Report about flood control in Virgin and Moapa Valleys

The Story of Flood Control in Virgin and Moapa Valleys. Flood Control in each the Moapa and Virgin Valleys can best be told in two parts, except for one phase of the work, namely: The splendid cooperation of all local, county, state, and federal agencies who assisted in all the many phases of effort involved. This story would he incomplete without special mention of the various agencies having had to do with the promotion of these activities, namely federal agencies represented by the Secretary of Agriculture, by Robert Fechner with his most worthy civilian conservation corps Boys and men in cooperation with the V. S. Amy, the Forest Service, the Soil Conservation Service, the Division of Grazing, and the Park Service; also the Bureau of Agricultural Engineering, the U. S. Army Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U. S. Indian Service, the Biological Survey, the Farm Credit Administration, and the Disaster Loan Corporation; the various Nevada Congressional delegations, State Governors, State Engineers and State Highway Engineers who have served since this program has been under way; the State Experiment Station, the State, Clark and Lincoln County Farm Bureau and Extension Service organisa-tions in cooperation with County Commissioners of each Clark and Lincoln counties and the Union Pacific Railroad System; the Soil Conservation District Supervisors, local irrigation company directors with respective stockholders, town boards, community committees, the L. D. S. Church, Chambers of Commerce and service organisations of respective areas and, last but not least, the local press represented by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Las Vegas Age, the Caliente Herald and the Pioche Record. It might be of interest to know that parallel with and even before actual research work was done on proposed Boulder dam sites, the Virgin Valley communities were devising ways and Means of preventing inroads of floods that were gradually becoming increasingly hazardous to both farm lands and Irrigation water supplies; but not until very recent years thru the cooperation of the Forest Service and the Soil Conservation Service were substantial gains made toward effective control measures. The Moapa Valley area sought ways to prevent floods from covering, during every 5 to 10 year period, a large part of the valley with tons of sterile silt, necessitating re-levelling, re-fencing, re-building the soil fertility?in fact little short of practically re-making of homes and farms, and re-building of irrigation systems and diversion dams. In 1925, following a flash flood that came in an off-flood season period in September of that year, (covering practically the entire upper part of the lower Valley, in spite, it seemed, of their flood channel, the banks of which over-flowed with from one to four feet of water along its entire upper course), gave evidence that a way must be found to dissipate floods before they reach the farm lands of the area rather than try to control them after they reach lands to be protected. Little did the 10 to 15 leading farmers of Moapa Valley then think that their contribution of $10 to $25 each for a preliminary survey of the flood menace would eventually bring into the Meadow Valley Wash watershed, the Moapa, and the Virgin Valley areas an expenditure of over $500,000 during the last decade?most of which came from federal sources under supervision of the Forest and Soil Conservation Service agencies, in cooperation with the U. S. Army and CCC enrollees. While there is yet much more work to be done,?ex-penditures to date, in addition to needs yet evident will, in the course of time, prove well their worth. Following will be seen some?not all, the "works" that have been under construction since the advent of the CCC Camps in the area. It should be here stated that these views have been made possible thru the splendid coop-eration of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and the Las Vegas Photo Shop in cooperation with the Clark County Farm Bureau and the Extension Service agencies. A rather hurried picturization of the program in part shows: 1st. The Meadow Valley Wash flood control project 8 miles above Glendale Service station, with its spillway construction under the Forest Service supervision. This is one of the largest projects undertaken by CCC enrollees. This structure is designed to divert approximately one half of maximum peak flood flows that come from upper reaches of the Meadow Valley Wash, nearly 135 miles to the north, and spreads those peak flows to the right over approx-imately a thousand acres of land over which has bean woven a series of eight levees designed to impound and desilt the flood waters. 2nd. Here is the completed cement-steal reinforced structure with steel gates designed to divert peaks of 15,000 to 20,000 cfs. flood flows to the spreading grounds, thus reducing the menace of floods that continue down the regular channel to control "works" below, thru the Moapa Valley flood Channel and into lake Mead. 3rd. One of the seven cross levees on the spreading grounds,which, since flood waters have flowed into basins, serve as excellent watering and grazing conveniences for range cattle of the area. 4th. Here is a cement-steel reinforced structure that serves as the outlet spillway for the dissipating grounds, just immediately above. Here over-flow waters return to the old flood channel to join that which comes thru the diversion spillway as seen previously. 5th. This is the Moapa Valley Highway bridge crossing the flood channel that leads from the Wells Siding Flood Control works to Bowman's Reservoir. These small impounding basins, which with the larger Wells Siding and Bowman reservoirs, help materially in reducing peak flood flows that might otherwise contribute to heavy damages in the Valley below. Here are the steel gates controlling the 1000 cfs. flows from the main flood stream that roars over the two spillways shown here with the main diversion dam and the devised for distributing irrigation water into each the west and east side canals of the valley below. Wells hiding structure is the second line of defense against floods that pass thru Meadow Valley Wash works 6 to 8 miles above Glendale, and floods that might escape a series of flood control structures found in the Moapa Indian Reservation? and the Arrowhead Canyon, 5 and 30 miles respectively northwest of Moapa. Wells Siding is a most ingeniously designed structure?providing for 15,000 cfs. spillway capacity. A syphon extends underneath the east spillway seen next to the gates leading to the flood channel, for the east side Logandale canal, and the diversion for the west side Logandale-Overton canal. 3th. Bownan's Reservoir, which with other near by basins, has a capacity of approximately 1300 ac. ft. during high flood stage, provide temporary storage for further reducing peaks of floods that flow on down thru the valley toward Lake Mead. Had the Meadow Valley Wash Flood Control spreading grounds, the Indian Reservation and Arrowhead Canyon checks, and those of Wells Siding- Bowman Basins net been in evidence during the March 1938 flood, the flooding and consequent damages to highways, farms end hones would indeed have been far above the $30,000 mark which was actually suffered with but approximately 8,000 of the 14,000 cfs. flood that was evident, at the Meadow Valley Wash Diversion spillway seen at the beginning of this film, compared with a loss of approximately $180,000 during the 1910 flood of only 12,000 Cfs. at Caliente. 7th. Here is a glimpse of the Flood Channel, Moapa Valley's last line of defense, that courses thru the heart of the Moapa Valley?showing how, with treacherous mein, not only the heaviest?but even mediocre floods might carry on their work of destruction-melting great hulks of Moapa Valley's richest soils and carrying them thence only to silt up Lake Mead, thus, floods causing havoc in two ways, destroying farm lands that can not well be spared, and shortening the useful life of Lake Mead as a storage reservoir. 8th. The importance of having this channel "worked over" to a carrying capacity of approximately 10,000 or sore of cfs. can be better understood when we have seen lands, crops, homes, highways, railway, and REA power facilities, that otherwise will sooner or later, if no protective work is provided for, become seriously jeopardized with possibilities of enormous damage being done throughout the entire valley. 9th. Here is a cantaloupe field adjacent to the flood channel, subject to heavy erosion unless corrective measures are affected. And now, may be seen a panoramic view of the entire Logandale area, showing the Logandale or Wells Siding CCC Camp, the Mormon Range, the Mormon Mesa, and the Virgin Mountains In the distance, the foreground showing lands for-merly flooded from hillside to hillside causing damage such that complete reclamation processes were necessary to re-crop lands. 10th. For more detailed areas that are either directly or Indirectly affected by floods, we have the Tobiasson Dairy Herd on pasture. Note the splendor of color here. Similar herds in the Valley provide a large part of the Las Vegas-Boulder City milk supply. 11th. And Jess Whipple's early radish crop, which with other farms of the area supply northern and eastern markets with carlots of early vegetables, among which are famous Moapa radishes, asparagus and cantaloupes. l2th. The Wells orchard serving the dual purpose of fruit and nut production and providing pasture for feeder beef cattle in preparation for markets thru the cooperative Southern Nevada Meat and Provision Company packing plant in Las Vegas and the Los Angelas stock yards. 13th. Also the Well's Tomato plant fields with his crew of workmen preparing plants for shipment, and of which, with other fields in the valley 20 to 30 million plants are distributed to neighboring states yearly: Here is seen the great care exercised in all stages of preparing these field grown tomato plants for shipment. Mr. Wells is mighty proud of his tomato plant pack, 1500 plants per box, over 500,000 plants per acre. 14th. And now, to give you just a glimpse of dwellings of the real home lovers in Moapa Valley. Homes set among tall trees, broad lawns, and flowers of every hue to delight the beauty instincts of the passer by, and to influence the home life of those who have chosen this desert land in which to live their lives, build their homes, and plan for the future in a land blessed with so many potentialities toward a bigger and better standard of living. 15th. Here is the recently landscaped logandale school house with Its pupils and teachers, just one-half mile away from the flood channel, and in direct path of floods that might leave the banks, during any major flood, seriously endangering both public and private property and human life. 16th. Another mark of interest is the Moapa Valley High School in Overton, also very definitely a part of that which, with highways, railroads, R.E.A. Power, farm lands and homes, wakes the completion of the entire Meadow Valley Wash watershed flood control program an urgent necessity. 17th. Passing hurriedly on, a glimpse of ages past?the Overton museum depicting the early life of Indians of 20 or more centuries ago,? and lastly, though in quite some contrast, the result of most modem enterprise, 18th. The Rural Electrification Power Project substation, which provides Boulder Dam Power to both the Moapa and Virgin Valleys. I9th. And, hardly acre than a stone's throw from the doors of the Moapa Valley farm homes, spread the placid waters of Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in the world, and whose waters now cover the once historic community of St. Thomas. Lake Mead!?destined to serve humanity in ways of which we do not now dream, but which even now province a paradise for the fisherman, a refreshing swim for the weary traveller and a landscape which with the shadows of he setting sun portrays a display of mirrored colors that in very deed makes for the end of a perfect day!