The Northern Review

The Mississippi Drainage Basin is full of water, so full it is at flood stage in hundreds of square miles of area. The floods will cause much damage. Perhaps use can be made of these waters and perhaps some of the flood surge could be abated if –

If there was an extensive system of large pumps and large pipe systems for the time being within westward directed railroad right-of-ways to move vast quantities of flood waters to the west. Where in the west? To the thousands of wells which been drilled into the Ogallala Aquifer.

One of the major problems of the plains states is the need to recharge the Ogallala Aquifer. This would recharge the aquifer, take some of the flood surge burden off the Mississippi System, and make water available for continued circle farming and urban areas in the High Plains.