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Show FUNDEMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF DRAINAGE Abstract of Remarkj by Nathan C. Grover, Chief Hydraulic Engineer, United States Geological Survey, Before the Drainage Congress at Savannah, "Georgia, Week of April 2C, 19K Tho nation must seek Its additional domestic supply of foodstuffs by reclaiming re-claiming Its waste areas and by cultivating cul-tivating moro extensively all ltB agricultural ag-ricultural land. The drainage of swamps will bo as effectlvo as irrigation of deserts In increasingv tho nrea of uruble land. I Tho failure of some of the private I or stato Irrigation projects for which "public lands havo been seg-egated is full of pathos, and tho final record of somi of tho failures has been filled fill-ed with tragedy for the thousands who hao suffered financial ruin. I Most of tho failures' could havo been foreseen nnd ncrted by- nn honest and thorough consideration 'of fundamental funda-mental fnctorb, but the deslro for gain was too great and caution was thrown to tho winds. Plea To Put Drainage Reclamation On Sound Basis In starting the now form of national nation-al activity which is now proposed tho drainage of swamp lands n serious ser-ious attempt should bo made to put the work on a sound basis and to avoid as far as possible tho mistakes made in irrigation. Irrigation nnd, drainage havo much in common nnd hro llablo to practically tho samo dangersin dan-gersin fact, in many localities not, only in the west but in the east, drainage drain-age must bo accompanied by irrigation. irriga-tion. General methods for financing nnd managing drnlnage projects hnv-ing hnv-ing been devised tho data necessary for designing tho dralnngo system may generally he collected In such a field survey as can be mnde-wlthin a period of a few months, except as regards the quantity of wntcr for which tho canals must bo designed. Measurements Of Stream Flow Necccsary This last determination, howovor, Involves tho collection of records extending ex-tending over long poriods. No such, determinations hnvo been made, so far ns I tint Informed, for large swamp nrens In the, Southeastern States. Designs De-signs for dralnago construct'on havo had no other baslB than general records re-cords of reclpltutlo.i nnd evaporation, evapora-tion, nnd tho result has been that dralnnge systems have been designed and partly constructed with Insufficient Insuffi-cient capacity to accomplish the do-sired do-sired results. Disappointment may follow for thousands of small purchasers purch-asers of land who havo been assured that the land would be speedily drained.' drain-ed.' Sounds Note Of Warning The failure of one project will have I's baneful effect on all and failure of a considerable number will make the financing and colonization of others oth-ers impossible Th remit will be a situation like that which is today pro-venting pro-venting the financing and colonization coloniza-tion of irrigation projects, in which tho Intrinsic soundness and valuo of Individual projects will bo completely lost sight of in tho general distrust caused by the failure to recognlzo tho fundamental factors controlling all such developments. Let us profit, then, by tho experience experi-ence of others and seo that dralnngo work is started In a safe and sane way. Let us first obtain reliable data In regard to tho quantity of wa tor that must bo removed from the land. Sovcral years should be dovoted to tho determination of this fundamental factor beforo there will bo assurance that tho records cover tho ordinary rango of conditions caused by fluctuations fluctu-ations in precipitation. Tho measurement of run-off need not and should not wait until arrange ments havo been made for .financing and managing dralnago works but, because of the long timo required, shou'd bo begun at onco. Tn other words, such preliminary data should Wcl bo collected that tho actual work of llial development may immediately follow MsM tho passago of a national dralnngo iftil net, In tho samo way that tho prior flJH collection of a stream flow data by HI tho Geological Survey rondo It pos- slblo to 'begin the construction of Ir- rigation projects immediately nftcn Ibo passago of tho national reclama- hsl tion nl 'ssssssa |