NATIONAL FORESTS AND THE WATER SUPPLY 



1513 



trollable torrents the water is absorbed into the great 

 reservoir of mineral soil, from which it is gradually 

 paid out to the springs and streams. This tends to 

 d e c r e ase the 



high water run- 

 off and to in- 

 ciease the low 

 water run-off. 

 Both results 

 aie good. The 

 decrease in the 

 high water run- 

 off means that 

 rhere is less 

 danger of de- 

 structive floods 

 and less waste 

 of valuable 

 water ; while 

 the increase in 

 low water run- 

 off means that 

 a larger supply 

 of water is 

 available dur- 

 ing the dry 

 season, when it 

 is particularly 

 needed. It is 

 the low water 

 flow that to a 

 great extent 

 determines the 

 availability of 

 any given sup- 

 ply for munici- 

 pal use, irriga- 

 tion, or hydro- 

 electric de- 

 velopment, and 

 anything which 

 will increase 

 this flow is 

 t h e r e f ore a 

 factor of prime 

 importance. 



What One 



National Forest 



Does. 



A typical ex- 

 ample of the 

 ways in which 

 the National 

 Forests benefit 

 the water user 

 is furnished by 

 the Pike National 



IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS ON THE NATIONAL FORESTS 

 Upper — Lake Keechelus on the Wenatchee National Forest, Washington, used as one of the storage 

 reservoirs for the Yakima Reclamation Project. When completed, this project will include more than 

 116,000 acres of irrigated land. The crop production in 1915, on about two-thirds of the area ultimately 

 irrigable, was valued at $2,400,000. 



Center — Granby Lakes on the Battlement National Forest, Colorado. This Forest was created in 1892 at 

 the request of local residents to protect their supply of water for irrigation and domestic use. Within 

 its boundaries are now some 400 reservoirs supplying about 140,000 acres of irrigated land valued at more 

 than $2,500,000. 



Lower— Jackson Lake on the Teton National Forest, Wyoming, with the Teton Mountains in the back- 

 ground. This forms one of the main storage reservoirs for the Minidoka Reclamation Project. 



Springs, and includes within its boundaries a considerable 

 portion of the headwaters of the South Platte and 

 Arkansas Rivers. Irrigation by means of water coming 



from the moun- 

 tains included 

 in the Pike 

 National For- 

 est had its 

 modest begin- 

 nings in i860 

 along the South 

 Platte River in 

 South Park 

 and also near 

 Denver. Since 

 then the area 

 on which irri- 

 gation is prac- 

 t i c e d has 

 grown steadily, 

 until now it is 

 e s t i m ated at 

 some 400,000 

 acres, valued at 

 about $40,000,- 

 000 and with 

 an annual crop 

 production of 

 over $10,000,- 

 000. On many 

 acres where 

 water is not 

 available dry 

 farming is 

 practiced, but 

 the results are 

 uncertain and 

 the yields much 

 less than on ir- 

 rigated land. 

 The value of 

 water in this 

 region is so 

 great that the 

 natural flow of 

 the streams is 

 greatly over- 

 a p p ropriated, 

 and there is 

 need for every 

 additional drop 

 that can be de- 

 v e 1 o p e d or 

 stored. Prac- 

 tically all of 

 the Great 



Forest in Colorado. This Forest 

 extends along the main range of the Rocky Mountains 

 from somewhat north of Denver to south of Colorado 



Plains lying east of the Rocky Mountains is potentially 

 agricultural land, and the only limit to its development 

 is the amount of water which can be secured for irriga- 



