138 



CONSERVATION 



The United States Geological Sur- 

 vey is also making maps of the moun- 

 tain areas in which are located the 

 reservoir sites, and also of the valley 

 lands which may be irrigated, and of 

 the swamp and overflowed lands. 

 These maps are among the most com- 

 prehensive and carefully made in the 

 world and bring together a vast 

 amount of information needed for a 

 comprehensive study of the situation. 



This Survey is also, ' through its 

 Water Resources Branch, making 

 measurements of the flow of various 

 tributaries in high and low water 

 stages, and obtaining data of quantities 

 of water occurring at various times of 

 the year. 



Some years ago an eminent foreign 

 engineer after visiting the Sacramento 

 Valley expressed unbounded astonish- 

 nient that the various reclamation dis- 

 tricts were each building levees and 

 carrying on work totally regardless of 

 the larger public needs. It was incom- 

 prehensible to him that Americans, 

 with their reputation for business sa- 

 gacity, should be expending large 

 sums of money in these works without 

 any control by State or Nation, such 

 as would produce the best results to 

 the greatest numbers. He was mysti- 

 fied at the apparent incongruities and 

 conflicts of diverse interests. National, 

 state, and private organizations all 

 seemed to be oblivious of the opera- 

 tions of each other and working at 

 cross purposes. 



The best results and the greatest 

 good to the greatest number can result 

 only from full knowledge of the pos- 



sibilities, and by following well- 

 conceived and far-reaching plans. For 

 over a quarter of a century the people 

 of the Valley have been discussing the 

 matter, yet there is still an apparent 

 lack of unity on fundamental proposi- 

 tions. Starting originally with the 

 idea that the Federal Government 

 should pay for everything, there has 

 been a gradual evolution to a point 

 where many of the people are begin- 

 ning to see that if the Federal Govern- 

 ment furnishes the means, the bene- 

 ficiaries should pay the cost of recla- 

 mation and of flood protection. 



The theory underlying the Reclama- 

 tion Act by which the Government 

 makes the surveys and examinations, 

 advances the money and collects the 

 cost from the landowners in ten annual 

 instalments, seems to provide the most 

 businesslike way of carrying out any 

 broad scheme of utilizing the arid or 

 overflowed lands of the Valley. To at- 

 tain the best results broad plans must 

 be made, beginning with the control of 

 the National Forests in the interest of 

 the water conservation. Next to this 

 should come the construction of reser- 

 voirs to hold water for irrigation and 

 to exercise a beneficial effect in modi- 

 fying floods. Next, the general scheme 

 of levees should be consistent with the 

 best maintenance of the waterways. 

 The drainage plans should be laid out 

 with reference to the general system, 

 the debris problem worked out on the 

 basis of the latest information, and 

 finally, the navigation channels main- 

 tained with the aid of the general 

 works. 



