El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-11-05
NO REAL CAUSE FOR COMPLAINT.
Irrigation Tends to Increase the Rio
Grande Water Flow. - Mexico
Should be Grateful Instead of Try
ing 10 Kick Up a Row Over It
Result of the Expert Personal En-
animation of Professor CarDeuter.

Ing 10 KICK L p a Row Over 1t -
Result of the Expert Personal En-
animation of Professor Carpenter.
L. @. Carpenter, meteOrOloglst and
irrigation engineer of the A Agricultural
College at Fort Collins, was in the city
yeste rday. Prof. Carpenter has been
for some time engaged in measuring
the waters OF the streams OF Colorado
from wbic / water Is taken for irrigs-
ion purH Oses, and last year made a
careful examination Of the Rio Grande
river in the San Luis park, a matter OF
considerable Importance at this time,
n view OF the position taken by the
Mexican government, to the effect tn at
the use of the waters of that river for
irrig alton in Colorado and elsewhere
has caused the lowering of the water
IN the navigable portion of the river
in which Mexico has an equal interest
with the United States, and that in so
doing the United States has violated
The treaty, under the terms of which
the United States is pledged to do
nOthiDg that will interfere with the
navigation of the river.
Il don't know that L am prepared to
make airy definite statement On this
question:" said he, 'as we have not yet
com plete our inve cations. We took
the mea5urem ents OF the water flow of
only just about to commence this sea-
son. and therefore can hardly say def
Initely to what extent the use of the
water in the Rio Grande for irrigatiny
purposes affects that portion of the riy-
err that can be- nav gated.
FROM GENERALITIES TO PARTICULARS.
Applying the Information obtained
from experiments in other places, now
ever [ am inclined TO think that the
claims of the Mexican government are
not based on very Substal tiaI fOunda-
tions. OF course, Mexico has Certain
vested RICH in the waters of the Rio
Grande, and our government is under
treaty obligations to protect those
rig hts, but l do not think that there is
enough water taken out for irrig alton
to seriously affect the navigation of the
river.
1.-The records show that when the
Rio Grande is low the other waters of
The United States are low. There has
been nc high water in Colorado since
1854, wnen The water in the lower RIO
Grande was very high. Since that
time the waters OF all western rivers
have been low until this year, and the
Rio Grande river was higher this year
than 1t has been for many years. The
claim of the Mexican government is,
that the low water since 1881 is due to
irrigation, because irrigation first be-
came general in that year in the upper
valley of the river: but it is by no
means clear to me that this position
be sustained, as similar conditions
eXis ted in Other STREAMS not seriously
atfe cted by lrrig alton.
1T has been definitely determined
that the return to the river bed by |
5eepa &c is about 30 per cent. of the |
water taken out, the rest beiog lost by |
by absorption of Inc grow
Ing crops, and by the formation of uu- |,
foreground reservoirs. Toe latter cause
Of loss is but temporary, however, for
when the under ground basins are once
illed up, the water naturally once
more seeks It's ordinary channel. |
think that 90 far from 1rri gai ion being
detrimental TO the supply of water il
,he lover portion of streams, 1T Is likely
10 prove beneficial in this way: Ii ab-
%. bs d large portion of water from
foods, and when the basins ] have re-
erred 20 are filled up tho flow of the
streams be comes Steadler.
UNDERGROUND BASINS.
The extent and depth of these Ia.
ms for the reception OF water beneath |
ne surface are sOmewha SURPRISING
Cor Instance, in the San LUIS park
here is a large area, The full extent of
which has not yet been de:ermiued
hat is gradually filing up with water
which rises TO a point so near the sur.
ace that eventually the entire area Z
yer this basin will be cultivated with {
ut surface irrigation. AT some points t
n this tract where water was not 1
cached formerly at d depth of 1000 | t
get, lis now;f found at comparatively I
allow depth. The surface of the bed a
Dck generally slopes away from tn, {
f,lI l
,hen the basin is filed with water to ;
ne rim of bed rock it will overflow [
Ito the river, The same phenomenon | /.
observed in the valley of the Cache | +