The Irrigation District Act of 1916 (Irrigation Smith Act) allowed local governments to take out loans and enter into debts to acquire, extend, or operate works for irrigation or drainage or flood control

Flood control

In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...

, or to undertake the development of electric or other power, and secure a water supply

Water supply

Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...

, and have the Federal government as principal or guarantor of the debt in the event of default.

It was sponsored by Senator Hoke Smith

Hoke Smith

Michael Hoke Smith was a newspaper owner, United States Secretary of the Interior , 58th Governor of Georgia , and a United States Senator from Georgia.-Biography:...

 (Democrat) of Georgia.

See also

• Canal
  Canal
  Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
  
  
• Irrigation district
  Irrigation district
  In the United States an irrigation district is a cooperative, self-governing public corporation set up as a subdivision of the State government, with definite geographic boundaries, organized, and having taxing power to obtain and distribute water for irrigation of lands within the district;...
  
  
• List of canals in the United States
• Water district
  Water district
  A water district is a special district given the task of supplying water and sewer needs to a community....