Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1904-06-30
Against the Building Of the Hondo
Reservoir Made by the Pecos
Irrigation Company.
CLAIM A PRIOR RIGHT
To the Excess Flood Waters and the
Normal Winter Flow Of the Stream
Which Supplies Carlsbad
System.

From Carlsbad comes the news tina
the Pecos Irrigation Company, whose
irrigation system is situated rs mile!
south of the mouth of the Hondo River
has made formal protest against the
purchase of the Hondo reservoir site
and the commencement of construc
.tion work on it. This is the first hitch
in the plans of the reclamation ser
vice. The company, in somewhat
lengthy protest sets forth that it has
prior right to the excess flood waters
and the normal winter flow of this i'm
portant tributary of the Pecos from
which the Carlsbad system gets its
supply
The action of the complaint is based
upon the order of Acting Chief Engin-
eer A. P. Davis of the reclamation SER
vice, ordering Engineer W. M. Reed at
Roswell to proceed with the purchase
of the site. and informing him that
the area irrigated by the project had
been reduced from 10000 to 10000
acres, it being alleged that this was
the first official information that the
government really intended to take up
and proceed with the work.
infringement Alleged.
The complainant company owns and
conducts one of the most complete
and best equipped irrigation systems
in the United States, one feature of
which is the largest stone and con-
crete aqueduct in the western hemis-
phere, and in it's recital reviews briefly
the history of the concern, as bearing
upon it's contention that the Hondo
reservoir cannot be built without in
fringement of its rights, inasmuch as
it claims absolutely the inappropriate
ed flood waters and the entire winter
flow of the Hondo basin.
Al the time of the reorganization of
the company in 1892, the actual amount
of stock paid into the Pecos Irrigation
Company was $1,750,000, and all of this
was invested by the company, togeth-
er with more than S25O,000 subse-
quently appropriated for the building
of the great aqueduct and other man
rer of improvements. This invest
Elent had caused the building of the
town of Carlsbad in one of the most
forbidding sections of the American
desert, with a present valuation of
more than $2,000,000 and a complete
system of farms, now in private owner
ship with a valuation of $1,750,O0O
more, or a total of nearly if not quite
$6,000,000 in values now centered
tba nf
not to speak of population of 10000
people which occupies the region al
legged to be affected by the diversion
and retention of the waters of the Hon.
do. All Of this vast array of property
interests, it is claimed, would suffer in
case the Hondo reservoir would be
built in direct ratio as the storage pos
sibilities of the complainant was cur
tailed, and it's subsequent inability to
furnish the water to which it is right
fully entitled, and which it would lose
in part at least by the building of the
reservoir at Roswell
Continuing, the company says: "On
account of the fact that this COM
pany has two large storage reservoirs,
it is able to conserve and utilize al
most all of the fped waters afforded
by the tributaries g. the Pecos River
above it's said reservoirs, and it is
largely dependent upon the flood wat
ers afforded by the Hondo River for
the supply of its best IT. eating water,
and today this compl Ills peculiarly
interested in and esH'' t to the use
of the flood waters affq, led by the
Hondo River If tbs y 'ernment
carries out its proposed plan of build
ing a reservoir on the Hor. fs.z sear-
age of the flood waters of thai ~. n
this will necessarily cut off all tnat
supply Of watels and of necessity re-
strict the area Of land FOR which this
company is able to " and II
result thereby III 80 MSS
to the company a. sune1 =
ie'portant ANNlVt
"Tho ny seasf .ssso is
durir = TIC months of July aTit Eugust;
some v.ssss there are heavy rains in
the IL All rivers, springs and
: strea:s re low dui : the spring
and it is at that time that
water is important. Except in
u seasons, this company depends
Il filling of its reservoirs upon
tt ater flow of the Hondo and it's
tt aries during the nonirrigating
season. Very little water comes from
+, the Upper Pecos at that time For the
past two years we have had absolute
ly to depend upon this Hondo water for
our spring supply, and without it we
could not have afforded sufficient water
for the use Of the farmers during the
planting season in the early spring.
According to the official order of