The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-07-24

Government engineers are completing
the final surveys of the Elephant Butte
irrigation project and work on the main
reservoir will commence as soon as
flfteen-mile railroad can be built from
the dam site 10 the Atchis0n, Topeka
and sante Fe, near Engle. Il vi.
The Elephant Butte irriga project
viii be the biggest artificial water storage
in existence when completed. The main
reservoir at Engie will be over forty
miles in length and viii reach an ay-
ersge width of nearly four miles, vary
ing from three 10 six miles. In 1t viii
be stored approximately $4,000 000,0O0 gal
Ions or 100000 acre-feet Of water and it
would take the entire flow of the Rio
Grande for three years to fill this res
ervoir.
In order not to interfere with irriga-
ton farther down the river the water
viii be impounded gradually and an in
creasing reserve will be accumulated dur
ing the food seasons Of the year 1t is
expected that from four 10 ten years
must flapse before the reservoir of the
proteet will be filed to capacity.
VIII EItinguish Settlements.
The EngIe reservoir will wipe out five
settlements. besides inundating about 80
square miles of territory in New Mexico.
The Leasburg and El Paso projects viii
also food considerable territory, though
they are merely diversion dams. A num-
Der Of smaller dams will have TO be
built at points along the Engle reseT-
voir. one of them 10 be located at Las
Cruces, y. n None OF these viii have
reservoirs Of their own and all Of them
VIII depend upon their water supply on
the Eagle Lake.
The main dam Of the Eagle reservoir
VIII be 1,2oo feet In length at its crest
and will be about 20 feet in thickness.
Its greatest height will be 20 feet above
the bed Of the river. Reinforced con-
crete will be employed throughout
Until the railroad is built little work
can be done on the dam for the reason
that most Of the machinery TO be used
is too heavy 20 be moved By any other
method than on rails. Moreover, a small
army of men will have to be supplied
with the necessaries Of life for two, and
possibly three, years, and this alone
would be a great undertaking should it
have 10 be done over the ordinary road.
At present $50 men are employed at En-
gle but this force will be augmented TO
about 1900 as soon as work on the dam
| commences in real earnest The appro-
| priation available for the work IS $780,
/ 600. and. unless something Unforeseen hap
III Fn Fff-frrr
! undertaking.
Can Trrigate Large Area.
II will be possible 10 irrigate from the
| Engle reservoir several million acres OF
very fine valley lands suited 10 the cultf-
walton Of practically every crop. The
dam will also prevent the heavy spring
floods which in the past have caused
a great deal of anxiety and damage along
the river each year.
Before the project could be carried out
an agreement had 10 be reached between
this country and Mexico. BY its terms
the United States gives TO farmers along.
the Mexican bank Of the river as much
water as they used prior to the CONSTRUCT
ton Of the irrigation work affecting the
Rio Grande in its course through Coll
| orado
The Elephant Butte project is OF far
| greater magnitude than the Assuan dam
on the Nile River. and viii hold at least
twice as much water. The climate OF
the country TO be benefited by the
enterprise is very salubrious and there
is a very fine soil of a silt character.
The Elephant Butte project will have a
regulating influence on the Rio Grand6
along It's entire course