IRKIGATION AND DRAINAGE INVESTIGATIONS. 39 



cultural use, either from insufficient natural drainage, from overflow 

 of streams, or from flooding by tide waters. 



A few years ago this Office made plans for the drainage of lands at 

 Fresno, CaL, which had been injured by the rise of the ground water. 

 The plans recommended contemplated the organization of the dis- 

 trict and the construction of large drains to relieve the whole area. 

 Landowners have not, however, been able to come together for the 

 carrying out of these plans, and experiments are being carried on to 

 determine what can be done by individual landowners in draining 

 small areas, even if general plans for the drainage of the whole area 

 are not carried out. The plan recommended is to put in drains lead- 

 ing to a sump, from which the water is to be pumped into the irri- 

 gating canal or shallow surface drains and carried awa3\ Similar 

 experiments are being made at Turlock, CaL, where the rise of ground 

 water is already threatening the ruin of the lands w^hich have been 

 irrigated only a few years. 



Large areas in practically all of the irrigated valleys in Utah are 

 suffering from overirrigation and the accumulation of alkali. Ex- 

 periments are being made in a number of the valleys to determine 

 the best methods of relieving these lands of the surplus water and 

 the alkali. Experiments in Cache and Emery counties have demon- 

 strated that lands in those sections can be profitably drained. The 

 first experiments in Washington County have been only partially 

 successful, but will be continued with such changes as experience has 

 suggested. Four other experiments in different counties are not 

 completed. 



The Yakima Valley in Washington also contains large areas once 

 fertile which have become too wet for cultivation. During 1906 an 

 investigation and surveys were made in the Moxee Valley along this 

 river, and plans made for the drainage of 4,500 acres of such lands. 



Along the Colville River in Washington there are considerable 

 areas of overflowed lands. Surveys to determine the feasibility of 

 protecting these from overflow were made during the past season. 

 The area affected is 16,500 acres. 



At Lexington, Nebr., lands in the valley of the Platte River are 

 suffering from an accumulation of drainage water from the higher 

 lands and the rise of alkali. In 1905 plans were made for the drain- 

 age of about 30 acres of this land, and in the spring of 1906 the 

 drains were put in in accordance with these plans. Observations to 

 determine the effect of these drains will be continued for a number 

 of years. 



At Barstow, Tex., the irrigation of lands containing considerable 

 quantities of alkali with water also containing alkali has brought 

 about such an accumulation of alkali that the lands have ceased to 



