Semi-weekly herald., 1912-08-15
THE RESERVOIR QUESTION.

THE RESERVOIR QUESTION.
For number of years the people
of the San Luis valley have been
pleading with the government for
liberal construction of the laws eff
fecting the establishment of reser-
voirs in the valley and the apportion-
ment of water from the Rio Grande
river for the same. Several commit
tees from the valley have gone to
Washington to confer with the pres
ident and the secretary of the inter-
ior concerning the reservoir question.
James X. Garfield came to the val
ley a few years ago when secretary
of the interior and made public ad-
dress at Alamosa on this question.
The substance of his address was that
the government had made treaty
some years ago with Old Mexico in
which it was stipulated that Mexico
should have a certain amount of wa
ter from the Rio Grande river for
irrigation purposes.
A further contention made by Sec
retary Garfield was that the govern
ment was constructing a large res
ervoir down in Texas and that the
diversion of water from the Rio
Grande in Colorado might interfere
with this government project. He in
sisted that the government desired
to wait awhile and find out just what
water would be needed and what
amount could be given up in the San
Luis valley without interference to
the government interests in New Mex
leo and the treaty with Mexico.
On that occasion Judge Holbrook
and Judge Hayt placed before Mr..
Garfield the claims of Colorado and
the valley. In the first place they
claimed that Colorado had the first
right to water coming from the SHOWS
in its mountains and that those be-
low should have whatever there was
for them in the river as it passed
through their territory. In the sec
ond place they claimed that the build
ing of reservoirs would help the gov
ernment project rather than hinder it.
The San Luis people have made
careful study of every phase of the
question and know the facts in the
case. They have endeavored to get
the government to find out the facts
before making such prejudicial de-
cisions, but somehow they as yet have
been unable TO have the government
ascertain the facts about the effect on
the waters of the Rio Grande by the
establishment of reservoirs in the
mountains.
Judge Holbrook, Judge Hayt, Frank
c. Goudy and number of other able
and prominent men of Colorado insist
that the building of reservoirs in the
mountains will have the effect of
holding the flood waters back and
conserve them for a time when the
snow in the mountains has disappear
ed. This water when turned back
through the natural drainage chan
nels would furnish water for the peo-
pie lower down on the river at a
time in the year when they, as it is
now, have but little or no water for
irrigation. 1t has been found by act
ual measurement that water taken
from the Rio Grande and placed upon
the farms has a natural drainage
back into the river and that there
is but little waste.
The valley people have called upon
the state for assistance along this
line and the state owning some 10000
acres in the valley naturally has be-
come interested, since the state lands
have but little value without water
for irrigation.
Governor Shafroth on the part of
the state has been discussing the
matter with President Taft and the
secretary of the interior, and the sec
rotary has suggested that a commits
sion be appointed to lock after the
matter, the commissioners to be the
state engineer of Colorado, the state
engineer of New Mexico, an irrigation
engineer to represent the Ell Paso Wa
ter Users association, photographic
engineer of the United States recla-
nation service.
Governor Shafroth thinks that the
government should make a cash set
tlement with Mexico for its claims to
the waters of the Rio Grande and do
away with this bothersome question.
r ID Hail. .nd c;1a, Iyo,5orr;rt .r