Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1903-06-12
IRRIGATION
COMMISSION
Considerable Work Done in
Getting Action by the
Interior Department.
ENGINEER REED At WORK

tio6 LuCOuuL6TCQ -HuT.
veys for Reservoir
! Sites Under Way.
$ G. A. Richardson of Roswell, pres
I dent of the Territorial Commission ,
, Irrigation, who has been in the cit
, for two or three days on business cor
, nected with the work of the commits
sion and to make recommendations
the Territorial Land Board, does nc
credit the reported setting aside of
certain amount of money by the Secre
tary of the Interior for expenditures /
reservoir building in New Mexico
"The commissions attention." said Nj
Richardson, has been called to tn
amounts reported set aside by the Sec
retary of the Interior to the variou
states and territories which are to re
ceive the benefits of the reclamation
act, but the commission scarcely be
lieves any such definite amount ha
been set aside for New Mexico. No no
tice of such action has been received
or at least the commission Is not aware
Of it having been done. There is NJ
basis on which the money could be Sc
aside. When the announcement wa:
made the department had no estimat tt
Of the cost of the various proposed
storage reservoirs, no plans of then
and the amount of water had not beer
determined. The commission can
scarcely believe that any such division
of money has been made by the de-
partment in the absence of such in
formation"
COMMISSION NOT IDLE.
"The commission has not been idle.
Some six or eight months ago the re-
clamation act was taken up. Commun-
ications were sent to the Secretary Of
the Interior by the commission calling
the departments attention to sites for
reservoirs and especially to the advan.'
tages of the Rio Grande valley, the
Mesilla valley, the Pecos valley, the
San Juan country and other parts Of
the territory. The attention of the
chief of the geological survey was also
called to the possibilities of the Rio
Santa Fe. He replied promptly and his
request for data was complied with at
once. w. M. Reed of Roswell, has been
named by the department to investi-
gate possible and suggested sites. He
has just completed an examination of
suggested sites above Las Vegas in the
canon Of the Gallinas river, and Is now
in the San Juan country looking over
sites and possible locations there. He
will not at present investigate as to
the Rio Grande and Mesilla valleys.
Mr.. Reed was also placed in the field
to survey two or more reservoir sites in
the Pecos valley. The reports to the
have been made promptly.
The most advanced piece of work is on
The Rio Hondo, 10 miles west of Ros-
we'll. Mr.. Reed was, authorized in No
vember to survey the Hondo reservoir
md finished the work and has sent to
he department the results of his work
md the estimated cost of construction.
RIO GRANDE VALLEY.
"The Commission of Irrigation very
Early took up with the department the
natter of investigation of storage
in the Rio Grande valley
md at once was confronted with the
pending suit of the United States VS..
he Rio Grande Dam and Irrigation
Company, or, as it is better known,
The Elephant Butte case We were
by the authorities that moth
ng would be done in the Rio Grande
alley until that case was decided. At
nee the commission sent a commune
alton to the proper department urg-
ng prompt attention to and settle
lent or disposition Of the case. This
yas referred to the department of
tate and 1t was then suggested by the
that possibly the defendant
ad forfeited any right which 1t may
ave acquired by the survey and maps
lade and filed under the act Of March
}, 1891, by failure to do the work in
ne way of construction for more than ,
We years. The commission further sug-
ested that under the circumstances
1e rights, had any been acquired, had
,psed. The result of these communi-
atoms has been the filing of supple-
,entary petition by the United States
, cancel the survey and plats and
ave any rights which may have been
cquired by the company, declared for
.ited. The hope of the commission is
nat a speedy settlement Of this matter
lay be reached and the vast quanti-
es of food water going to waste in {
he Rio Grande and its tributaries may ,
e stored for use.
WILL CONTINUE WORK.
1.-THE Irrigation Commission will keep
he work in hand as much as possible
that it is without means 6
,r ordinary expenses even, to say
othing of being without any money to ,
ay engineers for the investigation Of
ties and collection Of data desired by ,
he department. 1t hoped the legisla-
ire would provide money for this nec- !
ssary and important work but even II
failed to do 50. We win not be dis
but will continue the good