CONSERVATION < >! l'<)\VKk RESOURCES 



463 



railroads arc among the larg -st consumer- of 

 tucl, and electric operation, exclusive <>f 

 the use of water power-, would reduce the 

 coal consumption to le-s tlian oiu-Iialf of that 

 required for similar operati.ni with st 

 locomotives. 



During the past feu vears, there has been 

 renewed interest in water powers mi account 

 of the practicability of their use for the | 

 eration of power and the electrical transmit 

 -ion of this power to distant markets. The 

 great hydro-electric development at Niagara 

 was the first large enterprise of this char- 

 acter and has demonstrated its practicability 

 The census of 1905 gives a partial list of 

 long distance hydn < clectr c plants developing 

 power aggregating six hundred horsepower, 

 and this list can now be largely increased. 

 Our most desirable water powers are being 

 absorbed rapidly, and it becomes important, 

 therefore, for us to take stock of our water 

 resources anil formulate plans for their con- 

 trol and proper utili/ation. 



In the improvements that have been made 

 on navigable rivers too little attention has 

 been given to the development of the inci- 

 dental water powers. On some waterway, 

 as in several instances on the Mississippi, im- 

 mense sums of money have been appropriated 

 and expended on especially difficult portions 

 of the river. If this money could have been 

 available in large amounts, instead of by 

 driblets over periods of many years, water 

 powers of great value could have been de- 

 veloped and the navigation effectively and 

 permanently improved. Unfortunately this 

 has not been our policy. Too often the ap- 

 propriations have been inadequate for carry- 

 ing out the work as it should be done, and 

 frequently the work has not followed any 

 well-digested plan. 



With the data at hand it is impossible to 

 make an accurate estimate of the amount of 

 power that can be developed incidentally to 

 river navigation. A partial estimate of the 

 power developed at existing Government lock- 

 and dams places the amount at 1,600,000 

 horsepower. This is based on the mean low 

 water discharge for three months. The sub- 

 ject should receive careful consideration. Im- 

 provements in navigation should be made- 

 only after thorough study of the possibilities 

 of power development. On the other band, 

 iivmy water powers are on streams that are 

 navigable, or are capable of canali/.ation, and 

 these streams should be developed for power 

 purp -ily after careful examination Iris 



been made of the possibilities of the stream 

 forming a link in the system of inland water 

 ways. 



There are many streams that are not now 

 navigable, or are navigable for oiiK a por- 

 tion of the sea-oil, that can be canalized and 

 converted into streams' of great commercial 

 value. The u-c of our waterwav- for both 

 power development and navigation causes no 

 (onm'ct: these uses are in net co-related and 

 their intere-ts harmoni.'ii-. Win-re it is n< 

 .-ary to place a dam aero--, ,- ( -tveam to 'le- 



vel, p power, the slack v, , prod : 



with the addition ,,f locks, render- other, 

 impassable stretche- of river available fr 

 navigation. Kvcrv water pow.-r d.-v elopment 

 is vitally interested in obta ning a uniform 

 tlovv of water. 'Ibis exactly meet- the re 

 quirements of navigation. The approximate 

 reali/ation of regularity of tlow can b 

 tamed only by the c. >u - id-water 



diting re-erv<irs and the preservation of 

 our forests, Kvery water COUTSC tha' .- im- 

 proved for the production of power and for 

 navigation produces, therefore, vigorou- -..If 

 interested allies in the cau-e of forest pi. 

 vati.m, head-water regulation and the main 

 tenance Of conditions which are favorab! 

 both interests. 



Consideration- which affect the use of our 

 rivers and stream-, a- -o-irce- of power and 

 for navigation, apply al.- to canals. Her. 

 tofore. canal- built for transportation p;;r 

 poses have not been used, to any great exl 

 for the development of power. In some c 

 this has been on account of the limited srpply 

 of water, but more frequently it has been 

 to the great difficulty experienced by the ani- 

 mals in towing boats again-t the rapid cur- 

 rent produced in the canal by the llovv 

 water to the water wheels. In recent tests it 

 has been demonstrated that canal bo it- can 

 be towed by electric towing machines at a 

 much lower operating cost than is po--]|i],- 

 with animals and that operated in this man 

 tier the speed can be greatly increased. The 

 first cost of electric equipment is relatively 

 large, but the change to electric towing will 

 pay hand-mely when the volume of traffic 

 is sufficiently large. The traffic requ'red :- 

 well within the ujtimate capacity of the canal. 

 With electric towing the increa-e in the r 

 of current flow introduced by the develop 

 ment of water power on the canal i- not a 

 serious impediment to navigat'.'ii 



There are large areas in the Western State- 

 where the soil is of wonderful fertility, hut 

 it ri gat imi i- essential to the -uccc-stul growing 

 of crops. The cultivated lands usually b< 

 valleys and water is carried to them through 

 long and oftentimes wasteful irrigation 

 ditche-. In many case- the water could be 

 utilized for developing power on the h> 

 waters of the streams without injury to the 

 iirigatioii interests, as is illustrated bv th< 

 cellent work now being done by the Reclam i 

 tion Service The development of water 

 power will introduce another party w 

 self-interests dictates the u-e of every a 

 able method of preserving the volume of 

 water -epplv. it- continuity, and regularity "t 

 How. 



In some cases irrigation channels can 

 converted into canals mutable for at least lim- 

 ited navigation, and where practicable this 

 should be done Some types of appar.tt-i- a> 

 now developed fr towing canal boat- by 

 electricity require but little S\ ng the 



-ide of tin- ditch and can be in-tailed, u-'ially. 

 without add tiotK'1 grading wherever .in irri- 

 gation ditch can be constructed Kleotric tow 



