16 THE IR RIGA TION A GE. 



to you most vividly what a wonderful natural reservoir existed to 

 enlarge the water supply of the city of Los Angeles from the Los 

 Angeles river, by filling with water in times of flood the great gravel 

 bed lying between that river and the mountains, leaving it to grad 

 ually percolate out into the river in the later months of the year. 



In this suggestion there are great possibilities for water storage 

 in probably every arid state, where the water can be led out in time 

 of floods on to the high mesa lands and the porous sandy and gravelly 

 soils on the higher levels can be saturated with water in seasons 

 when it is abundant, leaving it to gradually find its way out into the 

 canals and natural channels on lower levels in seasons when it is 

 needed. 



Mr. Olmstead has given us another illustration to prove the fact 

 now so generally recognized, that water stored on the headwaters of 

 navigable rivers, and first taken out on the bench lands for irrigation, 

 will find its way back into the river in the low- water season when it 

 is most needed for navigation. The use of the water for irrigation is 

 merely another illustration of water storage one of "Nature's storage 

 reservoirs" until it is needed for navigation, and shows how super- 

 ficial is the objection sometimes made to the use of water for irri- 

 gation which has been stored for the benefit of navigation. 



I was deeply impressed by what was said by Mayor Eaton and by 

 Mr. T. S. Van Dyke as to the lack of information by the public 

 generally on these subjects, and the need of a campaign to aro.use the 

 interest of the general public and awaken a public sentiment which 

 would demand and accomplish the solution of the various problems 

 that confront us in the preservation of our forests and water supplies. 

 And I could not help thinking that if the enormous importance of 

 these matters was appreciated there would not be a man who is now 

 tilling an irrigated farm or vineyard or orchard in Southern Cal- 

 ifornia who would not be here to-day. 



Every irrigator from an underground supply would be here if 

 each would only stop and ask himself: "Where is the source of 

 the well or the tunnel from which my water comes? How long will it 

 last? How do I know that Nature is replenishing for me the supply 

 from which I am drawing?" 



As you watch an artesian well, every one realizes that the 

 beautiful drops that are thrown up from below by the unseen power 

 to glisten and sparkle in the sunshine have not come up underground 

 direct from the sea. They were at some time evaporated from the 

 ocean and carried in the clouds to the mountains and precipitated 

 there. Now what checked them from rushing down the hillside and 

 back through stream and river to join again the ocean from whence 

 they came? 



Somewhere in their onward course they were stopped by some 

 leafy covering which held them until their course was turned down- 



