Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1908-12-30
WILL MEASURE
The SNOW FALL
Important Data are
to Be Col
lected
|ATERb j 4 EAU SERVICE
Precipitation in the Rockies
to be Determined for
Use of lrrigationist

The Federal government is doing
a great deal for the arid portions OF
the west to make them inhabitable
and productive. Whatever natural re-
sources they may have are to be in
Vestlsated, conserved and developed
for the use of settlers Not long ago
reference was made to the work Just
begun in connection with the terri
torial engineers Office of establish
ing stream gauging stations and now
the Weather Bureau department at
Washington has authorized snow gaue-
ing stations in the mountains of the
west.
The scheme is called the INTERRUPT
reau service of the weather bureau
Tor the collection of data relating to
water resources. The Inter-bureau
service is plan entered into By the
bureaus of the various departments
in Washington, particularly of the re-
clamation service, for the collection
or data relative to water resources.
More complete precipitation data will
be secured than ever before in the
mountain regions throughout the west.
Snow gauges win be erected through
ont the mountains BY the sectional
directors 50 that it will be possible to
secure regular readings. Several sta
tons will be established at higher
points where readings will be taken
only periodically The stations lower
down Will be read after each storm
by someone living in the locality who
VIII be employed for that work.
The New Mexico section is begin
nlns the work of installing the sta
tlOhs or at least selecting the sites.
M. W. Hayes, sectional director has
thet matter in hand and expects to. es,
tablsh stations in the southern part
OF Santa Fe county, the eastern part
OF Sandoval and Rio Arriba counties.
IN The western part of Mora and San
Miguel counties and in Taos county
this winter The work to be done this
winter will hardly be more than of an
experimental nature as it is rather
late to establish the stations and it
will not be possible to get much data
this year that will be of any especial
benefit to irrigation projects. But
the experiments made in measuring
snow falls this winter will help in
selecting places for the establishment
OF other stations next summer when
a complete chain of stations will be
established throughout the mountain
ons section of the territory
The equipment for these stations
will consist of snow bin. cubical
box of . feet mounted upon uprights
so as to keep the snow from blowing
out. There will also be large round
iron cylinders, 10 inches
in diameter and 10 feet in height. In
addition to taking snow measurements
the rain precipitation will also be TAX
en- in summer so that the service will
be an all year one. Thus the total pre-
cipitation in the mountains will be
ascertained after the service is in OPP
GRAFTON and this will be of much value
to irrigation projects Heretofore no
exact data of snow fall in the noun
tains have been obtained and there
was no data to be depended upon.
1t is hoped that an appropriation
for the new work will be made by con-
gress this winter. The work of estab-
fishing the stations will take consid-
erable time as they will be located
in the mountains to and from which
the journey is made with difficulty.
Doubtless additional men will be as
signed to the work during the pro-
cess of establishing the stations.
Other plans and equipment other
than the two specified may suggest
themselves later as the work proceeds
and will be adopted. As may be read
lily seen, the work is in the expert
mental stage and the process and de-
tails will work themselves out bet
ter in actual work than any Office
man at Washington can lay them down
The results Of this new work Of the In
ter-bureau service of the weather de-
partment in collecting data relative to
water resources will be watched with
much interest.