Imperial Valley press., 1931-07-22

For many long years the Colo
RADIO river has been dumping its
mud into Imperial Valleys lap. Now
it's going to be Imperial Valleys
turn to do the mud-dumping act,
and the Colorado is shortly to sam
pie a little of it's own medicine.
The magnitude of the Colorado's
misdeeds become apparent when we
learn that 78 trains of 40 cars each
would be required TO carry the daily
deposits OF Colorado river mud in
Imperial Valley. And by hasty fig
uring, we can multiply that daily
figure by 1865 to learn that the an
nual deposits OF mud would fill 49,
485 trains.
But the engineers who have been
planning the All-American canal
project have III mind a neat little
contriyance of some l400 feet by
1900 feet, with a series of still neat
err little gates that will open and
shut in a manner completely baff-
ling to the mud-depositing activities
OF the Colorado
The unsuspecting river will pour
its silt-laden waters very easily in
TO the upper gates OF this odd
structure which is TO be placed at
the head OF the canal. But once
inside the trap, the swirling torrents
OF the river will be tanned and its
cargo OF mud will fall bottomward
while the mud-cleared water flows
placidly out of the trap at its low
er end into the All-American canal
and on to Imperial and Coachella
valleys.
Now comes the kick A third set
OF gates, deep down in the lower
end OF the trap can be opened and
the accumulated supply OF mud,
(which the river has hitherto unload
ed SO mercilessly upon the valley,
Will slip down through a series OF
sluicing culverts right back into the
Colorado river, itself.
To be more specific about this
meat little contrivance," one must
point out that it is not little at all.
In fact, quite contrary. 1t is a gi-
gantic deSilting plant through
which every drop OF water to irri-
gate over million acres of desert
land must pass.
And, as for the still neater little
gates there will be just 80 of then,
at the upper end OF the structure
each gate being approximately 20
teet across and 8 feet in height. AT
the lower end OF the desileing plant
there will be 80 gates opening into
the canal, each gate being approxi
mately l9 feet across and 7ls feet in
height. "A series OF 90 smaller gates
oelcw the canal gates each ap-
pfoximately 6x8 feet, Will open into
the sluicing culverts to release the
silt accumulationS.
1he deSiltlng WorKs as shown tr
the illustration and as planned will
include six huge desilting basins
each operating as a unit and inde.
pendently from the others. The
walls will be sloping so that the
Wioth OF each basin at the bottom,
VIII be ITO feet and at the top. l7(
feet. Each wHl have q length O,
1900 feet.
such apparently large capacitie,
! Will provide uninterrupted waite,
delivery into the canal and will per
NIT siuicing operations III rotation
iirSt one basin, then the next. anC
SO on.
Cost of the desilting works is es
tlmated by the U. S. reclamatolf
bureau engineers at S3.374.905.
RECORDS kept for many years b,
imperial Irrigation district sbov
that the cost of dredging canals t,
remove the heavy silt deposits tina
occur in the present system aver
ages s500,0o0 annually. Silt depos
its IN private laterals and ditche
and upon irrigated fields cost III,
ranchers in Imperial Valley approx
imately 81 per acre per year. or
total of 100000 annually Thu
Imperial Valley will wipe out h,
the proposed desilting works an an
nual cost of 81 400 600
Cost OF constructing the desjltin,
works is included in the estimate
cost OF the All-American cana
project, which total cost is place,
al S53 53,593,763. The proposed cana
VIII bring water to Imperial am
OoacnelIa valleys as we'll as To m
reclaimed mesa lands on the cas-
ana west sides of those valleys.
Engineers estimate that there ar
hydro-electric power sites along tn,
canal route which will provide ca
pacity for generation of 100000 0o,
KlloWatt hours of electric energy an.
hualiy. Revenue from this power 1