Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1900-11-09
SUBJECT or IRRIGATION,
c. B. Allaire, Of San Antonio, Gives
His Views.
AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION.
Elltora CitizAn-

Editors Citizen.
San Antonio, n. NJ, Nov. 81 have
to-day read with considerable interest
Prof. Hadley's letter regarding meth
DDS for securing irrigation water for
the Rio Grande valley also his desire
for opinions from others on this impor-
tant subject.
our conditions are vastly different
from those In California. our crops are
different and the soil from which the
water must be got IL different.
We must have cheap water, II wheat,
alfalfa and other field crops are to be
produced at a profit. II water 10 to be
secured cheaply and in abundance, the
lift must be low, as 1t costs twice as
much to lift a given volume of water
20 feet as to lift 1t 10 feet.
I have made several trips to Cali
fornla and have given considerable at
tention to the irrigation systems fol-
lowed there. l have also spent con
siderable time in the Rio Grande val
ley and have made a study of the con
ditlons prevailing here. The whole val
ley from Albuquerque to lei Paso Ia one
vast bed OF duicksand. | have sunk ex-
perimental wells in the mouths OF ar
royas, hoping TO find water in gravel
and have failed nine times out OF ten.
Some way will have to be devised for
getting water out Of this quicksand,
without going oyer all the conditions
to be met and the various ways OF
meeting them, a. seems to me that
something like the following plan will
ultimately meet with success.
l would keep up the present river
supply as long as available, with the
present system OF distribution. Then 1
would go to a point On the acequia ma
DIRE about one mile from It's connec-
ton with the river and there install a
pumping plant. where there will be an
abundance OF water not over four feet
below the surface OF the surrounding
country, and where the water surface
In the aoequia are IN the same level.
This gives us a theoretical lift OF four
feet only, practically say six feet, pro-
vided the supply Is ample to meet all
requirements. For such a lift some mo-
dlication Of the Turbine pumping sys-
tenn will be most economical. For my
wen | would dig a long ditch running
north from my pump station say ~
feet wide at the southern or pumping
end. and -four feet wide at the forth
end, an average width of eight feet for
a water supply OF say 100000 gallons
per hour for 1000 acres. This ditch
well would be OF sufficient length to fur
nish the above supply without lower
ing the water level (normaD over one
foot when the pumps were doing full
duty. Pumping would begin. say in
June after the failure OF the river sup
ply. There would be in the acequia a
deposit OF silt deposited from the river
water. II there were, say 300 acres.
under this system. | would divide the
service into three sections of 900 acres
each, giving water to the first section.
on say, Monday and Tuesday. the Sec
ond on Wednesday and Thursday. and
The third on Friday and Saturday.
When any of these sections were being
supplied. I would operate a drag or
harrow In that section of the ditch,
thus stirring up the river silt n car
rying II on the land OF that section,
where II would contribute to the fertil-
ity OF the soil and at h end of the
crop year leaving the whole acequia
clean and saving the enormous labor
now expended annually for cleaning by
manual labor.
There IL one other great advantage
In this system. Water taken from ,ne
ground Is of too low a temperature for
growing crops and must be warmed to
get the best results. This Is accom-
plished while flowing from the pump
ing station. In the ~acequia.
The only element OF uncertainty in
the cost OF installing and operating
such a plant Is the investment neces-
sary to control ne quicksand n to
secure an ample volume OF water.
c.. Il. ALLAIRE.