The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-10-03
A TALK
ON WATER

Mr. EDITOR L hear wnisperi1gs
around that there is a movement on
foot somewhere in the valley that they
intend going into the next legislature
to try to prevent any more wells from
being put down.
Now, this would be wrong, at least,
until We exhaust our natural re-
sources of Increasing our water sup
ply, as it would be putting clog on
the wheels of progress, and as we
have lots of water going to waste and
the water question is getting into ra-
ther an acute stage, let me try to
! for years.
l understand that all those VINO
have flowing wells must cap them, so
that water cannot run to waste. Why
should not the same apply to those
who own the natural springs?
No doubt but that the water comes
from the same source as tae wells;
the springs take their rise in a natu-
raj basin. l am not an engineer, but
L know enough about water to be-
lieve it is quite practical to build a
bank high enough and strong enough
to hold in storage all the water that
goes to waste for five months in the
year, and this is the natural flow of
the springs, which amounts to over
twenty million cubic feet in the five
months.
l believe it would be asking the
owners of these springs to do too
much, because if this work were done
it would not only affect the pressure
of every well in the Valley, but | be-
lieve would develop more wells in the
suburbs of Roswell.
The plan that l have thought out, |
as the best, is to organize the entire
artesian belt into a water district, go
into the legislature and get an act
passed authorizing this water district, |
comprising a part of Chaves and a |
part of Eddy county, to issue ten or
twenty year water bonds to cover the |
cost of construction of these dams |
around the rim of all springs that ir- |
rigation water is used from This is |
done in other irrigated states. and |
there is no trouble in floating the |
bonds
If these dams were built we would |
use seven months flow of these
springs for the irrigation season;
then we would store the water for |
five months, so we would only ex-
a +s,-
instead of twelve, as at present, and |
naturally We would increase our ar
tesian supply (stored under ground) |
instead of diminishing it. There should |
be a superintendent of irrigation for
the district, whose duty it would be
apportionment of water. and that no
water be wasted and he should be
made responsible, under bond
1t is hign time that New Mexico
had a code of irrigation laws on the
statute book, covering every phase
of the regulation of water. 1t would
save friction between the neighbors,
and litigation. From the first of
March to the first of October is long
enough for an irrigating season in
this valley. Some might want to irri-
gate their orchards in February. This
is good plan, as the water is then
cold and a wet soil is so many de-
grees colder than a dry one that it |
retards the growth of the trees, which |
thereby might escape a late frost; but
orchards should not be irrigated after
the first of September, so that would
be seven months for the orchardists-
cannot see that the people of the
lower valley should have any objec-
tions. as this is water going to waste
that we are going to save, and use it
in the irrigating season to cover a
larger area. The more water we can
use for irrigation in the upper valley
will increase and regulate the supply
for the lower valley.
As experience mas proved every
where that irrigation is followed,
from 25 to 40 per cent of the water
used gets back into the natural drain
age of the country. The natural
streams of the country fulfill two
fold purpose. They supply the water
for irrigation, and eaten the drain
age and convey it to people farther
down the streams.
R. C. NISBET.