318 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



July 



North Platte Froject 



A recent visit of representatives of 

 the Reclamation Service to the North 

 Platte project in Nebraska-Wyoming 

 shows that the situation is quite en- 

 couraging. 



Contracts for the first section of the 

 canal for a length of about 45 miles 

 have been awarded by the Secretary 

 of the Interior and the contractor ex- 

 pects to begin work at once. 



The people themselves are now very 

 actively perfecting the organization of 

 the Water Users' Association in order 

 that they may cooperate with the 

 United States Government in the 

 working out of the project. 



A local difficulty has arisen which, 

 however, will not interfere with the 

 progress of the government. This in- 

 volves two questions : ( i ) Whether 

 the government has a right to water 

 its own lands which happen to be sit- 

 uated under the canal proposed to be 

 constructed by private parties as an 

 extension of the old Farmers' Canal, 

 no construction having been begun by 

 them during the eight years since they 

 first placed their plans of record un- 

 der the local statutes; (2) Whether 

 the government can furnish water to 

 lands in private ownership under this 

 same proposed canal extension. 



These are questions of law which 

 are now before the courts, and will be 

 settled between the United States Gov- 

 ernment and the parties claiming 

 rights under the old canal location. 



As the matter is one between the 

 United States and those proposing to 

 construct this canal, it will not pre- 

 vent those owning the lands under the 

 proposed canal from applying to the 

 government for water rights. If the 

 courts should hold adversely to the 

 rights of the government to furnish 

 water for these lands, all contracts 

 which have been made with the gov- 

 ernment will necessarily be cancelled, 

 and the parties who have made appli- 

 cation for water will be left in no 

 worse situation than they were be- 

 fore. 



With this understanding, those par- 



ties who are affected by this phase of 

 the question are arranging to join the 

 Water Users' Association, which is to 

 be recognized by the government as 

 the representative of the water users, 

 and will make application to the 

 United States for water rights when 

 announcement shall be made that the 

 government is ready to receive them. 

 The adjustment of the legal questions 

 will be left to the courts. 



The people in general are enthu- 

 siastically in favor of the government 

 project, and all land owners in the 

 valley are preparing to become mem- 

 bers of the Water Users' Association, 

 including nearly all of those under the 

 proposed extension of the Farmers' 

 Canal. 



To Reclaim Alkali i.anfl* 



An interesting and important inves- 

 tigation is being carried on by the Re- 

 clamation Service, to determine the 

 best method of reclaiming the alkali 

 lands under the Truckee-Carson pro- 

 ject, Nevada. 



The plan entails the installing of ten 

 acres of alkali land typical in texture 

 of the general farm lands now being 

 entered by farmers with under 

 drains, for the purpose of leaching out 

 the alkali, and the preparation of an- 

 other ten acres of land for flooding 

 copiously with water, without under 

 drains being previously laid. It is in- 

 tended that the work on the first ten 

 acres will demonstrate the advisability 

 of reclaiming alkali lands with under 

 drains, and determine the approximate 

 cost for such work per acre. The 

 work on the second ten acres should 

 determine the possibility of reclaiming 

 these lands from alkali without under 

 drains being previously laid. The 

 lands selected are not only typical farm 

 lands met with in this, but in other 

 projects, and are threatened with al- 

 kali accumulation. 



The data collected will be of value 

 to the farming interests in that the 

 results will demonstrate the best pro- 

 cess for handling farm lands which are 

 too salty for profitable cultivation, and 

 which are met with in several parts of 



