Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-07-08

coliDlhed Win q lttle
HsssssSsA 'horse sense"
~ The Rio Grande
carries silt. The only
continuous silt observations on the Rio
Grande, Of which ! know. were made at
RI Paso and other places above, and ex-
tended continuously from 1897 to 1913.
They are comprehensive. They Indicate
mat the percentage OF volume of silt in
its settled state over the whole period al
III PasO was LA per cent. This does not
necessarily mean hat the same percent
age holds ut Brownsville. because only III
per cent Of the Brownsville water comes
tr[a III Paso. But the tributaries below
III PaSo come from the same character Of
country. am of the opinion that | per
cent silt would not he excessive estimate
for Brownsville. Nearly all the silt will
settle IN any reservoir that in fact i'm
pounds any water longer than three DAYS.
Mean Discharge of Rio Grande.
The mean discharge Of the Rio Grande
m ''f'Nt NV ilii' h'if-AtfA. m'nt per
rent of that amount Is fifty thousand acre
feet. So. therefore. in twenty years. Il res
crvoir of one million acre-feet will no
longer exist, but will be completely filed.
I'D ten years it would hold but onc-half a
million. After fifteen years service. such
Y reservoir would, II empty. be filed TN
thc discharge III one day, when the Rio
Grandc W at the maximum known flood in
the lower valley.
| assume then that q reservoir for the
Rio Graude m the Rio Grande, must have
- capacity oi not less than four million
acrc-tcei. If ITS sponsors expect to sue
cr--iuliy lav claim 10 intelligent foresight.
CAPACITY Of Reservoir Must Be Large.
ln general. amy reservoir III any stream
ou thr eastern ~Iope ot the Rocky Noun
that " worth the money it costs. must
ia1. 4 sufficient capacity to impound one
ycar'~ discharge of the stream: and in the
same territory nm %impoundcd water sup
ply for any system of any kind, must be
made ~ 2 reservoir capable Of holding a
year supply for the system. This gen
crll observation may not ~ strictly true
tor al particular eases. II IN true for
fhc Rio Grandc. however. Such questions
~ particular are matters of engineering
detail.
Next. where can four million acrc- feet
of water be stored? 1t can not be done
the mouth Of San Juan. You can
count that settled. Right here a place for
r little more arithmetic. coupled with 4
physical facts. The lowest land On
eastern edge NJ Starr county " lust
about tlc Lowell of The river bed at the
mouth ul the san Juan The surface level
Of flood water m the mouth Of the San
Juan Is about 36 feet above the river he'd.
smallest dam that would suffice would
Pc about five mite long and ninety feet
lt4h, with M known foundation. What
information there w on the subject in-
that there FIJI IN fact. M reason ~
suppose that any adequate foundation ~
The same objections above mentioned
apply IL Cameron and Hidulgo countie,
multiplied by "N" 10 the nth power. In
both of the" counties all the land onto
water will at al flow lies between
-cl level and l20 feet above. ANY water
stored, N Starr county below 100. in Hi
lalgo below 80. and III Cameron county be
ln feet above ~ level will Ne Of lit
Ie economic ne II these respective coun-
ie-.
Now -toi and thi.k Of ! dam five miles
ong and ninety feet high-think.
II such a Structure-~hould Il people
EVER he stricken with the insanity to at
.empt its crcction-ever fall. not a ,
living thing below could D. expected "a
'~clrr. MY" are talking about y place ID
ivc. rlt Gic.
The Zapata and Starr Arrows.