1903 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



cable because of the depth and steepness 

 of the sides of the canyon through which 

 the river flows. 



East of the Columbia the investigation 

 included Crab Creek, the only perennial 

 stream traversing the region, but its 

 waters were found to be no more than 

 sufficient for the irrigation of its own 

 bottom. 



In the wheat lands, where all crops 

 are raised by dry farming and where 

 water for stock and domestic uses was 

 formerly brought from springs, some- 

 times at great distances, the possibility 

 of increasing the present number of deep 

 wells w 7 as carefully considered. 



The information gathered this season 

 indicates that a supply of water suffi- 

 cient for present needs can be obtained 

 by deep drilling throughout the region 

 examined, at depths of from 40 to 675 

 feet. While there are no flowing arte- 

 sian wells, the deep waters are found to 

 be under pressure, and it is believed that 

 in certain of the lower wells along the 

 Northern Pacific Railroad an artesian 

 flow could be obtained by proper casing. 



It does not seem that any considerable 

 portion of the wheat lands can be irri- 

 gated from deep wells, or that water from 

 this source for irrigation can be found 

 in sufficient quantities in the unculti- 

 vated land east of the Columbia, though 

 it is believed that in this section deep 

 wells for stock-watering purposes may 

 be profitably sunk at some points. 



Arid Land Reclamation in California* 



The greatest opportunity for the rec- 

 lamation of arid lands in California, 

 and perhaps in the entire southwest, 

 has been found to lie in the utilization 

 of the waters of the Colorado River on 

 its adjacent lands in California and 

 Southern Arizona. As a result of an 

 investigation along this river, made in 

 January, 1902, by the Geological Sur- 

 vey, the extent of the alluvial bottom 

 land between Camp Mohave and Yuma 

 was found to be from 400,000 to 500,- 

 ooo acres. Extended surveys were be- 

 gun November i, last, to determine 

 the area and quality of these bottom 

 lands, the possibility of diverting water 

 to them, and the probable expense of 

 their reclamation. To this end a hydro- 



graphic survey of the region was begun, 

 including the gaging of the river, the 

 location of canal lines, soil analysis, 

 and the determination of silt and evapo- 

 ration ; and a topographic map of the 

 lands upon which distribution systems 

 may be considered was made. This 

 map, on which the topographic features 

 are clearly and accurately shown, will 

 be of great value in assisting engineers 

 to locate the main canal lines, and is 

 essential to a comprehensive knowledge 

 of the river as a whole. About one 

 hundred men are engaged in these in- 

 vestigations for the Survey, Mr. E. T. 

 Perkins being in charge of the engineer- 

 ing field work, Mr. E. C. Barnard in 

 charge of the topographic mapping, and 

 Mr. J. B. Lippincott, resident hydrog- 

 rapher for California, consulting en- 

 gineer on investigations. 



The demands for irrigation in the 

 Colorado Valley are urgent. The aver- 

 age rainfall at Camp Mohave is only 

 5.99 inches per annum, and at Yuma 

 it is 3.06 inches per annum, while the 

 temperatures are such as to provide 

 twelve growing months in the year. 

 The Colorado River derives its principal 

 source of water supply from the melt- 

 ing snow on the high mountains of 

 Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. It 

 reaches the stage of maximum flow, 

 approximately 50,000 cubic feet per 

 second, in the months of May and June, 

 when the demand for irrigation is 

 normally the highest ; its minimum flow 

 about 4,000 cubic feet per second- 

 occurs in the months of January and 

 February, at the time of least demand. 

 The opportunities for storage on this- 

 stream are very great. 



The silts of the river are difficult to 

 handle in canals, but the fertilizing 

 properties which they have are such 

 that lands irrigated with these muddy 

 waters will never require further fer- 

 tilization. 



Mr. R. H. Forbes, of the Agricul- 

 tural Experiment Station at Tucson, 

 Arizona, who has made a study of the 

 silt in the Colorado River, has pointed 

 out that this stream resembles the Nile 

 in many particulars. Like the great 

 river of Egypt, the Colorado is subject 

 to an annual summer rise sufficient to- 



