Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1923-01-20
A. n. Saxer, Professor of Mathematics
Utah Agricultural College.


poses every year
Practically 100000 acre-feet of
this water is wasted every year, If |
we consider the actual water needs !
of the lands to which this water is
being applied.
This reasoning is perfectly simple
when we consider that Utah has only
100000 acres of irrigated land to-
which the above mentioned 100000
acre-feet of water are being applied.
1t is a we'll known fact, established
by the Experiment Station OF the
Utah Agricultural College, that ? acre
feet of water are amply sufficient for
the actual needs of the crops upon an
acre of average land, provided that
the water is properly applied.
This figures out that 2.ooo.o0oI
acre-feet of irrigation water should he
sufficient for our 1,00000g acres of
irrigated land leaving a balance of
6,OOOOOO acre.feet going to waste.
IL this could be utilized to its full
capacity, 1t would furnish water for
100000 acres Of land, or three times
as much as we are now irffgating.
IAN Impossible Dream" would be
the reply of the average lrrigator to
the foregoing statement, but it IL
true nevertheless. 1t is also true thai
If the average canal company vert
restricted to two acre-feet of water
for each acre of land covered by its
canal, the lands would suffer for
want Of water and the crops WOULD
wither and perish.
The average irrigator is not vast
ing water as far as he can help 1t.
He simply takes the water that is his
and under existing conditions applies
It to the best of his ability. He gets
results and the fact that he uses
several times more water than is
really necessary is frequently no faul,
of his
The fact remains, however. that
two acre-feet OF water per acre are
sufficient when properly applied. This
fact has been proven time and time
again by the Experiment Station of
the Utah Agricultural College.
The Big Question, however, Is !.
"Can this two feet of'water be both
ECONOMICALLY and PROPERLY
applied?"
The answer to this question at
present is probably NO. To recon
struct the average irrigation system
from the point of intake to the point
of application of the water, and the
further preparation Of the land ST.
that there shall be no waste In appfi-
cation, would be SO expensive that
the cash value of the 6 feet of water
saved would fall far short Of cover
ing the expenses incurred-
say that at present the answer
20 the Big Question Is probably no.
but Utah must have more irrigated
lands and it must obtain water to
irrigate them with. We have reache,
the practical limit of ourswater sup
ply and the water to irrigate these
new fields must be obtained in a
great measure by decreasing the
amount nnw being used on our pres
ent irrigated area.
From 30 to 40 per cent, Of the
water taken from the streams of Utah
Is lost by the canal companies be-
fore it is delivered to the land to
which 1t is to be applied. Show the
average canal company how it can
remedy this condition and''sell the
water thus saved for enough to pay
Hlr this increased expense and It will
do so without any outside or legal
pressure being brought to hear AS
long as the saving OF Certain amount
of water Is losing financial pro
position, no canal company, Us going
to 'break It's neck" to do N's say
ing. az. 49,. -
Show the average irrigator low ne
can prepare his land and apply his
irrigation water so that ? feet viii
get him the same crop thnt 4 fee,
did before, and he viii gladly do So
provided you show him at the same
time where ne is going to coma nut'
ahead on the proposition. financially,
Waste of material is not. WASTE in
the generally accepted ORDER tos things
II it is possible to prevent It only
at financial sacrifice.
The tailings and Stag piles at many
OF orr large mines contain hundreds
of thousands OF dollars of minerni
that has been wasted In the proress
of handling the ores, yet;Me are no,
holding up our hands in horror. at this
tremendous waste. The reason is thar
Is can be prevented or recQy.ered only
at financial loss. and Is therefore,
at present. not regarded MS being
wasted. The Sshool bfaIines Is
however, daily struggllng't with the
problem OF how to economically trear
these ores so that this waste shall
be "a minimum.
Just 30 It is with the bigger prob
lem Of economically handling our lr-
rigatb waters and reducing our
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