El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-06
THE WATER SUP
PLY OF Ell PASO
Is Insufficient For The De-
mands of The Increasing
Population.
THE LAKE AT GUZMAN
As a Basis for a Large Water Supply
Not Thought Practicable by.the
Civ EnQineer.

City Engineer.
The subject of water storage and ir-
ripation is one of much magnitude and
Importance to the residents of FL PasO.
The many advantages of irrigation
for certain kinds of crops, especially
for fruit and grape culture, are not
only misunders TODD in the east, but the
system is itself viewed with suspicion.
To demonstrate the practicability of
| irrigation it 10 perhaps only necessary
to point to the great fruit regions
of California, where every particle of
| water is saved and turned TO agricul-
| tural uses by the citizens. The great
wine districts and vineyards of Spain,
which for hundreds of years have an
nually returned large profits and made
the country famous for its vintage, are
sources of water. The matter of irri-
CATION in California has been SO
| thoroughly tested and proved so sue
cessful that in many instances the
water is carried in great fumes for
distances of over one hundred miles be-
fore being turned loose upon the soil.
Ia central and southern Arizona dur
ing the past year many thousands of
| acres of desert land have been reclaim
ed by securing water for irrigating,
either through canals from the rivers
or from large tanks located in the foot
hills.
So far Ell Pasoans have been a little
slow in the attempting to solve the
water problem, the only irrigating
done at present being along the val
| legs of the streams.
1t Is not believed that the interns-
tional dam will ever be built and
| the prospect for large and constant
| water supply for Ell Paso is very
slim.
1t has been suggested on more than
one occasion that Ell Paso could have a
| large water supply by piping the water
from Lake Guzman, Mexico, to the
city, distance of seventy-five miles.
The elevation at Lake GuZmRn is 400
feet hie her than the city and it is be-
| lieved that the flow would be sufficient
to carry the water to the city.
| A prominent citizen in speaking of 1t
| today said: 81 think it is highly i'm
practicable for great many reasons
and then the cost would be enormous.
If the water were brought through
pipes the friction would be so great
| that pumping stations would have to
| be erected along the course Of the line
of pipe and immense water works at
Lake GuZman and in this city.
'1t seems feasible enough, but the cost
would be very great"
Major Vim berly, city engineer, was
seen in regard to the project and said ::
81 would not care to cav definitely
what the cost would be to bring suffi-
cient water from Lake Guzman to sup
ply the wants of the city. but feel al
most assured that the revenue derived
therefrOm would hardly warrant the
very great expenditure of money used
in the construction.
'Seventy five miles is a long distance
to bring water and not knowing the ex-
onf fCr, ut
which the water would likely be
brought, l am not in position to say
which would be the better way for
transmission. Two ways could be
I adopted but in both instances the cost
would be very great.
Lake Guzman being only 400 feet
higher than Ell Paso, hardly think
there would be sufficient head to bring
the water distance of seventy-hve
miles. With pipe of small diameter
the friction would be considerable and
as the water peared Ell Paso the flow
would be very slight. Then again if
you increase the size OF the pipe you
only add to the cost.
1.-THE water could be conveyed in
small canals part of the way and piped
the rest, but in doing this 1t would
doubtless increase the distance that
the water would have to be carried,
and then the water would in all prob
ability have to be pumped part of the
way and an additional expense would
be necessary in the erection of pump
ping stations.
81 understand that atssome seasons OF
the year, the water in Lake Guzman is
very low and the supply would hardly
meet the demands of the present pcpu-
lation Of our city aud l do not think
that it would be at all practicable to
erect extensive water works where the
supply would be hardly sufficient for
our present needs when we count on q
population of at least hundred thou
sand within the next twenty-five
years.
MONITION: Notice Is hereby given
that there was seized in this Custom
District for violations of the Customs
law, two steers branded G. G., which
will be sold 10 frnnt of The Cnstnm House