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Show PREVENTION OF WASTE Development of West Depends on Full Water Supply. Larger Saving Will Be Effected In Future Fu-ture as It Is Found That Less Irrigation Irri-gation Is Needed Measurement Measure-ment Checks Loss. (By L. G. CARPENTER. Colorado Agricultural Agri-cultural College.) The prevention of waste of water Is a matter of public Importance. The land suitable for irrigation so much exceeds the water supply, not only in Colorado, but throughout the West, that the agricultural development depends de-pends on the use of the supply to its fullest capacity. Though the building of storage reservoirs, the stopping of waste, improved methods of irrigation which were all recommended in Bulletin Bul-letin 13 (1890) have been carried out to a great extent and the agricultural products, if not the agricultural area, has greatly Increased, and much improvement im-provement in measurement has come, the pressure remains about the same. A larger saving will be effected in the future as it is found that less quantities quanti-ties 'of water are needed; subdlyision into smaller and smaller streams becomes be-comes necessary and measurement will become more exact, and it will be justifiable to expend larger sums for exact devices. Aside from -the accuracy, a good system of measurement saves a large amount of water. A careful account is known to be the basis of sound finance. An accounting, in itself, produces pro-duces economy for it causes an arrest of thought, and directs attention to the matters under consideration, and reveals re-veals the source of waste. . It is also true in water administration. The very fact that water is measured checks extravagance. If It be not measured the idea is easily fostered that it Is not valuable enough. The mere fact that measurement is made and an account kept, makes each user more careful. In ditches where no attempt at-tempt has been made to control the use by individuals, it is surprising to notice the saving caused by keeping an account and thus showing how much each h3s used and to compare one with another. In cities It is well known that the mere installation of water meters and keeping account of the water used by each individual, often reduces the consumption to one-third one-third what it was before, and yet no one has suffered. When water is plentiful, plen-tiful, a system, or lack of system, works without trouble. The practice then is to give water enough to stop complaint. When the water becomes scarce, then inexactness in measurement measure-ment means that some one gets more than his share. This means that some else gets less, and the result may be serious upon the crops. In all parts of the state where the pressure for water is felt, there has been a great increase in the value of land, and this is almost entirely from the increase in the value of water. Reservoirs have been built at an expense ex-pense of millions of dollars to take advantage ad-vantage of streams of water that a few years since Were considered to be insignificant. in-significant. ThiB increase in the value of water has only begun, and therefore the conditions which justify pains and expense to obtain accurate measurements measure-ments will increase. Companies will go to much greater expense for this particular par-ticular purpose than they now consider justifiable. It is true that the present practice Is generally behind what could reasonably be expected from present conditions. Even now in the exchange between reservoirs, in northern Colorado, the companies have found it justifiable to i employ a skilled person for that particular par-ticular work, at considerable expense. The statement made In the first edition edi-tion may be repeated: "There will never be an easier time for arranging satisfactory measurements measure-ments than now; for the demand will not be less, and with time and the increase in-crease in the value of water, there will be many who will feel that they have rights vested in certain methods of measurements which may be intrinsically intrin-sically unjust." |