The Coconino sun., 1927-04-01
NOT WAITING FOR ACTION
BY CONGRESS CALIFORNIA
CITY STARTS ON S., 100000
WATER DIVERSION CANAL

The old adage OF counting your
chickens before they are Matched"
would aptly apply to Los Angeles as
brought out in an article in the Sci
entific American by Edgar Hampton,
instead of the title, Transporting a
river over mountains"
This article in question is in all ap-
pearance just another finely written
piece of propaganda wherein Los An
geles is laying claim to 1900 second
feet of water from the Colorado river
and carrying it up over a range of
mountains by power generated from
this same water-course. Not only is
she laying claim to it but has already
gone into construction program IN
volving over $3,0O0,000. We quote
from Mr.. Hampton:
"On the day this paragraph is be-
ing written, dozen steam shovels are
digging in the soil on the west bank
of the Colorado river, 260 miles east
of Los Angeles. They are making an
infiltration reservoir, the significance
of which is many times greater than
its physical proportions because of
the things it represents. Los Angeles
has begun the actual physical task of
bringing a large portion of the Colo
rado river q distance of 260 miles,
across deserts and over and under
mountains, for the domestic use OF its
people"
The purpose of Los Angeles in at
tempting to steal a large portion OF
the Colorado river is not to use it for
domestic purposes. 1t viii be to make
good her promise to the San Fernando
valley the use of enough water for lr-
rigation purposes which she failed to
supply the past few years. This self
same promise is what annexed San
Fernando and the valley to the city
of Los Angeles in spite of the fact.
that that city is so miles away from
Los Angeles. This water will also
help make good other promises along
the same line.
Mr.. Hampton goes on to say, This
is not the first time the people OF
Los Angeles have been forced TO go
out in search of water. The other
time is the Owens river project which
traverses 256 miles of wilderness and
barren country. Today with equal
primness of purpose, and like anxiety
over obstacles and delays, the Colo
rado aqueduct is being built, an un-
dertaking four times larger than the
Owens river project.
Arizona has always realized that
the greater portion of the propaganda
for the Boulder dam has come from
Los Angeles, whereas the Glen Can
Won dansite would be the most logical
and far cheaper Of the two. And tur-
ther1nore could be built without the
danger of having the foundations
was6ed awav half q dozen times. The
Glen CANYON dam could be built with
ont, the necessity of digging an emer-
gency channel for the river.
Now what's the real reason Tor the
Boulder Canyon damsite? This is It,
Instead of having to build an aqueduct
$50 miles long, Los Angeles would
have to construct one over 500 miles
in length.
Arizona doesn't object to Los An
geles having an equitable share OF the
water. but when one understands
what / 500 second feet of water ac-
tuaIlv means. he will readily see that
there would be little left for Arizona
or anv of the other states. Therefore,
bv looking sharply into the plans
which Los Angeles has formulated and
is working on, we see that she has Sc
lected the nearest point for securing
the necessary water for all her truck
Gardens and other so-called "domes-
fir, uses from the Boulder Canyon
damsite. Perfectly obvious, isn't it?
However, Los Angeles advances the
noint that it is at Boulder Canyon
where the floods that menace Imperial
Valley can most adequately and sue
cessfullv be controlled. Why SO!
Ninety per cent Of the drainage area
of the Colorado river is above the Glen
CANYON dannsite. The other 10 per
cent will not. endanger the Imperial
Valley.
One of the features OF this article
which gets under the skin OF an Arl-
zonan IS the total disregard OF Arizona
in the beautiful and involved plans OF
Los Angeles. Listen to this:
Zone of the interesting facts re-
garding this enterprise is found IN It's
possibilities along cooperative lines.
Writers note-not with Arizona,
however.) At the present writing,
the acqueduct Is being built by Los
Angeles. Meanwhile it has invited
the other cities and towns of southern
California to join in the undertaking
Many of these have expressed de-
sire to do so, since they all are grow
ing rapidly, and all in time must aug
ment their domestic water supplies
Especially that necessary for irri-
cation.
'sIn the event of cooperative ar
rangement, a metropolitan water dis