THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



river about half way between Del Norte and Monte 

 Vista. Its direction is southeasterly for twenty-two 

 miles to where it empties into the Alamosa river about 

 six and a half miles northwest of La Jara. The canal 

 formerly extended across the Alamosa river some twelve 

 or thirteen miles southeast to the Conejos river, but it 

 was discontinued a few years ago at the Alamosa river 

 as the district below was covered by Conejos rights and 

 the revenue derived from the sale of water was insuffi- 

 cient to maintain the ditch. The Monte Vista canal 

 gets its water by two appropriations, the first, No. 224, 

 dated May 31, 1882, being for 132.2 feet, and the other, 



tain their unreasonable position. In the meantime all 

 the San Luis irrigation projects involving the use of 

 public lands for reservoirs or canal purposes are held 

 up in the land office. 



The Travellers' Insurance Company had started 

 the construction of a large reservoir near the head- 

 waters of the Bio Grande river with a capacity of 42,- 

 000 acre-feet. Work on it was necessarily stopped 

 the fact that Secretary Garfield again put into effect 

 the order restricting the impounding of water, which 

 bad been suspended by Secretary Hitchcock. There are, 

 however, several other reservoirs now under construc- 



Headgate of Monte Vista Canal, San Luis Valley, Colorado. 



No. 358, dated May 24, 1889, being for 125.6 feet, a 

 total of 257.8 feet. 



Eeservoir building in the valley has been hindered 

 and in some cases effectually stopped by the department 

 of the interior. The reason is that some years ago the 

 federal government concluded a treaty with the gov- 

 ernment of Mexico by which we guaranteed them a flow 

 of 63,000 acre-feet annually from the Rio Grande river 



tion. The recent great increase in the value of irrigated 

 farm lands in the valley has led to the projection of sev- 

 eral reservoir plans, designed to save water from the 

 winter and spring flows of the rivers for use later in 

 the summer. The first two of these to approach com- 

 pletion are located west of La Jara on the Alamosa and 

 La Jara rivers. The Terrace reservoir on Alamosa river 

 will have, when completed, a capacity of nearly 30,000 



Headgate of Rio Grande Canal, San Luis Valley, Colorado. 



at the international boundary. Partly in order to secure 

 this delivery according to the treaty, and partly to pro- 

 mote irrigation in Texas and New Mexico in accord- 

 ance with the reclamation law, the service has under- 

 taken the construction of the big reservoirs in New 

 Mexico, and refuses to permit the development of fur- 

 ther storage and irrigation projects in the San Luis val- 

 ley, holding that Colorado development subordinate not 

 only to the international rights of Mexico, but also to 

 the rights of users of water from the new reclamation 

 projects, even though the San Luis appropriations were 

 prior to those for the Elephant Dam Engel project. 

 Thus far no final decision in the matter has been 

 reached, and in view of the recent decision in the Colo- 

 rado-Kansas case it seems hardly possible that the 

 officials of the interior department will be able to main- 



acre-feet. The impounding dam of this reservoir will 

 be the highest dirt fill in the world, being 211 feet high 

 and 1,055 feet on the base. The La Jara reservoir, 

 with a concrete and masonry dam, has a capacity of 

 17,000 acre-feet. These two reservoirs will provide 

 for a township and a half of land. The distributing 

 ditches have already been constructed, and about 2,000 

 acres of ground was irrigated and in crop in the season 

 of 1907. 



Other reservoirs which will probably be placed 

 under construction within the next year or two are the 

 Elk Creek and Magote, taking water out of the Conejos 

 river, and having a combined capacity of 43,000 acre- 

 feet. 



(Concluded on page 84.) 



