THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



251 



directly its contracts and agreements are made with the 

 "Water Users' Association," a member of which every 

 land owner, before receiving water from the project, 

 must become. 



THE VALUE OF A "WATER RIGHT." 



The cost of this asset of immense potential value, has 

 not at date of this writing been definitely established. It 

 will not exceed $50 per acre or be less than $40, payable in 

 small annual installments without interest. No one may 

 guess the future value of such a "right." Water rights are, 

 in some senses, analogous to market securities, their selling 

 value being based upon security of principle, strength of 

 reserve, earning power and market ability. It is true that a 

 government water right is not a merchantable commodity 

 separable from the land, yet it is the opinion of the writer 

 that the "Rights" in this valley, within a measurable period, 

 will be of a value infinitely greater than that of the very 

 cream of the land, considered by itself. What is a "right" 

 worth? Whatever it will "fetch." A little over a year ago 

 the City of Grand Junction, Colorado, upon condemnation 

 proceedings, paid to certain ranchers for a few second-feet 

 of decreed rights of earliest priority, from a small stream 

 the sum of $28,000 per second-foot, and this not for stored 

 water but for a supply subject to the caprice of a running 

 creek of perennial flow. It is recognized that this price was 

 outside of the limits of agricultural value, but figured upon 

 the same basis a water right to 4 acre-feet annually in the 

 Salt River Valley would be worth not $50.00 but $1,600.00 

 per acre. 



STATUS OF LANDS. 



No one should enter this valley in the hope of securing 

 "free" land or "Government Homesteads" under the project. 

 There is no such land remaining all government land hav- 

 ing been filed upon long ago and no practicable means of 

 irrigating any land outside of present ditch systems open to 

 individual effort. Title to practically all the land embraced 

 within the present ditch line passed from the government 

 many years ago. A large proportion of the land upon the 

 market now being embraced in the holding of a few large in- 

 terests- great ranches belonging to individuals or corpora- 

 tions. Let it not be- assumed that these interests are dis- 

 posing of their so-called "excess holdings" voluntarily. On 

 the contrary it is no reflection upon them to state that the 

 great majority would prefer to remain in possession of the 

 land, both for revenue purposes and the great increase in 

 value that the future is bound to bring. The "answer" is 

 to be found, again, in the Reclamation Act. Section 5 pro- 

 vides that "no right to the use of water for land in private 

 ownership shall be sold for a tract exceeding 160 acres to 

 anyone land owner and no such sale shall be made to any 

 land owner unless he be an actual bona-fide resident on such 

 land (the Department of the Interior has ruled that one 

 may reside at a distance not exceeding 50 miles from his 

 land) and no such right shall permanently attach until all 

 payments therefor are made." The land companies are, 

 under this contract with the government, bound to dispose of 

 all their land holdings in excess of 160 acres at the earliest 

 possible date and, as a rule, are offering the lands in tracts 

 of any desired acreage at moderate figures. 



GEOGRAPHIC TRANSPORTATION CULTURE, PAST AND PRESENT. 



Location south central Arizona in Maricopa County. The 

 approximate length of the valley east to west to the Agua 

 Fria River is 35 miles ; its average width 15 miles. Irrigable 

 area embraced in project Gila Reservation 10,000 acres ; out- 

 side of reserve by pumping, 40,000 by gravity system 190,000 

 acres; total 240.000. 



Railroads Branches of the Southern Pacific and the 

 Athcison, Topeka & Santa Fe systems penetrate all parts of 

 the valley. 



The soil of the level valley floor is naturally adapted to 

 roadmaking and the absence of precipitation renders the 

 maintenance of roads an extremely simple affair. The valley, 

 so far as the present era is concerned, was first settled in 

 1867 and the influx since that time has been rapid. With 

 the completion of the storage system, settlement has received 

 a tremendous impetus. There is a number of flourishing 

 cities and towns in the valley, Phoenix, the capital of Ari- 

 zona, Tempe. Mesa, Glendale and Buckeye being the mos? 

 important. The Reclamation Service reports (June 30, 1911) 

 as follows : "Excellent progress has been made along all 

 agricultural lines during the past year and a general feeling 



of optimism prevails throughout the project. Irrigation is 

 carried on during the whole year, there being two seasons 

 that of summer from June 1 to September 1, devoted mainly 

 to the cultivation of alfalfa, garden truck, small fruits and 

 sugar beets, and to dairying, and a winter season from Oc- 

 tober 1, to May 31, devoted mainly to the cultivation of 

 alfalfa, grain and citrus fruits and to dairying. Of the acre- 

 age in cultivation 55 per cent is in alfalfa 30 per cent in 

 grain, 8 per cent is in dairy pasture and the remainder is dis- 

 tributed over a wide range of products, including ftnits, 

 sugar beets and vegetables." 



WATER SUPPLY. 



Source of Water Supply Salt and Verde rivers and wells 

 in various parts of the valley. Exhaustive investigation of 

 the underground waters of the valley have been made both 

 as to quality and quantity. It has been determined that the 

 amount needed to serve the 40,000 acres embraced within 

 "pumping units" is well within the amount of annual accre- 

 tions to the underground supplies, from river underflow alone 

 and that the waters contain no salts in amount injurious to 

 crops. The Court-House yard in Phoenix has been irrigated 

 for 27 years with well-water alone, and the flora of its world- 

 famed garden seems to offer conclusive evidence upon this 

 point. There is hardly a place within the project where ex- 

 cellent water for domestic purposes cannot be secured at a 

 moderate "lift." 



PHYSICAL FEATURES OF SYSTEM. 



Reservoir. Located in bed of Salt River, about 80 miles 

 upstream from Phoenix ; area, 16,320 acres ; capacity, 1,284,000 

 acre-feet ; capable of large increase by adding a few feet to 

 height of dam. Dam. Maximum height 280 feet; length of 

 crest, 1,170 feet. "Granite Reef" Diversion Dam about 30 

 miles upstream from Phoenix delivers water to canals on 

 either side of the river. The aggregate of canals embraces 

 a stupendous array of figures ; 32 miles of capacity greater 

 than 800 second- feet; 64 miles from 300 to 800 second-feet; 

 92 miles from 50 to 300 second feet; 366 miles of lesser 

 capacity; tunnels 23; aggregate length two miles. Water 

 Power. ultimate development 18,650 horsepower ; h vast 

 number of structures of various kinds, headgates, checks, 

 drops, pumping stations, bridges and buildings ; steel and re- 

 inforced concrete being universally used, ensuring the maxi- 

 mum of efficiency with the minimum of maintenance ex- 

 pense. Of roads built by the "Service" 147 miles, telephone 

 lines 145 miles; 48 telephones, 123 miles of electric transmis- 

 sion lines. All of the canals taken over by the Reclamation 

 Service have been enlarged and improved to Service stand- 

 ards. 



The sediment which is carried by the water in flood time 

 is very important, not only on account of its fertilizing 

 value but also because of its effect in changing the physical 

 properties of the soil to which applied. 



Section six of the Reclamation Act provides that 

 when the payment required for the major portion of 

 the lands irrigated are made, then the management and 

 operation of such works shall pass to the owners of the 

 lands irrigated to be maintained at their expense, etc., con- 

 sequently, at the present time (and for some time to come) 

 the operation of the works remains under control of the 

 Reclamation Service with its complete organization directed 

 from headquarters at Phoenix. At the present time water 

 is being delivered upon an acreage charge of $1.60 per annum. 

 The organization comprises the following named gentlemen : 

 L. C. Hill, supervising engineer; C. H. Fitch, project engi- 

 neer ; H. S. Reed, engineer in charge of operation. It is 

 eminently fair and deserved that a tribute be paid, at this 

 time, to the staff of engineers and operatives of the Reclama- 

 tion Service who are. in the last analysis, responsible for the 

 successful culmination of this gigantic undertaking and to 

 the enduring character of the work performed. 



CLIMATOLOGICAL. 



Much has been said in praise of the climate of the valley 

 and much in disparagement. With regard to its effect upon 

 the individual this must always remain a moot question of 

 taste so far as the four hot months of the year are concerned. 

 As to the balance of the year there is but one opinion upon 

 the subject "ideal" is the word commonly used to express it. 

 It is just as well to face the situation calmly and without 

 hysteria; the summers are undeniably hot during the day- 

 time. The AGE holds no brief for the Salt river, or any 

 other valley, and the writer's experience has fostered in him 



