The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-09

PART OF WORK Is DONE
Carlsbad Project Will Be Com
pleted March 1.
Glimpse of What Uncle Sam
Has Accomplished.

F. H Newell, chief engineer of the
United States reclamation service, un-
officially announcing the completion OF
the Hondo irrigation project in the
Pecos valley of New Mexico, and says
the Carlsbad project, 20 miles south in
the same valley, will be ready for the
water March 1. Water now is running
into the Hondo reservoir. The official
descriptions of these projects will APP
pear in the forthcoming fifth annual
report of the reclamation service, now
in press.
The Hondo is the first of the great
irrigation projects to be completed by
the government in the entire United
States under the reclamation act 81
congress, and the Carlsbad project VIII
be a close second. At this writing the
most difficult part of the Avalon dam,
where the Carlsbad project heads. is
done, and now it only is question OF
setting the cement and other super
structure. The cement aqueducts and
the canals are ready for the water.
The two projects will add $4,000 or
more acres to the arabic area OF Pecos
valley. Water for 10000 acres already
has been apportioned. This much even
the conservative engineers of the re-
clamatiOn service say is certain. How
ever, 10000 acres are only the first, or
minimum, estimate. The governments
engineers, when they make an eSt-
mate, must be sure of their figures. and
so their first apportionment of water
from these two projects is for only 3d.
900 acres.
er than that, even in seasons of mini
mum rain and snow. This had been
proved by meaSuremer- s made by the
governments engineers and there is
no doubt that, after the first appor-
tionment has been tried year or two
additional allowances will be made, I'M
til the total area irrigated from the two
sources will be $4,000. or even 10000
n OallV
normal flow, the projects include large
storage reservoirs, which will be drawn
upon when necessary; and these basins
will be kept supplied by storm and snow
waters from the mountains.
The HOndO Project.
The Hondo project is IL miles south
west of Roswell. 1t is a reservoir in
the plain. Nature had done most of the
work, and the government has done the
rest 1t is a natural basin, and where
openings occur in the mesa which sur
rounds it the government has put IN
earthen dams lined with stone. The
sum of the lengths of two of these
dams is about 215 miles. Three others
are shorter. The five dams with the
hills of the mesa between complete the
lake. The shoreline is irregular, but
reduced to a circle the basin would be
nearly nine miles in diameter. 1t has
an area of 1910 acres and a capacity
are As feet high, At the base they are
so feet wide. On top is a roadway &c
feet wide.
The source of supply is the Hondo
river, a fine stream. tributary to the
Pecos) which takes its rise in the
White mountains 40 miles distant.
These mountains are higher than
Pixies Peak and snow lies in their
canyons the year round. The entire
flow of the river is diverted into the
reservoir by a canal, 20 feet wide (bot-
tom), o feet deep and 1 II miles long.
At the lower end of the canal, shut out
of the reservoir by gates, is a settling