The Fallon standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1920-1958, 1924-03-12
Spanish Springs Reservoir 7 60 s. =.
Gets Another Sounding
Former President of Irrigation Board Offers
Several Solutions to Discussion
of Important Subject .,a

The six gentlemen opposing the
Spanish Springs reservoir seem to
have looked at it from the most dark
some angle. There will be no flood
water stored according TO them, what
little water we have will be sucked
up and our Lahontan power plant
will go dry. Now since was one OF
the board who gave their consent to
the original Investigations ought
to know something of the objects
sought and the possibility to achieve
them. The Truckee-Carson project
being incomplete, il was of course the
duty and aim of the reclamation Of
ficials to complete it, by making
available all water to the full capae-
ity of the irrigation works as at first
built and contemplated so as to dis
tribute the burden of cost on as large
an area as possible, thereby lessen
ing the cost to the individual
The means to accomplish that was.
in the early stages of our develop
ment, thought to lie in the storage
Vi IiOOh ndlt4H III t4dAG 1n11t dutI
in an emergency to cut the rim of
the lake, this latter folly is even now
being revived again.
The storage of water in the lake
beyond a certain point has been
strenuously opposed by interests that
had priority and their efforts have
been successful despite all attempts
by the government who even invoked
the aid of the war department to the
contrary.
There were further priority inter
ests in the form of several power
plants on the upper reaches of the
Truckee river, which had to be sup
piled with a certain proportion of
the available water the year around
1t was clear then to the writer who
consulted repeatedly with the pro
iect manager that the best thing un-
der circumstances. that which would
benefit the most people, conserve the
most water at the least cost and safe
guard our power development. would
be a reservoir that conserved the
water after it had left the lake and
had done duty in the various power
plants on the way.
Now before | go any further !
wish to throw some light on the pure
ly human aspect which our six neigh
bors claim for themselves, but do not
want to allow for the reclamation
officials. namely. loyalty to the best
interest of the reclamation project
This attitude is altogether wrong,
causes trouble, delay and needless
cost.
These men were selected carefully
for ability, for integrity, for loyalty
and their antecedents were scrutin-
ized, they were required to make an
oath, in fact everything, humanity
possible. was done to insure an eff
cient execution of the work for which
they were engaged
have in my dealings as president
of the irrigation district board, with
the reclamation personel never for
moment allowed them to think that
l regarded the interests of the water
users and those of the reclamation
service are at variance. We always
met on common ground, and the
knowledge that we were promoting
the best interests of reclamation
made our dealings a pleasure. There
could be no antagonism. If our si1
fellow citizens will but look at it In
the same light they can arrange
conference with the reclamation of
ficials in conjunction with the dis
trict board and go over the whole
matter in short order, give the pro
iect management the benefit of their
counsel and in turn be benefited by
the knowledge of the valuable facts
as they have been gathered and tab
ulated through years of study and
observation.
But to those who believe like our
six esteemed neighbors. that ths
building of the Spanish Springs res.
eryoir will suck up our water and
ruin our hydro-electric plant. vii
state these facts as best I know.
The average flood period in tn,
Truckee watershed is about 90 day
and its volume about 5000 second
feet During this flood period, il
normal years, no water is released
from Lake Tahoe. Six hundred fee
of this will go into Spanish Springs
reservoir, 500 feet will be used t
water the Truckee meadows and l.,
200 feet to water the new land
which are contemplated to be Opened
to reclamation, and to flow into th
Lahontan reservoir. This brings u
up to July 1 We have now the twt
critical months July and August, t.
| provide for. The water which durinl
all this time has accumulated in LAX
Tahoe is now drawn on Durin.
years of scant precipitation this will
be largely used up by the Truekel
meadows. but what we have saved II
Spanish Springs will now be avail
able for irrigation other than wha
is under the Lahontan dam. During
September irrigation becomes lighter
the Trnckee meadows having beoom
thoroughly saturated by this time
begin to disgorge some of their wat
er, increasing the flow in the canal
until finally at the end of the irriga
tion season, the flow can be diverted
again into Spanish Springs. The in
flow into this reservoir has a drol
Of 90 feet and will develop energ
at the rate of 1000 horsepower BE