Arizona's water Supply

Property values, growth and good business are based upon future possibilities. In arid and semi-arid regions like Arizona water spells future. If Arizona is to assume its proper place in the social, political and economic life of the nation, its water must be guaranteed many centuries ahead. When a region reaches its water limit its business and property values disintegrate. Water is the life of all industrial and agricultural development in Arizona, but water does not grow, multiply or propagate as do other forms of life. Its limited supply must be zealously protected or Arizona will revert to the limited economy of arid and semi-arid grazing lands, a large portion of whose productivity has already been lost by the ravages of misuse and erosion.History provides many cases where highly developed rich and prosperous regions became barren wastes because man overgrazed and misused the watersheds which furnished the lifeblood (water) of industry, agriculture and society. The cradle of mankind, the Tigris and Euphrates Valley, is a classic example.

Arizona depends upon the Colorado River system for its present and potential water supply. For millions of years this stream has patiently, persistently and methodically carved and molded and transformed the great empire that is the southwest. The River has its moods and passions. Rising in the high snowclad peaks it becomes a raging torrent when the snow melts and in other periods of heavy precipitation. During other seasons many of its tributaries dry up and the main stream subsides to a relatively small flow.

The constant cutting action of its silt laden waters has carved the greatest canyons in the world. These canyons provide some of the finest reservoir and damsites in the world. Boulder, Parker, Roosevelt, Horse Mesa, Mormon Flat, Stewart Mountain and Coolidge dams have already been constructed and with the exception of Boulder their impounded waters are being fully utilized to irrigate the thirsty productive soils of the Arizona desert. These irrigated lands are truly the salad bowl of the nation because of the innumerable trainloads of vegetables and fruits grown and shipped to all sections.

But man in developing the southwest has exploited, ravaged and set in motion forces that are slowly but surely destroying the results of his labors. Horses, cattle, sheep and goats were introduced in ever increasing numbers on the grazing lands of the watershed. The population increased by leaps and bounds. All this additional life placed a strain upon the River. The misused uplands have lost much of their protective cover. Swollen populations in the lower valleys demanded more and more water. The runoff became swifter and swifter, muddier and muddier. Multiplied gullies became deeper and deeper. Floods have become more destructive and difficult to control. Increased loads of silt carried from the denuded watershed are clogging the tributaries, upstream irrigation developments, the main stream channels and our storage reservoirs.

The muddy waters of the Colorado deposit their silt in lower Grand Canyon at the head of Lake Mead. In March, 1943, a party traveled in a boat through upper Lake Mead for about 20 miles between walls of newly deposited silt, 25 to 30 feet in height; but this was only a small portion of the depositposits as the silt in places extended for 250 feet below us. Each offending area which contributed these deposits could be de-tected by their characteristic soils which were deposited layer on layer of varying thickness, color and texture.

An example of the ravages of watershed misuse. Here, clinging remnants of vegetation are making a losing fight to hold the soils in place. History provides many cases where highly developed and prosperous regions became barren wastes because man overgrazed and misused watershed.

ARIZONA'S WATER SUPPLY

An average of about 138,000 acre feet of silt is deposited in Lake Mead each year. At this rate the reservoir will be en-tirely filled in less than 250 years. A newspaper editorial re-cently called attention to these figures, but went on to state that if anyone had been worrying about the reservoir filling up they could concern themselves with more immediate wor-ries, as 250 years was a long way in the future. In less than half this period the reservoirs will become virtually useless as a flood control structure, which was the chief justification for its construction, as its entire remaining capacity will have to be used for domestic and irrigation water and power.

The story of the Salt River System development is even more alarming. At the present rate the situation the reservoirs will be completely filled in about 175 years.

The man on the street, the professional man, the business-man, the housewife, view muddy torrents and deep arroyos with relative indifference. The common response, if any, is "a poor rancher or farmer is losing his lands." "Too bad for him, but what is it to me?" True, the rancher and farmer are losing their means of livelihood; but the losses do not stop with them; you have greater investments than they which are being destroyed at the same time. Every time you see a muddy, raging river in flood, or even a tiny muddy rivulet, you are witnessing the slow but sure destruction of your business, your home and future of your children. How much is this erosion costing me and my com-munity?

The answer for you who are living on the Salt River Valley Project, is shown in the following table: Losses in Salt River Valley Project due to Siltation of its Reservoirs.

First column figures indicate-Improvements, Investments, Production Sales. Totals.

Second column figures indicate-Total yearly loss due to reservoir sedimentation.

Third column figures indicate-Yearly loss caused by silt in reservoir from each square mile of watershed.

Present values are much higher than those of 1936 to 1940 in the above table, but if any sudden catastrophe like a flood, tornado or earthquake should destroy crops, property and land to the extent now being destroyed each year by siltation in the Salt River Valley, it would make headlines in all the newspapers of the land and a Red Cross relief project would doubtless be set up here.

What causes all this loss? Silt. Where does silt come from? From every little rivulet that drains every single square foot on the entire watershed; from every acre of land that sheds water and soil into every tributary of the river. Why is silting such a recent problem? First, because we have relatively recently dammed the streams and as a result are just becoming conscious of the menace of siltation. Secondly, silt flow is progressively increasing because in recent times the vegetative cover of the uplands has been depleted step by step, year by year, leaving bare unprotected soil, affording every drop of rain the chance to dislodge particles of soil and unrestricted opportunity to join with myriads of others forming torrents that gouge and cut the soil until it had a full load of silt to be re-deposited along the stream course and in the reservoirs. Why have the uplands been denuded? Because man in his short-sighted attempt to make money placed more cattle, more sheep, more hungry animal mouths on the ranges than there is forage to feed them.

The Salt River has not sufficient reservoir sites to hold the silt plus an adequate reserve of water to insure the present land development. Siltation in Salt River Reservoirs each year takes the place of enough water to irrigate 1,273 acres of valley land. What can Arizona do about siltation? First, we must have additional water to replace the reservoir capacity being silted full upon the Salt River system.

This water can only come from the Colorado River. In addition to the water necessary to protect present developments additional water is necessary for the thousands of acres of rich, productive, level desert land not in use. Arizona can not continue to grow and attain her proper place in the future of the Southwest without this additional development.

Additional dams above Lake Mead are necessary to store and divert this water for Arizona. These dams are also necessary to provide water storage to replace that lost by siltation in Lake Mead, thus protecting the interests of the 3,500,000 people dependent on Boulder Dam for power and domestic and irrigation water.

At present rates of siltation additional damsites above Boulder can protect the potential downstream development for about 1,000 years. Again we hear, well, that is certainly long enough; but each generation's chief responsibility and reason for existence is to leave the world just a little better for coming generations. This can only be done by taking every pre-caution to insure the lifeblood of the Southwest.

A similar warning given to the people of ancient Babylon probably brought forth a similar reaction, but because of this indifference the prosperity and productivity of the Tigris and Euphrates Valley were destroyed centuries ago. The country has never recovered. A delegation of officials and members of the royal families of Asia Minor visited the southwest last year to study erosion control and conservation measures in this region to ascertain if their exhausted water resources could be in some measure restored.

Silt barriers and reservoirs only prolong the day of reckoning; the only real solution lies in the regeneration of every foot of the watershed.

The losses caused by silt from each square mile, as shown in the above table, amount to a greater sum than the gross yearly returns from grazing and forest products produced thereon. It is a startling fact to most of us, but the watershed is at least as valuable for the water it yields as for the products it produces. All grazing on the watershed must be rationed or controlled in the interest of all the people of the region. No man has the indisputed right to deplete and denude land regardless of how adversely it affects his neighbors or his posterity. Land is the only living thing. Men are mortal. The land is a mother that never dies. Man may deplete the soil and destroy himself, but over the ages soil will regenerate itself.

Proper control of the watershed to insure minimum silt production and sustained flows of pure water means no real sacrifice to the land users. Numbers of livestock will have to be reduced, yes, but there is more net profit in fewer animals on full feed than in greater numbers on a starvation diet. The Steamboat and Mexican Springs Demonstration areas, established ten years ago on the Navajo Reservation, have proven conclusively that siltation can be largely stopped and more net profit realized per acre at the same time.

Bedouin Princes of Asia Minor on their recent visit to Grand Canyon and Southwest to see what we are doing to prevent the ravages of erosion.

The muddy waters of the Colorado River deposit their silt in lower Grand Canyon at the head of Lake Mead-walls of silt as high as thirty feet.

STATEMENT OF THE OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, CIRCULATION, ETC., REQUIRED BY THE ACTS OF CONGRESS OF AUGUST 24, 1912, AND MARCH 3, 1933.

Of Arizona Highways published monthly at Phoenix, Arizona for the year 1944.

State of Arizona, County of Maricopa: ss.

Before me, a notary public in and for the State and county aforesaid, personally appeared Bert Campbell, who, having been duly sworn according to law, deposes and says that he is the editor of the Arizona Highways and that the following is, to the best of his knowledge and belief, a true statement of the ownership, management (and if a daily paper, the circulation), etc., of the aforesaid publication for the date shown above caption, required by the Act of August 24, 1912, as amended by the Act of March 3, 1933, embodied in section 537, Postal Laws and Regulations, printed on the reverse of this form, to wit: 1. That the names and addresses of the publisher, editor, managing editor, and business managers are: Publisher, Arizona Highway Department, Phoenix, Arizona, Editor, Bert Campbell, Phoenix, Arizona.

2. That the owner is: (If owned by a corporation, its name and address must be stated and also immediately thereunder the names and addresses of stockholders owning one per cent or more of total amount of stock. If not owned by a corporation, the names and addresses of the individual owners must be given. If owned by a firm, company, or other unincorporated concern, its name and address, as well as those of each individual member, must be given.) Arizona Highway Department, State of Arizona.

3. That the known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1 per cent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities are: (If there are none, so state.) None.

4. That the two paragraphs next above, giving the names of the owners, stockholders, and security holders, if any, contain not only the list of stockholders and security holders as they appear upon the books of the company but also, in cases where the stockholder or security holder appears upon the books of the company as trustee or in any other fiduciary relation, the name of the person or corporation for whom such trustee is acting, is given; also that the said two paragraphs contain statements embracing affiant's full knowledge and belief as to the circumstances and conditions under which stockholders and security holders who do not appear upon the books of the company as trustees, hold stock and securities in a capacity other than that of a bona fide owner; and this affiant has no reason to believe that any other person, association, or corporation has any interest direct or indirect in the said stock, bonds, or other securities than as so stated by him.

5. That the average number of copies of each issue of this publication sold or distributed, through the mails or otherwise, to paid subscribers during the twelve months preceding the date shown above is Sworn to and subscribed before me this 25th day of September, 1944.

My Commission Expires February 18, 1947.

Arizona Highways

"Civilization Follows the Improved Highway."

Published monthly by the Arizona Highway Department in interest of good roads and devoted to the story of our land of room enough and time enough. All communications should be addressed to ARIZONA HIGHWAYS, Phoenix, Arizona. Subscription rate, Two Dollars per year. Single copy twenty-five cents. Printed by Prescott Courier, Prescott, Arizona.

"Entered as second class matter at the post office Phoenix, Arizona, under the Act of March 3, 1879."

ARIZONA HIGHWAY COMMISSION

The impressive scene on our cover page was photographed on the Arizona capitol grounds by Rusty Davies. Members of the armed forces, World War II, salute before the memorial to Frank Luke Jr., Arizona's heroic war eagle and famed balloon buster of World War I. Oak Creek Lodge in Oak Creek Canyon, by Ray Manley Jr., depicts some of the colorful grandeur of one of Arizona's most popular areas, on the back cover, A Trail in the Forest, By M. Campbell, graces the inside front cover, and the brilliant red panicles of Aloe Salm Dyckiana, native South African plant, is caught in its full beauty by Josef Muench.

GENERAL OFFICE