Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 January 1918 — OBJECT OF FARM RESERVOIRS IS TO STORE WATER FOR GENERAL PURPOSES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OBJECT OF FARM RESERVOIRS IS TO STORE WATER FOR GENERAL PURPOSES

(Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.) ——— Reservoirs suited to the needs of Individual farmers and small groups •of * farmers form the subject of thl s article. The main purpose of such reservoirs is to store water for the irrigation of gardens, orchards, and truck farms, but they may also serve to store water for stock and to provide domestic supplies for farm dwellings. Farm reservoirs are used most commonly in conjunction with pumping plants operated by gasoline wind mills or electric motors. Many pumping plants have been installed in recent years for Irrigation purposes, and this development has created a demand for storage facilities to retain the water lifted by the pump overnight, and thus provide a large irrigation stream for the following day. Purpose of Building a Reservoir. The purpose which a farmer has in mind in building a reservoir will go far to fix its essential features. If be intends to use any part of the stored water for drinking or even culinary purposes, the entire supply must be kept free from pollution. On the other hand, if the supply Is intended for irrigation only, the purity of the water need not be considered. In building a reservoir for use in connection with a pumping plant, the size, elevation and location. n£ the former should be adjusted carefully to the needs of the latter and to the land to be watered, one essential feature being that the outlet be somewhat higher than the area served. When the main purpose is to store the small flow of a spring-or the discharge of a small pump until enough water can be had to form a large stream or head, as it is called, and thus water a larger area in a shorter time, the outlet of the reservoir should be large enough to permit this to be done. Again, If the reservoir is intended for both irrigation and the watering of farm .animals, care should be taken in planning and building the reservoir to prevent damage being done by the trampling of stock. Water Supply for Farm Reservoirs. The most common source of supply for such reservoirs is the well, from which "water is raised to the necessary height by a windmill, internalcombustloU engine, or electric motor. The reservoir is located as near as practicable to the well, and the discharge from the pump leads directly to the reservoir with a branch to the head of the supply ditch, thus permitting the well water either to be stored or used directly on the land. The flow from springs, broqks, flowing wells, and small creeks'forms another source of supply. This is often too small for rapid and effective irrigation when used continuously, and storage is resorted to in order to obtain a large head and also to collect the flow overnight for use the following day or over several days for use during a drought. Springs and other small sources of running water may be made to serve a variety of useful purposes If the proper equipment is provided for their full utilization. Where there is sufficient fall, a part of such water may be piped directly ,to the house and barn and the balance allowed to flow into a pond or small reservoir, from which it is conveyed by pipe to an Irrigated field, orchard, or vegetable garden. In cases where there Is no fall or not enough, the water may be pumped first to the house and then allowed to flow by gravity to the barn and corral and thence to a pond, from which it can be withdrawn for irrigation purposes. Owing to natural causes or the careless nse of water In irrigation, fertile fields often become water-logged. In the majority of cases it is feasible to drain these low marshy places and apply this water to other tracts that may be too dry. If the amount of water withdrawn is small, a reservoir to store enough to make an irrigation head often is a profitable investment. .In that borderland between humidity and aridity, known as the Great Plains area, and throughout the arid region, the so-called “dry creeks” carry considerable water at times. Part of this run-off often can be led Into a reservoir and stored for future use In watering stock and irrigating land. _ In the Atlantic and east central" states, and. In fact, throughout the entire humid region, water to fill farm reservoirs generally can be obtained readily at low cost from springs, lakes, streams, and shallow well 9. Bogs or muck beds of limited areas also abound on eastern farias, particularly in the Atlantic coast states. These often can be converted at small cost from mos-quito-breeding grounds' Into serviceable reservoirs. Selection of t Site. The location of the reservoir will depend largely on two factors —the source of the~ water supply and its utilization. .If the water is pumped

from a well, the well and reservoir,) as has been stated, should be as near? to each other as practicable, and botl»i should be located on the highest ground! to be watered. Where a reservoir is to be fed from a stream, a part 1 of the flow may be stored in thei stream bed or be diverted through a, pipe, flume, or ditch to a better site some distance away. In the selection, of sites for the larger community res-* ervoirs care most be exercised to. make sure that water can be stored! at small expense per unit volume, and! such factors as the character of the? materials to be used, the nature of the foundation, porosity of the soil, dependability of the inflow, and the like,, likewise are to be carefully considered., The farmer, on the other hand, hart less choice of selection. He may be obliged to build a reservoir on a poor site in order that it may be placed near a pumping plant, or for other reasons arising from his needs or the conditions on his farm. In Farmers’ Bulletin 828, of the United States department of agriculture, “Farm Reservylrs,” a detailed! discussion of such general considerations as the prevention of losses of water from reservoirs, constructing Inlets, outlets and gates, wasteways, and? slopes protection is given. These factors should be well considered by any-* one building a farm? reservoir or pond. The bulletin wllil be mailed free on request.

COBBLESTONE RESERVOIR, COMPLETED AND FILLED.