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of secondary or merely local concern. In fact, the attitude of the people toward irrigation is in many respects similar to that of the citizens of Eastern States. It is regarded as a mere adjunct or incident, such as watering the lawn or kitchen garden, and not as a prime requisite.

There are in western Kansas a large number of localities where irrigation can be carried on successfully on a small scale, and there is no question that the number of irrigators will increase, to the advantage of the citizens and of the State. The climatic conditions are such, however, that crops can frequently be raised without artificial watering, and investments in large ditches have not been practicable because the farmers have not been compelled by circumstances to take and utilize the water, but have succeeded in getting along without it.

The water supply is restricted, and is limited mainly to the quantity obtained by pumping from underground or by storage of floods from local storms.

All of the rivers in western Kansas except the Arkansas rise in the Plains and do not have a mountain catchment area. The Arkansas, coming from Colorado, carries at certain times of the year a considerable amount of water, but in its course through Kansas the river has a broad, sandy bed, into which, through many months of the year, tiny rivulets disappear.

Water storage on a small scale has been attempted in various localities, but has not been found to be profitable. The most successful irrigators are those who obtain small quantities of water by pumps driven by windmills.

The Reclamation Service has made a general reconnaissance of the western part of Kansas, but without finding any projects which seemed worthy of consideration. The citizens of the State are apparently more interested in putting down deep or artesian wells, in the hope of getting a flow of good water, and incidentally perhaps of finding oil and gas. Urgent requests have been made to have deep wells bored, and to distribute these in various counties, in the hope of aiding local industries.

A careful study of the artesian conditions of the Great Plains area, including Kansas, has been carried on through several years and a record kept of all deep drillings made. The study of the geology of the country has made possible the interpretation of well records, and a fairly thorough knowledge has been had of the geologic conditions governing the occurrence of water underground. This knowledge is sufficient for the preparation of maps showing in a general way the depth to water and the probability of obtaining a flow.

In many of the localities where experimental borings are desired it is already known that good water can probably not be had, and further expenditure along this line is not justified by ordinary business judgment.

ΜΟΝΤΑΝΑ.

This State, with its enormous extent of arid land, offers a number of opportunities for reclamation. Attention has been concentrated largely upon the northern border, and particularly in the Milk River Valley, which contains large areas of vacant publie land. Milk River has a small flow, not receiving water from the mountains. It is proposed to reinforce this flow by connecting the lakes at the foot of the mountains with the headwaters of the river by a relatively short canal. The chief obstacle is not one of engineering, but of international complication, since the upper tributaries of Milk River rising in Montana flow through a portion of Canada, returning again to the United States. The question as to the propriety and feasibility of turning water into the head of Milk River to flow along the international boundary on the Canadian side is one which is to be considered.

Surveys and estimates of cost of storing water in St. Mary Lakes, and of taking this across the divide into Milk River, have been continued during 1903, also further examinations of the possibility of utilizing the waters of Milk River in the lower part of its course. These show that construction is feasible and the reclamation of many thousands of acres possible if certain matters concerning land titles and rights of way can be satisfactorily adjusted.

In the country south of Milk River a general reconnaissance has been made along Yellowstone River, particularly near its mouth. It is believed that lands can be reclaimed in eastern Montana and adjacent. portions of North Dakota by diverting the waters of Yellowstone River on the north or left bank in Montana. An investigation of the possibilities of storage and irrigation in the region of Musselshell River and its tributaries has been made. It is apparent that within this area are a considerable number of small projects widely separated and involving flood storage. Each of these could be taken up independently and might be made the subject of private enterprise.

NEBRASKA.

The western end of Nebraska lies within the arid region, and its principal source of water supply is North Platte River. This stream rises in Wyoming, and has a large continuous flow. A comparatively small amount of water is taken out from the main river in Wyoming, but in western Nebraska a number of large ditches head on the river, and a considerable part of the low lands are now irrigated.

It is probable that canals heading in Wyoming can be taken out to cover lands in Wyoming and Nebraska, and detailed surveys showing the feasibility of such canal lines have been carried on, as noted in the descriptions under the heading Wyoming. These have not been carried to a point sufficient to demonstrate the feasibility and cost of irrigating any specific tracts in Nebraska.

In the northwest corner of the State are a number of small streams south of the Black Hills. Irrigation has been developed in a small way along these, but the water supply is deficient and the natural conditions are not particularly favorable for the construction of storage reservoirs. The search for possible sites for water storage has not as yet been successful, but will be continued.

NEVADA.

In this State the necessities for immediate work are probably greater than in any other portion of the arid West, as the population is very small, having declined with the diminished mining activity, and the physical conditions have been such that private capital could not readily be induced to undertake the construction of storage reservoirs.

The principal water supply comes from the mountains across the State line, in California. The irrigable lands are in Nevada, and it has not been practicable to construct reservoirs in California for supplying land in Nevada with water. It is possible, however, by considering the physical necessities of the case rather than the political, to reclaim large areas of valuable land in Nevada and to support a dense population in certain portions of this State.

Truckee River, the outlet of Lake Tahoe, was first considered. This lake lies at an altitude of over 6,000 feet, and receives the drainage from surrounding mountains and discharges at the northwest corner of the lake into Truckee River, which flows in a general northerly and easterly direction through a portion of California into Nevada. Water is taken out on land in the vicinity of Reno, but a large amount of flood waters and seepage escapes into the lower river and finally flows into Pyramid Lake.

The first work proposed has been that of a canal diverting the excess water from Truckee River below Reno and carrying it out into the Carson Basin. A suitable reservoir site has been found on lower Carson River, where the waters of the Truckee and of the Carson can be held together for use on the desert lands.

The contract for the construction of the canal from Truckee River was duly advertised, the work being divided into three parts. An award was made and contract entered into on September 3, 1903, with C. A. Warren & Co. to construct divisions 1 and 2 of the main canal, and another contract on August 28, 1903, with E. B. and A. L. Stone Company to construct division 3 of the canal. The terms of the contract are given on pages 365–367.

The estimated total, based upon the probable yardage, is as follows:

Division 1

Division 2
Division 3

$325, 495 376,408 250, 716

NEW MEXICO.

In this Territory irrigation has been practiced longer than in any other part of the United States, as water has been applied to the land by the Pueblo Indians since time immemorial. The early Spanish settlers coming from Mexico watered their gardens and diverted the Rio Grande at numerous points. This stream, the largest river in the Territory, rises in Colorado, where a number of large canals have been constructed to take water to lands in San Luis Valley. Entering New Mexico the river flows through canyons where reservoirs might be constructed and then passes through broad valleys in which a considerable part of the water is lost. By the time it reaches the southern boundary of New Mexico the river has shrunk in volume, and during many months of the year the channel is dry.

Not only is the water supply of the Rio Grande uncertain in quantity and volume, but difficulties are encountered in using it because of the large amount of sediment in suspension. The fine mud or silt comes in largely from Chama, Puerco, and other tributaries in New Mexico. These in times of flood wash the soft earth into the Rio Grande, where it is deposited in part or carried into the irrigating ditches, necessitating continual work in keeping them clean. Reservoirs built along the river will in time be filled by this sediment, and all plans for water storage necessarily take into account the question of the life of the reservoir, or period before it will be filled, and also the probability of keeping the reservoir moderately free from silt.

Not only are the physical problems very difficult as regards the storage of the flood waters of the Rio Grande, but there are in addition interstate and international matters. At the southern end of New Mexico the river forms the boundary of the State of Texas for several miles and then becomes the international boundary between Texas and the Republic of Mexico. The Mexicans claim certain prior rights to the use of the water of the Rio Grande and also certain treaty rights as regards navigation. Any project to store water on the Rio Grande must take cognizance of the claims of Mexico to certain uses of the water before conclusions can be reached as to what may be done toward reclamation. Extensive surveys must be made to ascertain the opportunities and cost of water storage. For this purpose reservoir sites have been surveyed on the main stream and irrigable lands examined. These examinations have not progressed to a point where definite conclusions can be given, but they indicate that water storage may be feasible, provided suitable arrangements can be made with the claimants to water rights.

The most important tributary of the Rio Grande is the Pecos, which flows through the eastern part of the Territory. The waters of this river are utilized for irrigation, particularly in the vicinity of the town

1

of Carlsbad. Storage reservoirs have been constructed on the stream, but there are still available certain other storage sites and possibilities of water conservation. In particular, one of these localities is at what is known as Urton Lake, northeasterly from Roswell, where the waters of the Pecos may be stored for reclamation of lands south of the reservoir.

Another project which may be feasible is that of the storage of the waters of Hondo River west of Roswell. This stream flows into Pecos River, near the town just mentioned. The chief difficulty as regards Pecos River is the large quantity of gypsum and alkaline salts carried in solution. The country to a considerable extent is composed of Red Beds containing large amounts of gypsum, and much of the land already brought under irrigation has been injured by being waterlogged or by an accumulation of gypsum near the surface mostly due to unskillful use of water in irrigation. It is believed, however, that by careful consideration of all these matters it will be found practicable to plan and construct irrigation and drainage systems so as to reclaim large bodies of arid land without ultimately injuring it by the alkaline

waters.

NORTH DAKOTA.

North Dakota, although included in the list of States under the operation of the reclamation law, contains comparatively little arid reclaimable land. The western part of the State is deficient in moisture, but settlers are rapidly pouring in and are adopting methods of dry farming which in ordinary years are moderately successful. Drought-resisting crops are being planted and methods of cultivation adopted suitable for the prevailing climate.

A general examination has been made of the opportunities for reclamation in North Dakota. Many river valleys, particularly those of streams entering Missouri River from the west, have been examined. The valleys of these streams are as a rule narrow, and the fall of the rivers is frequently so gentle that water can not be diverted by gravity to tracts of large size. None of the streams head in a mountain area, and all of them receive water from local storms, so that the flow during the summer season is small and water storage must be resorted to wherever practicable. The topography, however, is not well suited to water storage, and problems pertaining thereto are not easy of solution.

The best opportunity for reclamation at present known is that offered by a tract of land in the area between Yellowstone and Missouri rivers. This can possibly be irrigated by a long and somewhat expensive canal heading on the west or left bank of Yellowstone River in Montana and carried around the edges of the bench lands or bluffs out to the agricultural lands in North Dakota. The land under the preliminary canal

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