Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1908-11-24
Immense Value of New Mexico Streams
Vividly Portrayed by Federal
Engineer
ESTIMATED At HALF A MILLION HORSEPOWER
Only Eight Hundred Of This is Utilized at Present.Im
portance Of River Measurement is Convincingy
Set Forth

| along these lines by the present Ter.
ritorial Engineer since he came into
office year and one-half ago. Among
other things he has not neglected the
question of determining the amount of
the water supply Realizing the neces-
sity of these Investigations, he pro-
ceded at once to establish gauging
stations to obtain the stream flow and
these stations have since been main
tanned in cooperation with the u S.
Geological Survey.
Records at seventeen stations are
now being carried on in this manner
but it is desirable that many more be
established. This is a matter Of vital
Importance to the Territory but at the
present time no specific funds are pro-
vided by the Legislature for carrying
on this work. Is there any reason why
two or three thousand dollars should
not be set aside each year to be spent
in cooperation with the U. S. Geolog-
ical Survey? Other states are doing
it. California has appropriated about
$4,000 annually for several years and
this appropriation has been met with
an equal one by the U. S. Geological
Survey. The Survey is interested IN
the progress of this work but has very
limited funds at its DISPOSAL it is,
therefore, up to the territory to help.
For records of streams flow to be
of the greatest value, it is essential
that they extend over long period of
years on typical creeks and rivers in
every drainage station. This is par
Gicularly true of the New Mexico
streams many of which are perennial
in character and subject to great
floods. 1t is only in the course of sew
eral years that conditions of flow will
ocCalsf from which there can be de-
duced even reliable estimate of the
average run-off stream. This applies
especially to streams upon which res
ervoir systems must be constructed to
store the flood waters of the high
months for use during low months
and of the high years to tide over
years of low water flow. No record
should be less than five years in
length and much longer ones are de-
sirable.
r' Increasing in Value Daily.
ut is therefore, necessary that we
proceed without delay to secure these
data. Five years from now the wa
ters of the New Mexico rivers will
be much more valuable than they
are today and at the end of that period
we should know considerably more
about them than we do at present.
We now have practically no data what
ever on the flow of power streams in
the mountains, many Of which will be
very important in the near future.
Need of Records of Stream Flow.
Records of stream flow are of val
lie for many reasons. In the adjudi-
cation of water rights they are indis-
pensable and for storage propositions
they are very necessary. In connec-
ton with water power propositions
the records of low water flow are val
liable while flood flow records are
very desirable in the construction OF
bridges, culverts and similar struc-
lures and in the design of works for
flood protection.
UNLESS considerable is known OIL
the flow of stream, capital Is not
disposed to invest in power and irri-
cation schemes and this fact frequ-
emily results in this money being in
vested in other propositions or in 9th
er states.
Vast Natural Power Going to Waste.
las is the case in every western