The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1952-09-25
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DesaIting Water
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UeSalIlng Wdtef
In bis "bredictions of things
to Gomez June %, Drew Pearson
spoke of "a discovery more inn
borfant that THE atomic bomb"
"WbIe The nation is sVorrying
about the weatber and The poll
hicians are pulling Wires," be
said, ~"congress passed an nm
noticed bill Thursday, AUTHOR
izing 81 million to transform sea
aOater into fresh a0ater 80. to per-
feet an amazing discovery for
making fresh sVater Wbieb rOW
transform THE arid deserts of Cali
fornia and The Southwest and
make these areas bloom like The
rose III also predict ibis inDen-
tion wben perfected sViU trans
form North africa, Arabia, and
australia so as to completely
change The food problem of tbe
aUorLd."
The bill passed was a substitute
which I offered in the senate for
a similar bill passed in the house
on motion of Rep. Clare Engle of
California. Chief difference was
that the revised bill provided for
doing research by contract with in
situations already in the field in
stead of establishing new govern
ment laboratories.
My interest in this subject de-
veloped out of an interest in
"rainmaking'' and water conser-
walton in general. In the spring of
1851, three senate committees held
a joint hearing on bills which
Senator Anderson of New Mexico
and I had introduced for research
on weather modification" and one
which Senator O'Mahoney of
Wyoming had on converting sea
water.
We found far greater private ac-
tivity in "rain-making" than any
of us had realized. Over IS times
as many acres were under con-
tract for "cloud-seeding" opera
tons in 1851 as were under irriga-
ton.
So we developed a modified bill
IS. 2225). It proposed simply to
national advisory committee to
evaluate results in private efforts.
The senate passed the bill. A
house committee reported it fav-
orably but it was objected to on the
unanimous consent calendar.
Both houses did, however. pass
the bill to further research in the
desalting of water.
New Research
Historically, the Department of
the Interior through it's bureau of
reclamation has sought to store
water from rainfall runoff, rivers,
and melting SHOWS. These new
lines of research seek CD to make
salty, mineralized water fit to
! drink and fit to use or soil and CD
tc increase the fall of rain.
Signing the desalting bill, Presi-
dent Truman said: Success OF
this project can be of tremendous
value to our coastal communities,
to our island possessions and to the
whole world" Even that is under
statement.
On ships not having to carry
fresh water, but needing only sim
pie converter tanks, thousands OF
tons can be saved for paying car
60" Submarines powered with
| atomic energy will not even have
to put in" for water.
I, however, am not near the
ocean. Many towns in the West
have difficulty finding good drink
ing water. The water is alkall,
hard, heavily m~ineralized. Some
carries so much salt it ruins land
for irrigation. Senator Watkins OF
Utah remarked to me "Just think
what it would mean if we had a
cheap way of making the Great
Salt Lake drinkable and disable for
industry or irrigation!'
In my own state, two irrigation
projects are temporarily at a
standstill because of fears that
waters washing over salty soils
collect too much mineral to put on
tight. gumbo soils. We do not know
whether the new Juda process can
| make water cheap enough for irri-
gation-but an indicated cost of $40
per acre foot (327,00 gallons)
would mean cheap water for do
mestic, municipal or industrial
use.
And when one thinks of cities
near the ocean like San Diego and
Los Angeles, of new island respon'
sibilities in the midst of salty
oceans, and of great deserts where
even a limited amount of garden
irrigation would relieve severe
economic pressures, one realizes
that Drew Pearson's prediction
may have been a very conserva'
tive statement.
Caveman fought bushman fol
food. Sioux fought Cheyenne fol
Buffalo hunting grounds. Cattle
man fought sheepman for range
and water holes.