Imperial Valley press., 1929-05-04
Sur VI Y
PLANNED
SHORTLY
Preliminary Contract on
An.American Canal Is
Received.
TO SIGN AT ONCE
Government Engineers
Now On Way To Begin
Operations.

Surveys of the a1l-AmeTican
Canal project by tine United states
government as a prelude TO actual
construction under the terms of the
Boulder Canyon Dam Act, are to
begin at once.
Receipt of the survey contract
from the federal government to-
day by which the Imperial Irriga-
tion District and the Coaehella Val
ley County Water District will join
with the government in financing
the survey, was announced by +.
II. McIVer, secretary Of
the irrigation district. He states
that both the Imperial and Coachella
districts will sign at once and will
put up $4,000 as the first pay
ment for the survey. The federal
governments will match that sum
with $4,000, McIvcr said. Ultima
telv the two districts will advance
$780, ,000 and the government a like
amount to make up the estimated
cost Of the survey.
II. j. Gault, reclamation service
engineer, and a party of govern
ment engineers are cnroute to Inn
perial Valley to launch their study
of the canal route, the point cf di.
version from the Colorado river and
to ascertain what elevations viii
best suit the needs of the two val
leys to be served by the canal.
"The conSummation of this cor
tract with the government is the
first concrete evidence of the de.
velopment that will come from the
passage of the Boulder Dam Act,
Mciver said today. ITS imp"rtan
ee cannot be ovcrestimated.
Under the terms of the contract
rs approved by the federal govern
ment and the two districts, the ad-
vances made by the districts will
be refunded when congress makes
its appropriations for actual ex-
pcnditures under the Boulder Dam
act. The advances being made now
are for the purpose Of averting un-
necessary delay and are in prepara-
tion for the day when construction
of the canal and dam are started.
The Imperial Irrigation District
has already accumulated a consider
able volume of data relative to the
allAmerican canal, according to
NJ. j. Dowd, chief engineer, who
states he has had an engineer at
work on preliminary studies for
some time.
1.-THE district will, in all proba-
billty, place at least one engineer
with the government survey party,
to give whatever assistance is pos.
sible to the study and to keep
records for use hy the district
LATER Dowd said this morning.
''Thcre are several routes by
which the canal can be brought
across the desert into the valley,
and it viii be of great Importance
that we have exact data on cleva-
tion, power sites and power poten-
tialities as well as irrigation needs.
After all, it is the power that we
can develop and market from the
canal that will go far toward pay
ing for it.
Dowd added that he is ovcrjoy-
ed to know that at last the most
important development yet under
taken in Imperial Valley is to have
its start. "Our people have now in
their possession resources that can
not be estimated. They must use
utmost care in preserving and
building up that future wealth to
greatest advantage. The next l0
years will mean more to the per.
manent prosperity of this entire re-
gion than most of us appreciate. y
Imperial Irrigation District has
offered housing facilities for the
government party at Andrade,
which point is probably most suit
able as base of operations. The
survey will extend over a period of
several months and will determine
whether the diversion point al
Laguna dam will be retained or not
Another study to be made is that
of the capaGty .of the so.called
first leg of the canal from, the
point of diversion to Pilot Knob
1t is possible that whatever water
is needed by Mexican lands will be
carried in the first leg and dropped
at the border at Pilot Knob.