Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-11-01
SULLIVAN ISSUES
LETTER TO NEW
MEXICO BAR
Subject of Water Rights as
Touching the Law Discussed
by Territorial Engineer With
the Lawyers,

aenoet Of irrigation water rights IL
assuming in the territory Inc ietter
is as follows;
nEpARTMENT OF TERRITORIAL
ENGINEER, santa Fe. New NeNieo
October IS,
10 the Members of the New mexico
Bar association,
Gentlemen:
AZ fho territorial engineer of New
Mexico. + feel that it is my duty AS
encb Official to discuss with you free
tv the question of adjudication OF wa
tor rights. The time has come when
New Mexico must tax ITS place IN
the advancement OF irrigation ana the
conservative use Of its waters IN order
to realize the greatest returns from
its natural resources.
The points that | wish to discuss
with volt. from an engineering stand
point, are as follows:
First. What the value of water rs
or Will be in order To impress upon
Won the importance Of this subject.
second. what the duty of water is
and what it should be.
Third. What beneficial use is made
In many places and what il shohld be,
Fourth. The effect court decisions
win have on the Development of the
territory.
In the first place it must he re
~membcred, mat our agricultural de-
vclOpment is limited by Il water
supply. our agricultural areas being
several tines larger than our water
supply will cover.
First. The value of water depends
mon how and for what il IS used and
is value for irrigation is small when
compared With what it viii eventually
h. here as the use of water for the
. . a.XaIt 40 ~ ~ A.
win eventually be abandoned.
have In mind several apple or
cNards. in the territory that have net
ted over q thousand dollars per acre.
These same orchards, with out the
aid of irrigation and under the most
favorable season conditions, Wouid
not have netted o~ne-quarter of the
above, for. with the aid of irrigation
Won can not only get q maximum yield
Int also a better quality. In these
particular instances there is $4,000
per acre that can he attributed TO the
aid of irrigation. the amount Of wa
ter used was approximately
drcdth part of one second foot, bring
ing the increased results due to irriga-
ton and the proper handling of the
crop to $4,000 per 9econd foot in this
suits obtained in the territory, but
are way above the average. however.
they are cited to give an idea OF what
can be done in the territory when he
wafer IS properly hppii'u 10 tie peSt
paving crops.
1t IS not necessary 10 90 TURNER as
the Value OF water other than 10 state
that the t~erritory's mean estimated
water supply IS between lliteen ahu
twenty thousand second teet ana that
in many places the water used for ir-
rteatlon can he USED TOR d'Neipplils
mower above the point OF INVERSION
for irrigation.
second. me s~tahdaIu measure
ments OF water are as folloWs; f"f
running water, one cube root per see
ond OF time or second root when Is
equivalent to n cuhic foot or water
raising a given point every second or
time. me acre loot Is used 10 oe-
scribe volume OF water ana means
that amount OF water necessary 10
cover II acre m foot deep or f3,5to
cubic feet. one second 1901 running
Tor tWentY-tour hourS VIII equal 100
sc. II. running Tor four months Would
equal "a &c. IT.. for eight months
40 nc. IT ana Tor one year ~ ac. IT.
thus q second FOOT fuhnlnG rontln-
hoislY Tor elght months Woult cover
231 acres Two feet deen- 4'3 acres
one FOOT deep, n Wv acres SIX men
es deep allowing nothing Tor waste
~ r"Ns " "N'
ny the farmer todaF Neff'S enormous
" some USING al me fa'e OF i"rtE or
fltty. ceres per sec ~ Whll' otheIs
are lrrlgatlle -" 70 4"V a'Its per SET
IT. II IS gratifying 10 NOT mat Whefe
The dutV OF water mas oeeh inc hieheSi
generally speaklhrr thc greater lhe
results
me best OF cott"h mas p'ci Ia'Sso
on nIhe lnches OF wafer hear Iris
had' corn mas neen fepral'dlN r'lseu
on one 1901 OF water ana S""a cIots
nndrf inc lidsefnh"h 'ahat S'"lsiStnS
"I corn Nesetlples ail'it"' anu ~
chafdS' averaging Zlp,' a'fhS /" IN
sec. II. ana the project Is IN q s'ctloH
where IN" rainfall IS ll%3t and eNap-
grafton IS great. IN C~aHiofhla theN
raise cultivated crops on SIX lhches OF
water ana IN places Whrte theN nav"
very niue ram. .
The conditions erecting the dutN OF
water are many. The most important
II is he conservation "i the mos
ture by cultivation. The soil kind OF
crop raised. rainfall, etc, however.
effect the duty OF water. Upon TINS
subject | Will quote some Of the eN-
periments OF the United states Agrl-
cultural Department, III Whlch inc
tests showed an evaporation IN tour
Teen days Of % per cent OF the water
applied to the soil where there was
no cultivation. &C per cent when pro-
tected by four inches OF cultivated
mulch. and only l per cent under a