The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1917-06-06
1ny prof rayelte A. Jones. ,

fEa ANNANAN - 1NAh"HH
Artificial control Of every large
stream presents economic problems
that calls into requlstion engineering
SIKH 81 a high order. The Rio Graude
- no exception. The drainase aasin.
Of This stream Is amOn the largest
IN the west The average layman fnsis
90 grasp the magnitude OF ths ire
niendous amount Of energy wrouRht
By the Rio Grande In it, mighty work.
INK. Thousands Of tons % rock a,e
being -educed 10 sand and sit hy Il
annually. The river IL q creation a..
forces OF nature and h. silently work.
Ing outs IL ultimate destiny IN obedi-
ence 70 the law OF g~favitation. The
genius OF mankind may temporarily
curb its devastation ana confine It's
flow TO restricted channels, but cannot.
for a single m render imperative
its ceaseless energy. Til. stream works
while We sleep and its activity viii
- on and on until Il completes its
geological cycle.
Every stream. like an Individual,
has It's period OF birth. growth. and
decay. The Rio Grande. geologicaily
speaking, r. yet In les youth and It's
days Of activity will necessarily extend
into a very distant future. only when
the base level i reached. which IL sea
itftls VIII inc river rest from lH M
cessant toll. The valley must yet BE
reconstructed and made over many
times before the period Of old age
In the life of the stream is reached.
In examining the successive
benches or terraces along the river
course we find that the bed OF tho
stream formerly occupied positions
hundreds OF feet higher h a now
Each terrace marks a temporary
stage OF suspended erosion IN par
ticular sections OF the valley. OBJ
s,ructions due 20 lava flows or drift
material In times past caused the for
nation OF basins more or less lacus-
trine in character throughout the en-
tire length Of the river. on the break
ing down OF these barriers the bed OF
the stream continued 10 reach lower
levels, but left the indeiibie marking
OF the higher levels IN successive river
terraces. The same processes are az
present operative. though in q more
modified form. u IL "A well known
principle thai a stream will drop IL
burden when the velocity Is checked
The Rio Grando carries enormous
quantities Of sediment during seasons
Of flood. ON reaching the broader
valleys whore the stream spreads alb
normally the velocity Is checked and
the river he'd sands and silts up and
becomes as high or even higher than
She valley itself. Hence. there are NO
Banks 20 oonfine the flow and farm
ing lands become menaced.
This upbuliding Of the river bed
causes seepage lakes and bayous %
form In the low ground and brings
the water 10 or near the surface over
tho entire valley. when this conoi-
ton takes place the land becomes wat
cr-loRged. Water-loEged land b. thus
caused by its inability to drain itself
This critical condition is now reached
and practically tho whole valley ~ the
Rio Grande is either threatened or
ruined for agricultural purposes. The
river NJ left alone would eventually
ri=ht itself after the present cycle runs
its course, but the completing Of the
cycle mas involve n thousand or more
Years Tho problem Is a %goological
condition and one not easily nor lneN-
pcnFifely solved
The only possible solution a. 20 De-
wise means 90 deepen the ohsnncl 70
b. too big d Sob foe thp ~utc fo uudlr-
take alone. Federal aid is required.
The law passed bs the last Legislature
90 have "a commission 10 investigate
and report AZ % lts findings ana meth
I'd Of procedure ware reclamation
was an initiatnry si@p in the right d.
rection
Briefly. Inc writer having gwen go.
subject considerable skidy and thou1o'
embodies his observations in tho tni-
lowing conclusion and methods % pro
cegure. tO-wit:
J. The task h a big one and fed
eral aid ~ necessarf. The cNpcls'
would haukrup the state.
2 yhc river must be- strengthened.
thereby increasing the gradient.
% The channel should De Frc1i
restricted 10 Undue securing ~ th'
river bed
Restricting the chinnel should
De accomplished hy tho building 81 Jet
lies. with some leyies
p WORK should begin down stream
ana advance toward the head ana
could b. divided into sections oe.cr
mined - marked brenlts In iho
gradient
= some dredeinp might he found
necessary rs an AID in first "penn-
the channel
q A. "a niriner aid 300 making g
-fefnpofar5 check fu tine uhinr nnd
siifIrr % of the river during active
work ai tributaries aud arrni
ah1uif BE- dnmules nut hl'nwe1 y"
H.ahHr1e their sfdlnenf infu che DOT.
WORK siouif he prosecuted con-
tn4slslt Hith ns liitie delay
anic 81 kcorlnr ilf 'hanncl nf"'
o. Oct dredRof aud rnmr''i'o -