The La Jara chronicle., 1911-05-26
In Order of this Watershed may
do the Highest Possible Service Old well
Undeveoped Lands,

cial command to meet his imme-
diate purpose. Hence, the multi
plicity of individual bitches and
small and varied irrigation system
with their conflicting legal status
and wasteful use of the one ele-
ment that makes land valuable in
an arid country, namely, water.
1t could not well be otherwise,
for the first settlers were few in
numbers and scattered in location
Their systems of irrigation were
necessarily built to supply their
immediate needs.
But with the changed condi-
tions that confront US, with the
combinations and scientific man
agement manifest in all lines of
industry, the irrigation farmer
is forced to the necessity of the
sam scientific management in
the application of water to his
lands, is forced to combine with
all his neighbors occupying sim
liar status and use to the best ad-
vantage all the physical and fl
nancial conditions for their com
mon good.
For instance, locality like the
district lying between the Rio
Grande river and the Alamosa
river has a common interest. The
water for the arabic lands for
this district is drawn from com
mon source-the Rio Grande and
tho Alamosa rivers. The apphca-
tion of the water appropriated
or to be appropriated to this land
should be under one head, under
one management representing all
of the people and all of the in
terests within that district. To
reduce the size of this district
would only continue the vast:
arising from conflicting interests.
OF course in affecting a combi-
nation of the land holders in the
proposed district an equitable ad-
justment will have to be made
of the various water rights, based
on priorities and the amount of
water owned by the respective
holders.
But the principal reason why
all this territory below the "Cit-
izens" or Monte Vista Canal
should be included in one district.
is because practically all of it
needs drainage. With that drain
age more than 500 second feet of
water will be developed during
the irrigation season, and this
amount on a basis of less than
so per cent return water, com
pared with the quantity placed
on the land by direct flow from
the rivers, not including the
water supplied from reservoirs.
Recent Investigations on the
Cache la Poudre and Platte
rivers in northern Colorado show
a return of rs to 80 per cent.
Our land is more porous, our
conditions for return water more
certain, more immediate; hence,
we consider the figures above Civ
en- as safe. The constant flow
of the artesian wells will also
greatly augment this figure. Wa
ter developed in northern Colora-
do by drainage or seepage bitches
within the last year or two has
been sold as high as $5,O0O.OO per
second foot. The water which will
be developed in this district will
be worth, considering present
prices here, anywhere from $780,
900 to S2.5O0,00O. Our opinion
Is it will soon be worth the latter
figure, for no land in the state
is more productive than ours.
Nowhere are the yields in dollars
per acre greater than right here
in the San Luis Valley on the
lands that are properly irrigated
and properly drained. For this
reason, all the above mentioned
land lying between the Citizens
Ditch and the Alamosa and Rio
Grande rivers, excepting that
portion Immediately surrounding
Monte Vista, should be included
in our district.
The seepage water developed