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<br />COMPACTS AND AGREEMENTS DETWEEN CEltTAIN STATES, 7
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<br />surface of the stream is concerned. There is a stretch of 150 miles
<br />'from the town of L.. Salle, Colo" to .Tulesberg, Culo" Julesbel'g
<br />being right at the point where the South Platte River crosses' into
<br />N ebraska. Th~re has been It very careful and thoroughgoing study
<br />mada o~ that l'lver for a two-yell.r perrod, cOl~ducted JOlllt.!y by the
<br />Stl1te (I [ Colorado and the Departme,nt of Agrrculture, They placed
<br />automat,ic registers on every head gate, on every diversion, and on
<br />eve,ry rm.t,JtjlLlOll,
<br />The ~ of thltt study shows that over 1,200 "ccond-feet of
<br />wnter appell.r in the bcd of that stream Il.nd ure rediverted through
<br />that HiO-mile stretch that WitS originally dry; the 1,200 second-feet
<br />of wa.Ler appear ill the hottest month of the slImmer, where 110 wa,te.r
<br />raIl before, none of that water being what we term" original water,"
<br />or Lha./. year's flow from the mounta,ins.
<br />The reason for t.ha.t is very simple: There are OVi~r a. million acre~
<br />now irrigated on that drainage; tha.t ha.s been under if1~igatioIl, SOpl8
<br />of it, ovcr 60 yeltrs; It large part of it over 40 yeltrs; and gradually
<br />(:he groat land sponge has been filled, so that now there is a steady
<br />return of the stream; and so great and so consta.nt and reliable is
<br />that return tl",t upwards of 300,000 acres of land have been re-
<br />claimcd, or nea,rly reclaimed-in the main reclaimed-during the
<br />past 10 years as the result of works built diverting water from part
<br />of the ,tream which was originally dry sand,
<br />Mr, BOLES, In what State is that!
<br />'Mr, CARPEN"IOR, Colorado, between the town of La Salle and the
<br />town of Julesberg, on the South Platte River,
<br />I havo digressed to mention that, in order to bring out this phase
<br />of tho mat leI' : That the upper States lUlOW those conditions full
<br />well, 01' their executives and those in charge of their Sta.te govern-
<br />ment, do; and they realize that when the water is used at the sources
<br />not only is the use beneficill.ll1lld the crop production great, and not
<br />only is a.rid and almost wOl'thless land converted into hlghly produc-
<br />tive land, supporting families and helping to support the Govern-
<br />ment by taxation, but in addition there i.s a constant storage of water
<br />taking place in the voids of the earth that costs nothing to the lower
<br />river, And it is an incidental storage, And the wate,r so' nsed, in
<br />largo part, according Lo the soil conditions, will return lor reuse, a.nd
<br />going out to the land will again, in part, return for further reuse,
<br />ctc" down to the mouth of the stream, So much for this brief sketch
<br />of the physical facts,
<br />To return Il.gain to the conference of the governor", in August,
<br />1920, the governors of those seven States, and other accredited repre-
<br />sentatives, met at the city of Denver, and to that conference came
<br />Arthur p, Davis, Direetor of the United States Reclamation Service,
<br />and others connected with that bureau, The delibemtions of that
<br />body ox tended over some three days, the body being lmown as the
<br />League of the Southwest, and ~ presided over by Guv, Thomas E.
<br />Campbell, of Arimna.
<br />At that meeting the Director of the United States Reclamation
<br />Service, the matter having been pretty thoroughly discussed, made
<br />the statement that there was arnple water withIn the drainage area
<br />of the Colorado River to permit development in that quarter, or on
<br />any parl: of that strearo, without any interference with future de-
<br />velopmcnt in any other part of the drainage area, and resolutions
<br />were then adopted, unanImously, calling upon the seven States of
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