Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-07-23
GREAT zUN|
RIVER DAM
And Reservoir Are
Nearing Compile
.|RR|GATE 5000 ACRES
Magnificent Engineering
Project Being Constructed
For Indians Benefit.

James 7. Newhall one of the best
known citizens of Santa Fe, and very
bright and we'll informed man, spent
few days last week In this city on
a visit to his family. For the past
four and one.half years Mr.. Newhall
has been employed as accountant and
booikeeper with the Zuni River dam
and ditch project on the Zuni reser-
walton in Valencia County. He is an
expert accountant and thoroughly ac.
quainted with the accounting system
used in governmental affairs. Upon
being accosted by representative OF
the New Mexican upon the progress
of the construction of what is known
as the Zuni River dam and ditch
system, Mr. Newhal said:
This great irrigation project on the
Zuni River which has been and is in
charge of John B. Harper, irrigation
engineer and superintendent of irri-
cation of the Indian Office, is nearing
completion, and the dam and reser-
yoir will be completed in about a
year. 1t may be said that the dam
and reservoir are about nine.tenths
completed. The dam is $50 feet long,
4l0 feet wide at the base and 80 feet
high. II Is an earth dam strength
ened and supported by hand laid rock
filling in cement, the foundation be.
ing as solid as can be. The tunnel
bringing water to the reservoir is 400
feet long made out of the best of
Portland cement six fee. IN diameter
clear, and might be called huge
cement pipe one foot thick all
around the core. 1t was a tremend-
Gus job as III was constructed on the
ground through quick sand and other
difficult strata. The work was very
dangerous and but few white labOrers
were found for 1t. It was mostly
built by the labor OF Zuni and Nava-
no Indians. The tunnel connects with
the gate tower Is feet high construct
ed of reinforced concrete. The
tower rests on a solid cement founda-
ton six feet in diameter The shaft
of this foundation was driven first
to the rived bed thirty feet to
blue clay and then crib consisting
of piles driven thirty feet through
the blue clay was constructed. The
tower rests on a solid concrete block
about twenty feet square and this
block of concrete rests on the piling,
and this forms the foundation for the
gate tower. The tower Is circular
and tapers to twelve inches at its ex-
treme height. 1t has the appearance
Of monelisk, and although it tapers
almost to point of needle COM
paratively speaking the strongest
winds so far experienced have not
shaken it, and have not disturbed 1t
in any manner. This tower let's the
water into the bitches through an ar
rangement consisting Of three fourteen
inch valves operated by windlass
from the top of the tower. This is
reached from the west side OF the res
ervoir by 80 foot flying bridge which
although narrow is very strong and
ready to withstand all possible emer-
gencies. The arrangement is very
simple and easily worked by one man
but also very strong and effective.
Reservoir Mile Square.
"The reservoir proper when COM
pleted will be mile square and the
water will be thirty-ive feet deep.
There will be no scarcity of water to
keep it filled no matter what demand
shall be made on the water supply as
experiments and observations have
proven that this lake can be filled
three times during the season from
the water supply available and COM
ing down the Zuni River To provide
for and guard against overflow or
damages by overflow there is a great
spillway 100 feet wide on the west
side of the dam. Nest Of this spill
way is an excavation through solid
rock. The retaining walls on each
side are rock laid in cement sur
rounding. The water goes into the
spillway should it be necessary to
carry it there over and through solid
rock, and at the exit flows over solid
rock SO that there can be no washing
of or filing in with dirt There Is no
possibility of it's ever flowing back
and in order to prevent any possible
chance of dirt washing into it there is
a solid cement wall on each side.
with the completion of the dam
and reservoir ditch system com
prising about eight miles will be con-
structed below the dam. AS far as
can be ascertained now about 5000
acres Of very good agricultural land
will be placed under this ditch sys-
tenn which land will produce the finest