296 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION July 



feet, which could develop 48o-horse quantities of materials. Usually this 



power if all the flow were used, with a construction work has to be carried on in 



head of 33 feet. A water power of 600- places remote from railroads and other 



horse-power capacity could be inaugu- bases of supplies, where the cost of 



rated at this place, the only expense labor, teams, and fuel is abnormally 



being the construction of a tail race and high. To meet this condition, power is 



erecting the power plant, and raising the frequently obtained from a stream close 



present lake level 12 feet. This would at hand by means of temporary dams, 



involve the purchase of a small tract of power canals, etc., and applied to the 



submerged land. work of excavating, quarrying, hoisting, 



There will certainly be a big demand hauling, and lighting. Thus many short 



for the power in the future. Granite electric railroads will be constructed be- 



Mountain is only 2 miles away, and is tween the great irrigation works and the 



right along the tracks of the railway, nearest railroad stations, which will be 



By combining the water power and the useful, when the construction work is 



granite industry, a corporation could completed, for affording easy access to 



command the best and most economical the completed works, 



manufactured output. Marble Falls of- Whatever power in excess of that 



fers greater possibilities for water power required for pumping purposes is ob- 



than any other point in Texas. tainable from the national works of 



irrigation, it may serve for operating 

 street railways and electric lighting in 



Irrigation The great problems in the communities which have grown up 



and Power irrigation now being as the result of the government's work 



Development, worked out to practical in supplying water to lands previously 



conclusions by the U. S. uninhabitable. These great works will, 



Reclamation Service involve some fea- after the lapse of a limited time and 



tures not observed by people generally. upon the return to the government of 



Chief of these is the possibility of exten- the money expended on construction, 



sive development of power in connection become the property of these communi- 



with the storage of water in large reser- ties, and any revenue derived from the 



voirs or the diversion of streams into sale of power obtained in the process of 



canal systems. storing and distributing irrigation water 



Many immense dams are to be built, would serve to offset in part the oper- 



some of them 200 feet or more in height, ating expenses of the irrigation system, 



and when water for irrigation is drawn Since these reservoirs frequently must 



from the great artificial lakes so pro- be built far up in the mountains near 



duced, incidentally an enormous amount the headwaters of streams, it will often 



of water power becomes available. It is happen that power can be advanta- 



proposed to erect power plants at many geously supplied to adjacent mines, 



localities and transmit the power electri- where power is especial!}' valuable on 



cally over distances aggregating hun- account of the difficulties in transpor- 



dreds of miles to other localities where tation of fuel to these inaccessible local- 



the power can be utilized for pumping ities. 



water from deep wells for irrigation and On a few of the larger projects for 



domestic purposes. Thus the water instance, those contemplating the con- 



which is impounded in the reservoirs trol of the great Colorado and Snake 



and diverted from the streams is made rivers the magnitude of the power de- 



to perform a double duty, primarily, by velopment possibilities suggests the fea- 



its direct application to the irrigation of sibility of operating considerable por- 



land, and, incidentally, by furnishing tions of the great railroad lines crossing 



the power for lifting from underground these sections of the country by electric 



sources additional water supplies. power obtained from water plants built 



The construction of these great irriga- in connection with the great dams re- 



tion works requires the use of much ma- quired for the control of these mighty 



chinery and the transportation of large rivers. 



