East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1917-07-12
'ARTESIAN WATER IN
DRY ARIZONA VALLEY
History and Prospects of san simon
Valley Are Described In Interest,"
ing Government Report.

Perhaps no part of the arid south
west has attracted more general at
t%ention in recent years than San ST.
mon Valley. in southeastern Arizo-
ma and adjacent parts OF New Next
co, in which a new epoch of agricul-
tural development was started in
1910 by the discovery or artesian wa
ter.
In or near this valley have been
found fragments of pottery. stone i'm
plements. wis and needles of ante
lopes and turkey bone. ancient irri-
CATION bitches. prehistoric ruins con
tanning corn. beans. and native cot.
ton. and cleared tracts which may
have been used for the cultivation Of
aboriginal crops. This region was ey-
identity once inhabited by more or
less .sedentary peoples. who must
have supported themselves partly by
hunting and partly by a primitive
agriculture.
MeNicans First settlers.
Civilized occupation of the region
did not begin until the sixties of the
last century, when n colony of Mex
leans settled neal the mouth Of San
Simon Greek. American cattlemen
first grazed their herds in San ST
mon valley abou 1867. Overgraving
and erosion AVE- so devastated the
valley in recent years that it now
snstains only a comparatively small
number OF cattle. Since the diseov-
cry Of artesian water. in 1910. there
has been a rapid influx of settlers
and many wells have been drilled.
Aside from grazing. the types Of ag-
riculture now practiced or proposed
within San Simon Valley are irriga-
ton farming by surface water or by
water from artesian wells. dry farm
ing, supplemented by irrigation. with
flood water and pumped water. and
dry farming supplemented BY the use
of the adjacent range for grazing.
Conserving Water Supply.
A careful and thorough study of
the artesian and other ground waters
of the valley has recently been COM
pleted by the United states geologi-
cal survey and the Arizona agricul-
tural experiment station. This study
was made in order to furnish reIi-
able information to numerous inquir-
ers from all parts Of the United
States and to give ali possible help
to the settlers in conserving the wa
ter supply and in utilizing it most eff
fectively.
The total number Of flowing wells
in the vicinity of San Simon in 1915
was 127. The flow OF these wells
ranged from less than a gallon %.
about 800 gallons "A minute, and the
average flow from 116 wells measur-
ed in 1915 was SO gallons a minute.
The combined yield of the I27 wells.
if they flowed continuously. would
be about is second feet. or 670O gal
Ions a minute. Comparison of the
flows of u wells measured in 1913
and 1915 shows that in two years the
aggregate yield of these wells de-
creased 40 per cent and that individ-
ual wells showed decreases in flow
ranging from 20 to so per cent This
decrease is attributed largely TO the
filling of the uncased wells with sand
and the caving OF the walls of these
wells, but in part TO the depletion of
the artesian supply. The govern
ment biologists regard it of the ut
most importance to the future well
fare of the valley that all wells be
properly cased to the bottom with
heavy casing and fitted with valves.
which should be closed when the wa
ter is not needed.
A report on the valley by A. r.
S-chwennesen. of the Geological Sur
yey. and r. II. Forbes Of the Arizo-
ma experiment station, has just been
issued as w~ater-supply paper 524-A.
copies OF which can be obtained, free
by writing to the Director, u. s. Geo
logical Survey. Washington. D. C..