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Show SECURE WATER SUPPLY Economical Way of Building Gate or Dam in Canal. As Irrigation Is the One Thing That Makes Possible Ranch or Farm Too Much Cannot Be Done to Regulate Its Use. In response to the following query: "I would like to know of an economical econom-ical way of building a gate or dam in a canal so as to raise the water for irrigation ir-rigation purposes. I live In a valley where a drainage district has been formed and a canal is being built. The canal where I wish to build a dam is 26 feet wide at the top with sloping sides and about 3 feet deep. I want to know how to build a dam that will not wash out on the bottom or sides." Lou Blakesley of Big Horn county, Wyoming, makes the following reply in the Farm and Home: Dig a trench across the ditch and well into either bank, about two feet deep. Make this trench plenty wide, so that one can work in it with ease. Drive piling, or set posts, against the lower bank of the trench, about two feet deep. Begin at the bottom of the trench, and board up the piling, as high as the water is to be raided. Double the boards, breaking joints each time. Then fill the trench with heavy, coarse manure, and carry it well up to the top and on either end. Weight the manure down with plenty of loose dirt, turn in the water, and you will have a dam that will be substantial, sub-stantial, as long as the timbers last. This dam will not wash out, but should, by any chance, a leak show in it. a load of manure will effectually stop it, and that Is the only repair material ma-terial you will ever need, until you have to put in new timbers. A cement ce-ment dam is much better and cheaper in the long run. I am at a loss to understand why you want such a dam across an irrigation irri-gation ditch that is 26 feet wide, or any other width for that matter. If the people of your community have formed an irrigation district, the officers offi-cers of such district and canal should have greater control over it than to allow anyone to build a dam across it. Further than this, the canal authorities au-thorities should construct all turnouts where water is taken from the canal. In a canal as large as this one all Intakes, turnouts, division boxes and other means of control should be under un-der the immediate and absolute supervision super-vision of the company. Certainly no thdrough irrigation engineer would allow al-low the building of a dam across the main canal. The water should always be taken 01 drawn from the bottom of the canal, because, if otherwise, the canal would soon fill with sediment, until it would be valueless. All intakes, turnouts, and boxes should be of cement, ce-ment, but where that is not practical, lumber can be used, though it will have to be rebuilt in a few years. One cannot emphasize too strongly the necessity for absolute control of water in the canal, by the proper authorities. au-thorities. It should be turned out to each user by the company and the user then compelled to take care of it. Under no circumstances should the in-individual in-individual user be allowed to take water wa-ter from the canal, nor turn it back, at his pleasure. The ditch enterprise, as a whole, will fail of success if this should be permitted. In a new district the great . and important im-portant step is to start right. Good headgates, outlets, division boxes and properly constructed laterals are a part of the company's work, which should require of the user that he construct con-struct suitable ditches and waste-ways, waste-ways, to properly handle the water. A new district could well take advantage ad-vantage of the mistakes of older irrigated irri-gated communities, and not only save the expense and annoyance of poorly constructed works, but prevent the loss of many acres of land, alkali, caused by a too free use of water, or for the lack of suitable waste ditches. As water is the one thing that makes possible a ranch or farm in a desert country, one cannot do too much to provide for its proper use. Upon the method of handling depends the success or failure of the farm. |