Show BEAR RIVER SOILS SURVEY comprehensive TREATISE AND DIAGRAMS ISSUED BY BU BIT REAU OF SOILS AN AH E advance adrance sheets showing work done in bear river valley by jensen a and n d are out by charles A jensen and A T i 1 continued from last issue underground AND SEEPAGE WATERS A map was constructed showing the depth to standing water in the area at the time of the survey while this depth will vary during the season I 1 son being greater during a wet spring and less during the summer and influenced locally or even generally by irrigation the map nevertheless th eless shows kafy vry closely the position of the ader ground water table the importance of keeping the water under tinder control can not well be exaggerated as the underground water primarily governs the alkali condl condi lions especially in the large level areas where this water is normally near the surface and the natural underground berg der round ground drainage Is not good the extent of the various areas of under underground 9 round water as classified on the map according to depth Is shown in the table following the underground water was tested frequently in lakous various parts of the area as were also some of the natural springs As would be expected considering si ithe the general distribution of alkali in the subsoil the underground water is often very salty this is especially true of the level area north and west of corinne up to and including tremont the surface well waters examined contained from to parts of salts per parts of water these salts consisted principally of bf chlorides with some ome bicar bonales bo nates and from 3 3 to r ya 00 parts of alkaline carbonates or black alkali sulphates were not often of tew present the deeper seated waters are more salty generally than the surface well waters especially west of dear bear river this has often been learned from experience peri ence in attempting to obtain better water by passing the f first stratum of surface well water the underground water along the east side of the valley is very good containing very little alkali many successful artilean artl arti sean wells have been adril drilled led in T 8 N R 2 W but efforts in this line in the northern part of the valley have not yet been successful the water from the flowing wells mentioned is of very good quality there are many salt springs in the area especially at the south end and west side of little mountain these contain from 2000 to parts of salt per parts of waa water ter and vary in temperature from 7 to degrees F r quite often gas is found la in drilling 4 i artesian wells in t the h e soi southern thern part of the area these gas reservoirs are foundas foun dat 90 feet and deeper but they are generally ot of but temporary endurance nep though one was used for more than a year for burning brick one of the best indicators of future alkali conditions is the position of the underground water table As will be seen from the map the water is already dangerously near the surface in the western part of the valley A great many factors must be considered in determining how near the surface the water table may approach with safety such as the character of the soil and subsoil tall fall of the land whether the alkali is in the subsoil or naturally near the surface whether shallow or deep rooted crops are to be grown and most important of all whether the irrigator can control his tendency to use water too freely drainage of the are and west of corinne up to within three or four f miles of tremont will be necessary ii ill order to render this as yet virgin land lana suitable and sate safe for cultivation for tha th a 3 water table is already too near the surface this condition is attributable partly to the canals traversing the area and largely to the almost perfect levelness of the land the drainage scheme tor for this kind of land must necessarily be quite comprehensive in scope and it would generally be impracticable for individual farmers to drain isolated farms this could be done however however by those whose lands are adjacent to the natural sloughs that traverse some parts of 0 the area beginning two abr three miles north of little littie mountain Altun tain and runn running ing south along the east side ot of the mountain Is a series of natural sloughs well able to receive drainage water from the surrounding country another system of sloughs is found in the southern halt half of T 10 X N R 3 W entering and traversing part of T 10 X and finally emptying into bear river bay these sloughs would be of great value as common main drains T 11 N R 3 and 4 IV could be drained into the swamp located in the southeastern sott southeastern heastern corner of T 11 N R 4 W this swamp has an outlet south into the lake bottom country another area where drainage Is practicable is box elder lake this intermittent lake which dries up during the summer months occupies about 7 or 8 square miles in T 10 N R 2 W adjoining the oregon short line railroad track and partly traversed by the latter and extends about one mile into T 9 N R 2 W this lake receives the drainage from mountain slopes and from sloughs west of honeyville and already has a natural outlet slough which drains southwestwardly into the lake bottom land but no attempt Is made to deepen it or keep it clean and in its present condition it is inadequate to carry off the surplus water this basin receives an enormous quantity of water during the winter which would greatly assist in the reclamation ot 01 land people farming in the western part of f the valley complain that two or three years irrigation ruins the land by ly bringing up the alkali and that there Is no alkali when they begin farming the fact is that the alkali is in the subsoil and under certain conditions soon comes to the surface laud land in which the alkali amounts to 06 per cent or more in the first six feet will certa certainly lAly give trouble when excessively irrigated it if suitable drainage is not provided continued next week |