1058 



THE IHHIGATION AGE. 



Present Status of the Reclamation Work 

 of the Government Projects 



Arizona, Salt River Project (91.7 per cent completed). 

 Labor and weather conditions were favorable throughout the 

 month. At Roosevelt the work of wiring the benchboards, 

 installing equipment in the 2,300-volt switchroom at the power 

 house, finishing the cable span from the transformer house to 

 the power house, and installing the cables connecting the cable 

 spans with the switches was continued. The development of 

 battery E wells in the Chandler district was nearly completed 

 and the wells tested with satisfactory results. The equipment 

 was moved to battery F in the same district and excavation 

 carried on with good progress. The first well near the San 

 Francisco canal was finished and tested. The test indicated 

 satisfactory water bearing material. Preliminary work was 

 commenced on the building of the transmission line from the 

 Chandler district to Tenipe and to the San Francisco well. 

 Enlargement of the Arizona canal with dredge and excavator, 

 both working in rock, was continued with fair progress. A 

 large force made good progress on the construction of the 

 Western canal and necessary feeders on the south side. Con- 

 stant water service was maintained throughout the system, 

 with the exception that on account of cleaning canals and 

 repairing structures water was not run in the Grand canal 

 from the 7th to the 13th, inclusive, nor in the Eastern canal 

 until the 4th of the month. The usual maintenance work was 

 carried on. The flow of the river remained practically con- 

 stant and the sluice gates at the reservoir were closed, the 

 necessary water supply being furnished through tunnel No. 2, 

 the discharge ranging from 1,155 to 1,449 second-feet. The 

 total amount of water drawn from the reservoir was 52,880 

 acre-feet, causing a drop of 5.45 feet in elevation. 



Arizona-California, Yuma Project (52.4 per cent com- 

 pleted). At Laguna dam no work was done on the Arizona 

 side of the river. A small force was employed on the Cali- 

 fornia side in getting out rock from the quarry to protect 

 the banks of the spillway below the sluicegates and in making 

 repairs. The excavation of canals on the Arizona side of the 

 river below Laguna dam and the construction of levees in the 

 lower Yuma Valley were continued with good progress. The 

 construction of the main canal between the California shaft 

 of the Colorado siphon and a point three and one-half miles 

 above was practically completed on June 23, and the stock 

 engaged on the work was then released. With the aid of the 

 steamer Searchlight, a pile driver was operated in protecting 

 the river bank from ten to twelve miles below Yuma. Satis- 

 factory progress was made, and the encroachment of the river 

 at this point was effectually stopped. The installation of the 

 pneumatic plant for the construction of the Colorado siphon, 

 commenced on May 31, was completed on June 19, when air 

 pressure was placed on the Arizona shaft. After that date 

 the work was carried on steadily with three shifts, an air 

 pressure of about twenty pounds being maintained. Three 

 cuts were made through the walls of the shaft, and operating 

 from these cuts a tunnel will be driven entirely around the 

 structure. In this tunnel a water seal will be introduced to 

 shut off the ground water from above, and when this has 

 been completed the water will be lowered to the bottom of 

 the shaft and tunneling operations commenced. On the Indian 

 reservation water was supplied throughout the entire system 

 during the month. The farmers' pump, the scoop wheel and 

 the Rollins pump were operated throughout the month, fur- 

 nishing water for about 7,000 acres of land. Topographic sur- 

 veys and resurveys of section lines in the lower Yuma Valley 

 and canal location surveys along the east side of the valley 

 from Yuma to the international boundary were carried on. 

 On the Indian reservation the location of the main canal 

 between the power house site and Laguna dam was continued. 

 On the Arizona side of the river a few miles below Laguna 

 topographic surveys and resurveys of section lines were car- 

 ried on. The discharge of the Colorado River ranged during 

 the month from 50,300 to 78,300 second-feet. At the end of 

 the month the gage height was 25.5 and the discharge about 

 70,000 second-feet. The flood apparently reached its crest on 

 June 24, when the maximum discharge of 78,300 second-feet 

 occurred. 



.California, Orlaiid Project (81 per cent completed). 

 Regular delivery of water for irrigation was maintained, 

 7,000 acre-feet being diverted from Stony Creek, about 4,000 



acre-feet of which was turned into the distribution system, 

 the balance being used for priming laterals not in present 

 use and wasted through the spillways. Surveys were con- 

 tinued for a canal diverting on the north side of the river at 

 the Miller Buttes headworks. A survey of the irrigated lands 

 and the gaging of the various private ditches diverting water 

 above the south side heading were continued throughout the 

 month. Applications were received for rental of water for 

 2.544 acres of land. Evaporation pans were installed at East 

 Park. Forty-one thousand acre-feet of water were stored at 

 East Park reservoir at the end of the month. An alfalfa 

 meal mill, with a capacity of 35 tons per day, is being con- 

 structed with local capital, the main building, which is to 

 receive the machinery, being nearly completed. A jubilee to 

 celebrate the completion of the distributing system of the 

 Orland unit was held on the 16th and 17th of the month. It 

 was successfully managed, and resulted in bringing to the 

 project a great many visitors, who were cordially welcomed 

 and entertained. 



Colorado, Grand I'alley Project. Detailed topographic 

 maps showing the location of the Price ditch in the Palisade 

 Irrigation District were made during the month. On these 

 maps a location was projected for a canal proposed in another 

 alternative plan for the project. This plan involves the use 

 of two main distributing canals, one to be built along the 

 line of the present Price ditch and the other along and above 

 the line of the present Stubb ditch. Right of way plats for 

 the Price line were prepared. Routine hydrographic records 

 of the Grand River and the irrigation ditches in the valley 

 were continued. 



Colorado, Uncompahgre Falley Project (50.7 per cent 

 completed). Work was continued throughout the month on 

 the erection of the Maginnis galvanized steel flumes on the 

 King lateral extension. Flumes 9, 10 and 11 were com- 

 pleted. The excavation of trench for the High Mesa siphon 

 was completed, 2,613 feet being excavated during the month, 

 and the hauling of the 26-inch ingot iron pipe for the siphon 

 was begun during the latter part of the month. The laying 

 of the 1,416 linear feet of 36-inch riveted steel pipe for the 

 Dry Creek siphon was completed and the trench backfilled, 

 except at the location of pipe joints. The concrete inlet, out- 

 let and wasteway for the Dry Creek siphon were completed. 

 The excavation of the Spring Creek canal, having a capacity 

 of 20 second-feet, was begun, the excavation being com- 

 pleted from station 177 + 85 to station 288 + 16. The Coal 

 Creek dike, 550 feet long, was built to protect the Montrose 

 and Delta canal headworks at the point of diversion from 

 Coal Creek. The surveys for the east and west canals were 

 completed. High water prevailed in the Uncompahgre River 

 throughout the month, making it unnecessary to carry a large 

 head through the Gunnison tunnel. During the month 16,560 

 acre-feet of water were supplied for irrigation through the 

 Montrose and Delta canal, 6,780 acre-feet through the Lout- 

 senhizer canal, and 1,500 acre-feet through the Gunnison tun- 

 nel and South Canal. It was necessary to shut down the 

 Montrose and Delta canal for a period of two and a half 

 days during the month in order to remove gravel deposits 

 which had accumulated during high water. A small flow of 

 water was carried in the King lateral for five miles in order 

 to settle its banks and test the canal. 



Idaho, Boise Project (exclusive of Boise River storage, 

 74 per cent completed ; storage unit 3.6 per cent completed). 

 The excavation of the large gravel cut on the main canal was 

 completed during the month, but no work was done on the 

 principal contract for enlarging the canal. The construction 

 of the Deer Flat Forest embankment by force account was 

 completed on June 21, and the placing of a gravel facing on 

 the lower Deer Flat embankment was then commenced. Prog- 

 ress was made in assembling the plant for the construction 

 of the Forest concrete pipe line. The construction of the 

 Mora and Dempke wood stave pipe lines was brought to 

 about 90 per cent completion. The contractors for excavating 

 the lateral system made good progress, and the construction 

 of the lateral structures by force account was continued with 

 excellent progress. At the end of thfe month there were stored 

 in the Deer Flat reservoir approximately 77,000 acre-feet of 

 water, corresponding to a depth of 15.9 feet over the gate 

 sills of the outlets. At the end of the month there had been 

 received 1,016 applications for water, amounting in rental 

 value to $30,960 ; and water was delivered from the various 

 canals in operation throughout the entire month. The pros- 

 pects for crops on the project are excellent. 



