Imperial Valley press., 1931-06-19
DOWD ADDRESSES
ROTARY CLUB ON
CANAL CONTRACT

Giving a detailed picture of the
water troubles which confront I'M
perial Valley. NJ. j. Dowd, chief en-
gineer of the Imperial Irrigation
District, gave an intensely interest
ing talk at yesterdays meeting of
i the Ell Centre Rotary club.
Going back to the first days of
the Valley. Dowd gave to his fellow
i Rotarians the reason for construct
ing the canal in Mexico. asserting
+ it was the cheapest and only prac-
i tical route available at that time.
! He surprised a number of those
who heard his talk in stating that
| the district is pledged by contract
with the government and the Yuma
Valley Water Users Association to
abandon its present headgate at
Andrade and move further up the
river, a point that has not hereto
fore been brought out in discussion
Of the All-American canal. The
/ damage caused to Arizona lands
and which resulted in the injunc-
ton being granted against the dis
trict, caused the agreement to move
up the river to be made.
Dowd also called attention to the
fact that when Boulder dam is
built. the river will naturally eat
its way down to a lower level than
now exists, making intake of water
through the Andrade gate imposSi-
bic.
He recounted the difficulties sur
rounding the agreement with Mex
ico with relation to the main canal
and asserted there is nothing to
protect the right of the United
States to operation of the canal.
The agreement is a makeshift one
at best and several points might be
decided in conflict with the Mex
lean constitution.
Silt Dowd declared lis costing
every landowner In the valley at
least 50 an acre each year, plus a
half million the district spends in
keeping its canals and bitches
cleaned" He asserted that the saw
ing in this one item would go a
long way toward aiding the cost of
the canal.
He presented the canal contract
as business proposition, empha-
sizing that no money is paid until
the entire works are completed and
then the cost is pro-rated over 40
years without any interest. The
payments range from l per cent
the first five years to three per
cent the last "a years.
Based on minimum calculations,
he expressed the belief that the
power generated on the canal will
almost meet the payments required
Must Consider Future
He stated the valley cannot af-
ford to consider the canal contract
as matter of present interest only,
but must look ahead for the next
Is or 20 years and be prepared to
keep pace with the growth of the
remainder of the state.
Regarding new lands that will
come in under the canal, he ex-
planned that these Will have to pay
their share of the cost and it is
proposed tos bring them under cul-
tivation only as they are needed
and in an orderly manner.
He explained the set-up for
Coachella Valley by stating that
the northern community has fought
shoulder to shoulder with the dis
trict all through the Boulder dam
legislation. Unless Coachella and
the district can agree on one unit
for operation Of tie canal, the gov
ernment will step in, operating the
main canal and leaving operation Of
the two legs" up to Coachella and
the Imperial Irrigation district, an
arrangement that would be unwield-
ly, unsatisfactory and probably
very costly.
Members of the club were invited
to take notes on the engineers talk
so that they may be prepared to
ask questions at next weeks meet
ing when Dowd and Attorney
Charles Childers will be present to
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