THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



51 



BOTTLING UP COLORADO FLOOD WATERS. 



SUCCESSFUL STORAGE RESERVOIRS CAPACITY LARGE 



WILL IRRIGATE LARGE AREAS. 



Colorado is having its first practical experience 

 with flood reservoirs, and the experience is certainly 

 encouraging. The thorough utility of such reservoirs 

 appears to be fully demonstrated. The results, too, 

 go far toward proving the wisdom of the recent na- 

 tional irrigation legislation. Storage reservoirs are not 

 a new thing in Colorado. But it was not until recently 

 that distinctive flood reservoirs were constructed. The 

 reservoirs of previous construction were designed to 

 be filled through the channels of regular irrigating 

 ditches, and were filled at such times as the ditches 

 were not in use for direct irrigation. They were filled 

 principally during the non-irrigation season. But this 

 season is not usually. one of floods; so the process was 

 quite slow and sometimes unsatisfactory. 



The flood reservoir, however, is constructed in the 

 bed of some small stream, so that primarily it will 

 have a water supply of some sort. Then in addition it 

 has a supply canal leading from some large stream, 

 so that when there happens to be a surplus of water 

 in that stream, this surplus may be collected. If a 

 ditch of this kind is not practicable, a lateral or branch 

 leading from the main irrigating ditch of the system 

 to which the reservoir belongs is substituted. Thus, 

 good advantage may be taken of any flood that may 

 occur. 



The best examples of flood reservoirs in Colorado 

 are those of the North Poudre irrigation company in 

 Lorimer county. These were constructed during the 

 winter and spring of 1902. With these and the reser- 

 voirs already in existence, the company has a system 

 with a combined storage capacity of nearly 3,000,000,000 

 cubic feet of water. 



The larger of its flood reservoirs is the Fossil creek 

 reservoir, situated about ten miles southeast of Fort 

 Collins. This reservoir has a storage capacity of 550,- 

 000,000 cubic feet of water. It was completed in the 

 last of May and very little water was received in it 

 until September 20 and 21, when the long drouth in 

 Colorado was broken. Within 40 hours nearly 7 inches 

 of rain fell in the Poudre valley. Then the flood reser- 

 voirs began to tell their story. The Fossil creek reser- 

 voir receives the entire flow of the stream whose name 

 it bears. It also has a large supply ditch leading from 

 the Cache la Poudre river. Within 24 hours after the 

 storm began the water in the reservoir rose 14 feet, in- 

 dicating a gain in water held of 44,000,000 cubic feet. 

 October 10 the water had risen to nearly 24 feet, and 

 the amount of water received from the beginning of the 

 storm up to that date was 300,000,000 cubic feet. 



In the other storage reservoir of the company a 

 like saving was made, so the company has stored away 

 as the result of one storm 600,000,000 cubic feet of 

 water for next season's irrigation. It is the opinion 

 of the company that all of its reservoirs will be filled 

 to their utmost capacity long before the next irrigation 

 season opens. 



The value of the water already saved by this com- 

 pany can be approximated when it is stated that it 

 is sufficient to irrigate nearly 14,000 acres of land for 

 an entire season. 



Pulse ihe Irrigation Industry 



The White Mountain Irrigation Company, with 

 a capital of $250,000, has been incorporated at Santa 

 Fe, N. M., by_ Frank W. Parker, Martin Lohmann, 

 Joseph N. Bonham, Gilmore Friend and James P. 

 Mitchell. A large storage reservoir is to be erected 

 near Talarosa, Otero county, and a ten miles canal 

 will be constructed. The company will have its head- 

 quarters in Las Cruces, Dona Ana county. 



It is very sad to see that even New Mexico's irriga- 

 tion works are passing from the wooden period to the 

 cement era, like those of California, -long before there 

 is any sign of it in Colorado. The Pecos Irrigation 

 Company is about to have the wooden flume crossing 

 the Pecos river six miles above Carlsbad replaced with 

 a permanent concrete structure at a cost of $50,000. 

 Kansas, and fifty men will be at work three months. 

 This is the kind of works we can have in Colorado when 

 we get around to it, the cement being made at the 

 new Colorado factory at Portland which began opera- 

 tions this week. Chieftain, Pueblo, Colo. 



Editor Trickey of the Pearsall Leader is still 

 preaching irrigation but it appears to be as if his argu- 

 mental drill had struck nothing but the granite stone 

 of indifference to that all important question Uvalde 

 Leader News. 



This is where you are mistaken, brother. There are 

 at least ten men in Frio county putting in irrigation 

 plants and several others will go to work with the same 

 intention in the next few weeks. The Leader is drilling 

 in soapstone now, we are keeping the mossbacks cased 

 off and now and then we strike pure water and feel en- 

 couraged for a few days. Granite rocks get in the way 

 occasionally, but we keep on with the drilling and work 

 that much harder. Now and then a progressive farmer 

 comes in and with cheering words shows his appreciation, 

 helps us, so to speak, keep the drill sharp and ere long 

 we hope to strike artesian water. 



Keep it up, Mr. Trickey, don't allow anything to 

 discourage you so long as you know you are on the 

 risrht track. 



Renew your subscriptions to the IRRIGATION AGE 

 for 1903. Send us in Post Office or Express money 

 order for $1.00. 



The famous Arrowhead reservoir site near San 

 Bernardino, California, with all its tributaries, tunnels 

 and canals, has been offered for sale to the government 

 and the department of the interior has asked for an 

 exhaustive report upon the condition of the property, 

 its description, the cost and character of the work so 

 far accomplished and approximately the cost of com- 

 pleting the gigantic undertaking, together with a state- 

 ment as to the number of acres which would be directly 

 brought under cultivation through its completion. The 

 company is composed of Cincinnati capitalists, who 

 ha-d planned an immense reservoir high up among the 

 mountains above San Bernardino valley to impound 

 billions of gallons of water pouring from an almost 

 limitless watershed and use the water upon the thousands 

 of acres of rich fruit lands in the valley. For ten years 

 work has been going on. Cement canals miles in length 

 have been built and a high impounding wall of concrete 

 is over half completed, the outlay so far running above 



