The Winslow mail., 1898-07-30
The Hay Lake Water System.

We have recently been able to secure
some reliable data regarding the pro-
posed method of water supply from the
Hay Lake or Jacks Canyon source, as
now being developed by the Farm and
Fireside Company.
The present plans for initial develop
ment include the building of 24-foot
dam at the outlet of Hay Lake, 81 miles
southwest from Winslow, where the
conditions of soil and rock, enclosing G
banks for dam construction as we'll as
holding water, are extremely favorable.
The ''dead levep area within the reser-
yoir site is upward of 1000 acres, SO
that the present 24-foot dam, as now
being constructed will, according to
lowest estimates, impound over 10000
acre feet (13,000,0O0,000 gallons) Of
water.
Both from the statements Of old set
tiers in this locality and from reports
of three consulting engineers Of long
experience in water storage, there ap-
pears no doubt as to the sutficiency Of
the natural drainage area to more than
fill this reservoir annually. Small res
ervoirs near at hand furnish striking
object lessons of how this soil holds
water with a minimum of absorption.
If, at later date, it should seem desir-
able, a rock crib diverting dam can be
built in Canyon Diablo at very moder-
ate expense, and, by canal not over
200 yards in length, divert the water
from more than 100 square miles of ad-
ditional area into the Hay Lake reser-
voir. A 6x7 foot tunnel through a solid
rock spur at east end of Hay Lake dam
has been completed and furnishes a
most substantial place and method for
setting the discharge gates. Water re-
leased at Hay Lake reservoir flows down
the rock-bound bed of Jacks Canyon
to the point of diversion, ga miles from
Winslow, where substantial masonry
dam, l3 feet high and holding 100000
gallons of water, with modern Ludlow
discharge gate, ready for operation, has
been completed.
From the diversion reservoir, the wa
ter will be conveyed to the distributing
reservoir, on direct line to Winslow, 30
miles from and $50 feet above the town.
A natural reservoir site Of over A2,000.
900 gallons "a years domestic supply
for the city, capacity exists here. The
grade line between the diversion and
distributing reservoirs is quite favora-
BILE, the fall being about $50 feet be-
tween the two points. The water at this
distributing reservoir is high above the
salt springs and alkaline flats found at
and near the mouths of the three prin-
cipal streams Of Jacks, Clear Creek and
Chevelon's Fork, and consequently will
always afford the purest and best sup
ply for the town of Winslow. We un-
derstand that it is the purpose of this
company to hold several years supply
of water for domestic purposes con-
| stantly on hand in their system of res
ervoirs. It is also the purpose of the
company to clear the water used for ir-
rigation or power, outside of the dis
| tributing reservoir, SO that the latter
may always contain an abundance of
snow water brought down from the
mountains and free from any sediment
carried by all streams during the sum-
mer rains.
One of the foremost engineers in the
southwest, with over twenty years resi-
dence in Arizona, who recently visited
Hay Lake, says; Jacks Canyon ex-
tends from near the Little Colorado