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Show I,/(lf Page 'rIle settling Tanks . EYer since the experienced settlement ot Old st locally because ot the . great· emoun osehof 1 ri"er water that settles on the land dur1 mch ot the land 1s no. covered to a tine-textured cla1, which unless it be except with high-powered machiner,y---i8 in 1876, or rathCU tendency to "breok UP" new always of thie, rather difficult to both "ater and a its en .. etc.- • sediment hem tlood waters frau the m'ontai like tha.t of te Egyptian Nile, may enrich the lIater, however, has h gh t end of mu::_1OUS sOdium, alkali, has land hve, andlatherefore The mineral content of this settled hes tended to make much of the land nonproducti been a marked trouble has been sediment fran the muddy Beceuse dept ;rrigation. mo wello tfoot Tated---whlch is air. .... avai there ble. ". . Sir.ng:u!; e t:u;: , fran the bad-land- to the nor" .h and east· of the settlement, the proportion of rem ter cam ng ese.. ead soils has steadily increased because of the im of the better water diversion and pounding up the Little Colorado and its southern tribu tarie s---until for many years I' during the l,_.-we. t er season, II e d t 0 use the elmost undiluted flow fran the we were bad-lands much of the tm8, or allo.. crops to wither and die. thrU ofdthe come . histor,y g ;a- . __ cm.pe . . flowing wells, drilled during the years 1935-40', (see page 236 of this book) did much in the matter of diluting this unsatisfactory river tlow, or of replacing it at times when the river flow might be "nil" which sometimes occurred; and, of course, the new well drilled in 1948 (see page 251t. would do much to augment this dilution. The need. however, ot desil"tiJlg this mddy water haa long been tel t; and for ,several years sane experimentation OUr in the matter has been carie on by individuals. . The matter ot making a general effot in 'this desiltation appears to have "came to a head" in 1940. In February. 1941, the Joseph C1 ty Irrigation Compsll1' eT.1ed an assessment ot 20; per share on its 1509 assessible shares ot capital stock (later this assessment was refunded 9n III shares being used a oove the settling tanks) for the purpose ot purchasing land on which to construct these The cost of this lend 1(aS $375.00 basins et the.,Tanner W8sh, eastot Joseph City. and another $128.77 was used in fencing it---the for.mer owner retaining pasture ' . rights. .. Considerable interest in the matter was taken b.J the U. S. goil conserva tion service, and plans tor the work were drawn up; but bids for the construct ion were too high for our consideration despite the fact that the:.,'expense would and therefore it was decided to have been met in pl rt by government assistance; was done Construction was begun in 1943; but in the main proceed "on our own". to as so bring them in during the year 17. In attempting to till the basins tanks the gave we,., to practical usej the leyee at the "sluice-gate" in ane of the 194& basins during four the of two than more thus preventing the use ot 17th of this year. season. This break wes repaired by Jul,., 1949; and August the pro the Board of .Directors of the Joseph Oi tr Irrigaton Co.--cons1dering closed. account with the "settling Tanks" ject . campleted---ordered.the is $11,028.92. including the land purebaae 'lbe total cost of the project in the amount fran the governmental "AAA" Of this emount, we receiTed raised by assessnents. (The cost of $4,158.65; and the balance, ot course,. "8S but a tew small i tams inPrice just given d1 sagrees slightly with the ledger; charged to the the 8ccount, in atter the closing ot , 8Ssistnc8 advertently coming regular assessment ad accouae , the figure here bring 1 t up to given.) |
