86 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



reservoir nearly forty miles in length with a storage 

 capacity approximately of 1,494,775 acre feet. Borings 

 at the proposed damsite were begun in October. In 

 August a contour survey was begun in order to map 

 and classify the lands involved in the construction of 

 a diversion canal, and which would be covered by a 

 canal for irrigation. An area of about one hundred 

 square miles has been completed to date. 



It is possible that considerable power could be de- 

 veloped by the construction of an irrigating canal in 

 such a manner as to concentrate the surplus fall at 

 points where it may be utilized for this purpose, and the 

 power developed might be utilized in pumping water 



problem, which is the most difficult and serious obstacle 

 to the utilization of the flood waters of the Rio Grands 

 basin. 



The proposed reservoir will not cover any large 

 area of valley land, but depends for its great capacity 

 upon the high dam and a river canyon of very modern 

 declivity, the form of the reservoir being long and 

 relatively narrow. When such a reservoir is partly 

 filled with sediment, as it will be soon after construc- 

 tion, large sluiceways will be opened to provide for the 

 outflow of water at the bottom of the dam, emptying 

 the reservoir. The stream will be made to cut a chan- 

 nel for itself through the impounded sediment. 



: :. ,- 



THIS STREAM OF WATER IS PUMPED BY A NO. S AMES PUMP, 112 FEETTO THE SURFACE, FROM A 12-INCH BORED WELL AND 

 DELIVERED IN THIS ORCHARD 30 FEET ABOVE THE PUMP THROUGH HALF A MILE OF PIPE. 



from beneath the valley to extend the irrigated area. 

 Until the borings for foundations have been completed 

 the feasibility of the project can not be determined. 

 The reservoir, however, has a much greater capacity 

 than any other on the river, and is ample to store the 

 floods of wet years and to hold them to reinforce the 

 supply in times of extreme drought. It is the only 

 proposed reservoir with a capacity large enough to 

 utilize the entire flow of the drainage basin. It is situ- 

 ated sufficiently low enough in the basin to intercept 

 practically all the waters, and yet is sufficiently high 

 to command enough land to consume all the available 

 water supply. The extremely great capacity here pro- 

 posed is intended largely for the solution of the sediment 



It is estimated by this method the river can be 

 made to sluice out the reservoir and to thus maintain 

 a storage capacity of more than one-half of the original 

 capacity of the reservoir. To obtain this result without 

 injury to the irrigation interests below, it will be neces- 

 sary to construct an auxiliary reservoir further up 

 stream in the same drainage basin, which will provide 

 the water supply during the sluicing process. The 

 cost of constructing such an auxiliary reservoir and the 

 operation of both the gates of the reservoir would be 

 the only expense attached to the solution of the sedi- 

 ment problem side by this method. The reservoir be- 

 ing relatively deep in proportion to its surface area, 

 there will not be excessive evaporation. 



