440 THE LIMITED WATER SUPPLY OF THE ARID REGION 



built b}' a forgotten })eo})le. Tbe more intelligent of (be early ex- 

 plorers wbo visited these regions and saw the ruins were impressed 

 with the idea that white men might make homes where these earlier 

 peoples had succeeded. ]t was not, however, until the systematic 

 surve3's of Major J. W. Powell were undertaken that the importance 

 of the subject was fully realized. His first elaborate re])ort on the 

 subject, entitled " Lands of the Arid Region," was i)rinled in 1878, 

 and the public then began to realize the i)Ossibilities latent within 

 the arid region. This rei)ort, printed in several editions, has formed 

 the basis of many popular articles and discussions, and its recom- 

 mendations, at first treated with neglect and even with scorn, have 

 been of late mosthighlv commended for their breadth and foresight. 

 Unfortunately, tbe time has passed to carry out the comi)rehensive 

 plans outlined toward the reclan)ation of tiie West, and conditions 

 have arisen which render it impracticable to undertake many of the 

 most (lesiral)le and important projects. 



Ten 3'ears after tiie publication of this re[)ort Congress finally 

 granted authority foi' tbe systematic examination of the arid lands. 

 Field work was begun in the fall and winter, l)eing directed toward the 

 mapping of the catchment basins and the detailed surveys of reser- 

 voir sites and of canal lines. Theai)pro[)riation was not })assed until 

 October 2, 1888, and it consequently became necessarv to ]nish the 

 work energetically in order to show results before the end of the 

 fiscal year. Thus it was that the surveyors were often impeded by 

 snow, and the work which in summer would have been a pleasure 

 became a hardship. 



When the work was discussed it was commonly lielieved that local- 

 ities suitable for the storage of water could l)e found almost anywhere 

 in the mountains. This is still a connnon belief among jteople who 

 have not given particular attention to the subject. Almost every- 

 wliere in the West the inhal)itants ))oint out this locality or that 

 where the}^ consider that a reservoir should be l)uilt. Careful exam- 

 ination, however, and a survey with instruments of })recision often 

 show that the slopes are too great and the ca))acit3' too small for a 

 dam to be built to even moderate height. To hold any considerable 

 volume of water, structures of enormous size must usually be erected, 

 and foundations extending far below the surface of the ground must 

 be constructed. 



The number of places where conditions are favorable is limited. 

 Sometimes a reservoir site ma}' be found of good capacitv and where 



