Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-03-11

two million acre feet OF water. From
this they propose to irrigate 1l0.0 600
acres of land in New Mexico below
Rincon; $4,000 acres of land in tho
state of Texas and $4,000 acres Of
land in the Republic OF Mexico.
If that project did not lnjure other
portions OF New Mexico no one could
object. But In order to carry out the
p~rctcct the reclamation service claims
that il is necessary to take all the
waters of the Rio Grandc and It's tri-
butarics and 20 forbid the appro-
priatiOn OF water north of Elephant
Butte. In other words, this means
mat any effort to appropriate adul-
tional waters from the Rio Grandc,
for the irrigation of land not under IT.
rigatiCn under prior water rights. Viii
be resisted by the reclamation service
as al infringement OF its ~appropria-
lions Tor the use of the Elephant
Butte project.
I'm January. 1906, the reclamation
service filed a notice with h terri
torial engineer claiming q volume OF
water equivalent to 100000 acre rect
per year, recurring a maximum d.
version OF 1000, 600 miners inches
Not satisfied with this in April,
1908. the reclamation service iiled
another notice with the territorial
engineer claiming. An the nnap-
propriated waters Of the Rio Grande
and its tributaries.
'If this last appropriation Is per
fectcd by the building of the Elephant
Butte dam. it means not another acre
in tho valleys of the Rio Grande ana
it's tributaries north Of Elephant
Butte can be brought under irriga-
ticn BIZ the use of water from the Rio
Grandc or any % its tributaries.
THE reclamation service has not
hcsitated to notify those seeking to
appropriate water north Of Elephant
Butte that it has taken and approp-
all Of the water and that no
further appropriation can be legally
made.
Within the territory of New Mexico
there are 300 miles of the Rio
Grande valley north of Elephant
BUTTE as against 100 miles south of il.
There arc. between the Pueblo OF
San Felipe. just north Of Bernalillo.
ana the Elephant Butte reservoir,
so. 000 acres of land, OF which Albu-
merque is about the center, and
bitches from the Rio Grande, as
10000 acres of such land,
south of Elephant Butte.
"Of the 100000 acres north of the
reservoir, only about $4,000 acres is
low under irrigation. The carrying
OF the proposed reclamation ser
lice project would mean that the
acres not now under irriga-
ion is to remain waste land.
THE injustice of this is in the fact
hat the reclamation service. instead
If treating all portions Of the Rio
Srande valley alike, practically pro-
POSES to destroy 800 miles of the val
ey north of Elephant Butte to enrich
Is favorite sections south of Elephant
Butte.
IT proposes TO use the Rio Grande
Is 4 mere water way to carry water
its reservoir and thence to carry
he water in bitches 100 miles to ir-
'igate lands in another state, Texas,
in a foreign country. Mexico.
In all fairness New Mexico should
the use of III water falling up |
IN and running through it. This mat
or is one OF the gravest importance
the future o. the three hundred
OF territory north OF the Ele-
,hant Butte reservoir and 1t is mp to
he people in this section Of the Rio
valley to sit up and take