WATER CONSERVATION, IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE IN N.S.W. 237 



these figures were adopted by Colonel Home. Taking the depth 

 of full supply as seven feet and the sides slopes as 1^ to 1, these 

 conditions will require a bed width of about fifty-two feet. 



Regularity of outline of the district. — The regularity of the 

 country between the Murrumbidgee River and the Billabong 

 Creek leaves nothing to be desired, the only obstacles of any 

 importance to be found being occasional sand ridges which are 

 easily avoided. At a point about ten miles from the head of the 

 canal, the water can commence to be delivered on the land by 

 gravitation, and thence onward, westerly, south-westerly, and 

 north-westerly, it can be supplied throughout the district. 

 Although the main canal has been marked out only as far as Dry 

 Lake, which is in a south-westerly direction from Hay, it can be 

 taken to the chain of lakes which extend from Yanga to the 

 Edward River. The first place at which the surplus waters of 

 the Murray and Murrumbidgee canals would meet is in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Jerilderie. From that place the Billabong Creek, 

 and after it the Edward River, will act as an escape channel for 

 all the surplus water of the northern branches of the one canal 

 and of the southern branches of the other. 



Storage reservoirs. — A highly important question in connection 

 with canals from the Murrumbidgee and a somewhat less important 

 one in connection with canals from the Murray, is that of storage 

 reservoirs. When the Murrumbidgee southern canal was first 

 proposed, the intention was that the canal should be constructed 

 in the first instance, as it was considered that the abundant supply 

 of water which could be depended on in the spring months, 

 together with the intermittent supplies available in summer, 

 warranted this being done in advance of the provision of a storage 

 reservoir. The result of inquiries which were made in the district 

 supported this conclusion. The intention was to bring the canal 

 into operation, and to deal with the question of a storage reservoir 

 as the demand for the water increased. Colonel Home, however, 

 was in favour of the construction of storage reservoirs at the 

 outset, so that they would come into operation with the canals. 



