540 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



December 



States Geological Survey as Water 

 Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 186. 

 The author, Mr. Herman Stabler, 

 gives the history of the pollution and 

 the attendant litigation, explains the 

 effect of acid-iron liquors upon sewer- 

 age purification processes, describes 

 the conditions along the streams, and 

 discusses methods of disposing of acid- 

 iron wastes without discharge into wa- 

 tercourse or sewerage system. The in- 

 vestigations conducted by Mr. Stabler 

 were made under a co-operative agree- 

 ment between the United States Geo- 

 logical Survey and the State Board of 

 Health of Ohio, each bureau partici- 

 pating equally in the expenses in- 

 volved. 



Stream pollution by ironworks efflu- 

 ents has always been an important 

 question in countries where the iron 

 industries are prominent. The pollu- 

 ting liquors, commonly known as 

 "acid-iron" liquors, are derived from 

 the "pickling process" common to gal- 

 vanizing, tin plating, tube and sheet 

 iron treatment. This "waste pickle" 

 is not a desirable addition to streams 

 (i) because it produces a reddish dis- 

 coloration and turbidity, making the 

 stream waters, bed, and banks unsight- 

 ly; (2) because, by reason of its avid- 

 ity for oxygen, it robs the waters of 

 their natural supply of this essential 

 gas and thereby, when it is present in 

 comparatively large quantities, causes 

 the death of fish, and (3) because it 

 gives rise to a large quantity of iron in 

 the stream, and thereby impairs the 

 usefulness of the water for domestic 

 and laundry purposes and for certain 

 manufacturing processes. 



Washin t n Members of the Sunny- 

 Irrigation s ide Water Users Asso- 

 Notes ciation met at Prosser, 

 Wash., west of Spokane, recently for 

 the purpose of inducing holders of wa- 

 ter contracts with the Washington Ir- 

 rigation Company to sign contracts 

 with the Government,- which will ex- 

 tend the Sunnyside canal. The main- 

 tenance fee will be reduced to 60 cents 

 per acre, as against $1.50 charged by 

 the Washington Irrigation Company. 



The proposition was well received and 

 most of the members joined in the 

 federal plan. 



Work has been begun on the Gov- 

 ernment irrigation scheme in Okano- 

 gan county, west of Spokane. The di- 

 rect benefit of the project will be for 

 Alma, Riverside, and all river towns. 

 Conconully will be the supply end of 

 the system, furnishing the water, the 

 reservoir, and the altitude to give flow 

 and power. 



Jay Lynch, agent of the Yakima In- 

 dian reservation, west of Spokane, has 

 received advices from Washington, D. 

 C, that the Indian Department has ap- 

 propriated $15,000 to extend the irri- 

 gation work on the reserve. This 

 means that 20,000 additional acres of 

 the richest and in the Yakima Valley 

 will be put under cultivation. 



J. E. Tupper, surveyor of Garfield 

 county, south of Spokane, says the 

 federal appropriation will be asked to 

 make a survey and determine the feas- 

 ibility of diverting water from the up- 

 per Tucannon near the mouth of Cum- 

 min's Creek for irrigation. 



It is planned to construct several 

 large reservoirs in the mountains by 

 which an immense quantity of water 

 can be stored during the freshest sea- 

 son. Mr. Tupper believes the water 

 can be conducted to the reservoirs at 

 a reasonable cost. From these reser- 

 voirs water could be distributed over 

 the Dutch and Dataha flats, irrigating 

 some of the best lands in the state. 



The general land office has just giv- 

 en out a statement that nearly $500,- 

 000 was contributed by the State of 

 Washington to the reclamation fund 

 last year. The receipts from all sources 

 were $4,822,084, much larger than the 

 estimate made less than a year ago by 

 the Secretary of the Interior; when 

 that official was trying to determine 

 the probable extent of the reclamation 

 fund between than and 1908. 



A substantial foundation 

 Bunding has been placed under 



Improved the Forestry building at 



the Lewis and Clark Exposition 

 grounds, Portland. J. J. Hill showed 



