Page. 30. Map of Milk River Basin FIG. 28. Map of lands temporarily withdrawn on Snake River, Idaho............ 29. Map of irrigated areas in Montana.. 31. Map of lands temporarily withdrawn on Marias and Milk rivers, Mon 191 201 204 tana 32. Map of lands temporarily withdrawn near Malta, Mont.. 205 205 45. Contour map of Webber Lake and profile of dam site. 237 46. Contour map of Squaw Valley reservoir site.... 238 239 48. Contour map of Little Truckee reservoir site.... 240 49. Plan of dam site of proposed Little Truckee reservoir site 241 50. Map of Henness Pass Valley reservoir site and supply canal. 242 51. Plan of Henness Pass Valley dam site.... 52. Contour map of Dog Valley reservoir site.. 53. Contour map of Silver King reservoir site, California.. 54. Contour map of Diamond Valley reservoir site. 55. Contour map of proposed Mud Lake reservoir. 243 244 250 252 254 62. Map of irrigated areas in Washington. 63. Map of irrigated areas in Wyoming.. 64. Map of lands temporarily withdrawn near Lake De Smet, Wyoming. 65. Map of lands temporarily withdrawn on Sweetwater River, Wyoming. 29X437 LETTERS OF TRANSMITTAL. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Washington, December 3, 1902. SIR: Pursuant to the requirement of section 2 of the act of Congress entitled "An act appropriating the receipts from the sale and disposal of public lands in certain States and Territories to the construction of irrigation works for the reclamation of arid lands," approved June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. L., 388), I have the honor to inclose a report of the Director of the Geological Survey, showing the work done and in progress thereunder. In view of the short time that has elapsed since the passage of said act, it is impossible to show in this report "the quantity and location of the lands which can be irrigated" from the various projects under consideration, or "the cost of works in process of construction, as well as of those which have been completed," for the reason that no works are now in process of construction or have been completed. In summarizing the work done since the passage of the act, the Director says: The more important or more obvious opportunities for reclamation are being examined. Large areas of land have been temporarily withheld from settlement, excepting under the homestead law, and the lands not needed will be restored to general entry as rapidly as the final plans can be made. The plans, estimates, and specifications are being prepared, and some of them will undoubtedly be ready for submittal in the early spring. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Washington, D. C., November 29, 1902. SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith a report of the work done and in progress under the reclamation law approved by the President on June 17, 1902, together with other information essential to the full understanding of the subject. During the five months which have elapsed since the passage of this law, field work has been actively carried on in various States by men who before that time were engaged in similar operations, and by other skilled engineers who have been found available. As preliminary to the details of engineering work, there is given a brief discussion of the arid public lands and of the importance of these to the nation. A series of maps shows the location and extent of these lands in each of the Western States and Territories, and the areas still in public ownership. The preparation of these maps is, in effect, a taking account of stock of the real estate assets of the Government. Not only is it necessary to know how much land is left and where this is situated, but also the probabilities as regards the disposal of this land and the future increase of the reclamation fund. Mention is also made of the events of general interest which preceded the passage of the reclamation law and which in one way or another showed the trend of public opinion. The effective carrying out of such a law as this is, in some degree, dependent upon the attitude of the public toward the law, and this is perhaps best shown by the events which made possible the consideration of the preliminary legislative bills. The laws recognizing irrigation and to a certain extent paving the way for the existing act are also briefly mentioned, as these have served to modify the conditions under which the act can be operated. They also exhibit the attitude of Congress toward national irrigation works. The reclamation law itself is quoted in full, together with comments upon its scope and upon the details, which are left largely to Executive action. The law is so general in its terms that its success or failure may be said to rest almost wholly upon its administration. Congress has practically committed the whole matter to the Secretary of the Interior, and a volume might be, and probably at some time will be, written regarding the almost innumerable details which are not touched upon in the law. 12 The work of examination and survey is described by States. A large amount of preliminary work has been carried on by the Geological Survey, anticipating, in a sense, the passage of the reclamation law; and these preliminary surveys, where continued under the exist ing law, are described in connection with the operations since last June. In most instances the field work is still in progress, and there has not been opportunity for the men in the field to write up results or make necessary computations. In nearly every locality there are alternative methods of reaching the desired end, the relative merits of which can not be determined until careful estimates have been made. It is intended to complete these as rapidly as possible, and it is hoped that by the end of the winter season specific recommendations leading up to the letting of contracts can be made. At the present time, however, it is premature to offer more than a statement of the work in hand, with such plans or tables of estimates as have been finished, but without attempting to summarize or compare the results or to make a final recommendation. In brief, it may be stated that work has been carried on in the following localities in the various States and Territories: On Salt and Gila rivers in Arizona; on Colorado River in California; on North Platte, Gunnison, and Grand rivers in Colorado; on Snake River in Idaho; on the deep-well problems of western Kansas; on Milk River in Montana; on the artesian-well probabilities of western Nebraska; on the Carson and Truckee rivers in Nevada; on the artesian probabilities of central Oregon; on Bear River in Utah; on Yakima River in Washington; around Lake De Smet and also on Sweetwater River in Wyoming. At each of the places where systematic work has been carried on, preliminary temporary withdrawals of vacant public lands have been made. The extent of these withdrawals is changing from time to time, the outlines being modified as occasion demands. The ultimate area which may be reclaimed bears no relation to the lands thus temporarily segregated, as in many instances alternative projects are being considered, and it is necessary to run trial lines over a large extent of country before the portion which may ultimately be reclaimed can be determined upon. The final determination of the reclaimable area rests upon a summation of all of the facts of feasibility and cost, so that it can be stated only as the last of a series of estimates. That is to say, in each project the conditions are being sifted down to a condition where judgment must be exercised whether, for instance, it is better to reclaim a certain body of good land at a cost of $12 per acre or a larger body of less valuable land at $10 per acre. This final judgment can only be passed when all of the facts of cost of each detail, expense of maintenance, the permanence of structures, and character of soil and climate have been worked out with great care. |