LXXX. REVIEW OF WATER CONSERVATION IN N.S.W. 
below the surface is generally small, it may easily happen 
that this cheap and simple source of supply will prove the 
proper one to develope large areas of the country. 
I will now give a general description of the principal 
rivers, the works which have so far been carried out, and 
the works which are now in contemplation. 
The Murray River has an effective catchment area above 
Albury of 7,000 square miles, the larger portion being in 
Victoria. The contribution of flow by each State is, how- 
ever, equalized by the superior rainfall and the higher 
ranges of New South Wales. The gradient of the river at 
Albury is about 1 foot per mile, diminishing to 3} inches 
per mile at the South Australian border, and 2? inches per 
mile at Blanchetown in South Australia. Up to the present 
the only works constructed by this State are diversion 
cuttings into Tuppal, Hagle and Gulpa Creeks. There are 
also two large irrigation canals under consideration. The 
first leaves the river near Albury, the other leaves near 
Tocumwal. There is not sufficient water avilable for both 
schemes, and an investigation is proceeding to determine 
which would be the most profitable for the State to adopt. 
The first canal would command 1,000,000 acres of fine land 
out as far as Deniliquin, but it will be perceived by refer- 
ence to the map, that portion of this area is on the line of 
20 inch rainfall and cannot be classed as arid. It is there- 
fore doubtful if the landowners would be willing to bear 
the cost of such a scheme, when the water would be only 
used as an insurance against dry weather. The Tocumwal 
canal on the other hand, traverses country with about six 
inches less rainfall, and the area it would command might 
extend to Balranald. 
As stated before, large storages will be required before 
any comprehensive diversions can be made. Sites for the 
storage reservoirs have been surveyed at Cumberoona and 
