The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-01-18
A. n. saxer, Professor Of Mathematics
Utah Agricultural College.


poses every year.
Practically 6.000,OOO acre-feet Of
this water is wasted every year, II
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.
II is a well 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 gu, that 2,000.O0o
acre-fest OF irrigation water should be
sufficient for our 100000 acres OF
irrigated land leaving a balance Of
100000 acre.feet going to waste.
II this could be utilized to its full
capacity. It would furnish water for
dCIto VI iduus VI iHi CO tihiSH
as much as we are now irrigating.
IAN Impossible Dream" would be
the reply Of the average irrigator to
the foregoing statement, but 1t ds
true nevertheless. II Is also true that
II 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 irtigator Is not vast
ing water as far rs lie can help It,
He simply takes the water that is his
and under existing conditions applies
II TO the best Of his ability. He gets
results and the fact that he user
several times mare water than Ii
really necessary Is frequently no faul,
of his.
The fact remains, however. that
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. Il.
"Can this two feet of water be- both
ECONOMICALLY and PROPERLY
applied?'
The answer to this question nj
present Is probably NO. To recon
struct the average irrIgati1n 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 appli
cation, would be so expensive that
the cash value of the feet OF water
saved would TALL far short Of ooyer.
Ing the expenses incurred.
| say that at present the answer
to the Big Question Is probably no.
but Utah must have more Irrigated
i'nds and II must obtain water to
irrigafe them with. We have reacle,
the practical limit OF our water sup
ply and the water to irrigate these
now fields must be obtained in a
great measure by decreasing the
amount now 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 1t Is delivered to the land TO
which 1t is to he applied. Show the
average canal company how 1t can
remedy this condition md sell the
water thus saved for enough Ia pay
nJr this increased expense and II will
do so without any outside or legal
pressure being brought to bear. As
long as the saving Of n certain amount
Of water Is losing financial pro-
position, no canal company Is going
to ''break Its neck" to do t>'s say.
ing.
Show the average irrigator how he
can prepare his land and apply his
irrigation water so that feet win
get him the same crop Tint feet
did before. and he will gladly do SO.
provided you show him at the same
time where he is going to come ont
ahead on the proposition financially.
Waste Of material is not waste in
the generally accepted order OF things
" 1t Is possible 20 prevent It only
at financial sacrifice.
The tailings and Stag plies at many
OF our large mines contain hundreds
of thousands Of dollars OF minera,
that has been wasted In the process
OF handling the ores, yet we are no,
holding up our hands In horror ut this
tremendous waste. The reason is that
Is can be prevented or recovered only
at financial loss. and Is therefore.
at present. not regarded rs being
wasted. The Sshool Of Mines is.
however. daily struggling with the
problem Of how to economically trea,
these ores so that this waste shall
be a minimum.
Just so 1t Is with the bigger prob
lem OF economically handling our ir-
rigatton waters and reducing ourl
present apparently enormous waste
Of water to a minimum.
Tho Department OF Irrigation and
Drainage at the Utah Agricultural
College Is daily struggling with this
greater problem. Along with other
results they hope soon To be able to
show that It Is economically possible
70 SO adjust the rate and method
NJ application OF irrigation water to
lws y.