Reclamation Era, Vol. 25 No. 12, December 1935

THE , RECL ATION ·ERA VOL. 25, NO. 12 0ECEMBER 1935 • COLUMBIA BASIN PROJECT, WASHINGTON GRAND COULEE WORKINGS ALIGHT, W ITH ELECTRIFIED MASON CITY I N BACKGROUND COLUMBIA BASIN PROJECT, WASHINGTON-GRAND COULEE DAM 1, Excavation area on east side, including conveyor carrying the spoil across Co.lumbia River to the main line going to the waste pile,in Rattlesnake Canyon. 2, Some of the forty 4-yard concrete buckets. 3, Jackhammers on west bedrock. THE RECLAMATION ERA Issued monthly by the DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Bureau of Reclamation, Washington, D. C. Price 75 cents a year HAROLD L. ICKES ELWOOD MEAD Secretary of the Interior Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation Vol. 25, No. 12 December 1935 Land Planning in Relation to Western Reclamation Address Delivered on October 24, 1935, Over Station KDYL, Salt Lake City, Utah, on Farm and Home Hour 1 LANNING for wise use of land in the land is tillable and the farmer thinks provided an insecure water source for the P arid West presents a problem that about his water supply only when rain irrigators, who had found to their sorrow does not exist in any other section of the fails his growing corn. that many of the western streams carried country. It arises from the fact that the All the implications of this problem an overabundance of water in the spring natural rainfall in this region is not were not recognized at once by the west but were nearly dry soon after the floods enough to sustain a stable and intensive ern pioneers. Early irrigation develop had passed. Storage dams provided the agriculture. The natural water supply ments sprang up in the flats wherever only means of regulating the rivers, and must be supplemented by irrigation. water could be found close to mining of these the Bureau has built 68 and now Land is plentiful in the 11 Western camps and villages. Little thought was has 11 more under construction. Most States, but water is scarce. As a conse given to a planned development of the of these dams were built to rescue exist quence, the title to the use of water has limited and extremely valuable water ing irrigation districts from floods and become more valuable than the land it supply. drought. Established communities were self. The individual farmer, whether he thus assured an adequate water supply operates under an irrigation canal or BUREAU OF RECLAMATION ESTABLISHED throughout the year. otherwise, is deeply concerned with the It was not until 1902 that Congress The Bureau has, however, undertaken proper method of tilling his soil, of rotat recognized the necessity of sponsoring a few new developments, and in these ing his crops and of caring for his live western reclamation development and cases an earnest attempt has been made to stock, but the welfare of the whole of bringing some semblance of order out plan them so that they will return maxi western community is dependent upon of the conditions that arose from hap mum benefits to the West. intelligent application of its meager hazard appropriation of water for irri The Bureau believes firmly that experi water supply. gation. ence has shown that best results are ob The welfare of the entire West is bound In that year the Bureau of Reclama tained from irrigation when farms are of a up with sound, long-range planning for tion was established. Funds from the size .that can be managed by one farm the most advantageous use of its water sale of public lands in the Western States family. It has discovered that one family on its best lands. Without such plan were set aside for the irrigation of their cannot manage as large an area of in ning the economy of the area never can valleys. The need was apparent for a tensively cultivated irrigated land as the reach its most efficient stage. Federal agency to correlate the diverse same family might crop in an area where If a stream carries enough water to interests that were pulling and hauling irrigation is not required. At the same irrigate only 100,000 acres, and 1,000,000 at their water resources. Local jealous time, it has been shown conclusively that acres are available along its course, grave ies and petty differences were delaying the fertile lands of the irrigated West consequences depend upon the choice of desirable developments. will produce more, acre for acre, than the tract to which the water shall be Interstate streams especially needed will the lands of other regions. Thus, applied. It would be wasteful in such attention. A higher authority was re while the reclamation farmer is generally case to turn the water onto poor or quired to mediate differences among limited to 40 acres, this 40, through its mediocre land when excellent soil thus those with a claim to their waters. The fertility and the long growing season, will would be consigned forever to the desert. solution was found in interstate com give him a return comparable to that If the quality of all the land were the pacts that have permitted orderly devel offarmers anywhere. same, it would be improvident to irrigate opment. Of these the Colorado River a section far removed from markets when Compact, ratified by 6 of the 7 States INTELLIGENT WATER PLANNING ESSENTIAL a site for a development might be found in the Colorado Basin, is the most TO WESTERN DEVELOPMENT nearer at hand. important. Without the compact, The western problem is not generally Boulder Dam never could have been The West is destined to have a large understood in sections where all good constructed and the Colorado River population. Its growth will be limited today would remain the outlaw it once only by its water supply. Any waste of Paper read by E. 0 . Larson, engineer, Salt Lake was, ready to destroy those who dared water makes more restricted the limita City, in the absence of Walker R. Young, formerly supervising engineer in charge of the Boulder Canyon try to use it. tions already fixed by nature. In an project, and now construction engineer in charge of Officials of the Bureau of Reclamation area where water is the principal natural the Central Valley project, Calif. quickly realized that an uncontrolled river resource, failure to use any that can be 30884-35-1 229 230 THE RECLAMATION ERA December 1935 utilized is waste just as surely as is its Only long experience and careful plan Dam of the Casper-Alcova project; on misapplication. ning made it possible for the smooth November 30,t at Vale, Oreg., for con It is evident that an exact knowledge working machine that is the Denver struction of tlie Unity Dam on the Burnt of the potential resources of the streams engineering, designing, and drafting sec River project; .and on December 2, at in the arid regions is necessary for their tions to prepare the necessary specifica Ontario, Oreg., for construction of 4 tun well-planned use. .Probably nowhere in tions. Seemingly an endless number of nels on the Black Canyon Canal to serve the world has the water supply been obstacles arose from the necessity of the Payette division of the Boise project; studied as carefully as in the West. A establishing rules and regulations which on December 3, at Yakima, Wash., for 3 great city like Los Angeles, for example, will govern the construction of these tunneis on Yakima Ridge Canal to serve could not have developed without intelli projects, but they were overcome. Roza division of Yakima project; on gent water planning. Just as the people The 13 jobs put on the block signalize December 4, at Yuma for construction of Los Angeles have proved themselves the commencement of construction on of gravity main canal of Gila project; to be farsighted in the utilization of their virtually the entire program. Together on December 5, at Cody, Wyo., for 3 available water resources, so must all with work already begun, they represent tunnels on the Shoshone Conduit Canal, of the West, .whether urban or rural, the Bureau's largest undertaking. Heart Mountain division, Shoshone proj plan today for what tomorrow may bring. Under these advertisements, bids were ect; on December 7, at Riverton, Wyo., The western cities ne·ed farm areas opened at Yuma, Ariz., November 21 for for Bull Lake Dam; and at Fairfield, from which to draw their food supplies. the Imperial Dam and desilting works; Mont., for construction of wasteways It is as important to the urban centers on November 23, at Yuma, for a sec and laterals on the Sun River project. that their back country be developed tion, from station 50 to 245, of the Thus, a great program gets under way wisely as it is to the farmers themselves. All-American Canal; on November 25, and records are established. Additional Inability to find provisions within the at Yuma for construction of 4 siphons specifications were nearing completion radius of cheap transportation will retard on the All-American Canal; at Casper, at the time this article was written, and the growth of cities as effectively as Wyo., for construction of 4 tunnels other jobs will be on the block before it nature has restricted western agriculture on the Alcova Canal; and at Phoenix is published, but this recapitulation serves through her niggardly water supply. for construction of the Stewart Mountain to illustrate the efforts of the Bureau to Already the western cities are finding it Dam spillway; on November 26, at put thousands in the West to work on necessary to reach beyond the Rocky Casper, for construction of the Seminoe projects which are of enduring worth.

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