of a 50-foot
dam, of $4,000 acre-feet capacity,
to cost 100000. Mr.. Bryan says it
! CONTINUED on Page Six)