Eighteenth annual report of the United States Geological Survey to the Secretary of the Interior, 1896-1897: Part IV - Hydrography

The completion of this volume marks the revival of extended systematic investigation of the hydrography of the United State. This book is, in effect, the ninth annual report of what has been known as the Irrigation Survey. Its preparation and publication has been made possible by the act of June 11, 1896 (Stat. L., vol. 29, p. 436), which enlarged the scope of the work and authorized the preparation of reports upon the best methods of utilizing the water resources of arid and semiarid sections. For some years before this date the sums available for hydrographic work were so small that it was practicable merely to continue observations at previously established stations, compute discharges, and compile for publication the data accumulated in the office.