Imperial Valley press., 1935-02-01
WATER NOW
CHECKED BY
BOULDER DAM
Hitch In Lowering Headgate
Delays Start Of Storage For
Only Few Hours.
NO CEREMONY CONDUCTED
Officials OF Construction Com
panies And Reclamation Serv-
ice On Hand For Occasion.
NO CEREMONY CONDUCTED

BOULDER CITY, New, Feb. /.
U.P)-The Colorado river was SUBJ
jugated to the purposes of man to-
day through the agency of the $49,-
100000 Boulder dam and the giant
valves which henceforth will con-
troll its flow
Sticking of bulkhead gate In di-
version tunnel No. 4 added but a
few hours to the centuries during
which the river has flowed unre-
strained. By mid-morning the
bulkhead had been lowered, and the
stream diverted through diversion
tunnel No. /, equipped with control
gates.
Frank T. Grove, president of Six
Companies, Inc, the combination of
! contractors which build Boulder
dam, presided at the brief cere-
mony which marked the first step
toward filling the lake behind the
dam.
He started the machinery which
lowered the bulkhead gate and
changed the course of the stream.
While the artificial lake eventu-
ally will contain 30,000,000 acre feet
of water, it was considered unlikely
any water would be stored behind
| the dam for several weeks.
|! The river was running 3,750 sec
ond feet today, which was not
enough to take care of downstream
water rights and allow any for stor-
age.
Since the river now flows through
control valves, however, engineers
are prepared to control the spring
floods which are expected in heavy
volume late this month. Excess
water will be stored behind the
great block of concrete which cross
es the mouth of Black Canyon.
The amount to be stored this year
will depend entirely upon the runoff
from the continental divide River
| allotments downstream vary with
the seasons, and it could not be de-
termined how much will be avail
able for storage this year. There
were reports of heavy snow in the
mountains feeding tributary streams.
Engineers said that they expect
ed the gate to be closed sometime
today. The exact hour was uncer-
| tain.
1t seemed as if the stream were
endowed with human determina-
|. tion to delay its bondage to the last.
BOULDER CITY, New, Feb. l.
U.P)-The Colorado river today balk-
ed efofrts of man to check It's wild
! flow, when bulkhead in diversion
tunnel No. 4 of Boulder Dam failed
to close, and the muddy waters
swept unimpeded along their course
of centuries.
With Walker Young, head of the
reclamation bureau in Denver, and
F! Frank T. Grove, president of Six
| Companies, Inc, builders of the
S49,000,0 900 dam, in attendance. clos
ing of the big gate valves in the
tunnel was expected to be a mere
formality.
The mighty river, however, won
temporary respite from control
/ when the bulkhead gate failed to
slide down as expected, and storage
of water was delayed.
A slight start on the lake, even
tually to store 30.000000 acre-feer
of water, had been expected to be
! made today. Extensive storage could
not begin until the melting SHOWS
of the continental divide follow
their usual course down the canyons
and gorges this spring.
Flow of the river at present Is
sufficient only for the needs OF ir-
rigation areas below the dam. Clos
ing of the valve, would, however.
have placed the river under control
and have signalized successful COM
pletion of the great dam.