The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1918-03-06
DRAINAGE PLANNED
TO RECLAIM ALI OF
RIO GRANOE VALLEY
Huge Enterprise Of Utmost I'm.
portance to Albuquerque ESQ.,.
600 Acres the Goal Col. Hope
well Goes to Washington.

49,"
gone Monday but was detained ON
urgen business az the last hour lie
VIII he away probu1il four weeks
His mission To Washington Is in
the Interest OF the growth and general
advancement OF Albuquerque along ngo
ricultural Development and railroad
extension lines. tie e. persona srata
a. most. u not all The present high
government officials and the outlook
FOR important service Is more than
usually promising.
The main problem the colonel In TO
apply himself To this trip Is the hug"
question Of draining and i%rrigating the
Rio Grande valley from San Marcial
to White Rock canyop-a $50 mile
stretch ~ territory with the cly 0t A.
buquerdue "a little north IT tho ceuter.
The first unit IL he drained la this
area. amounts To III coo acres. Ia
addition there are Indian lands
amounting to about 81 poo acres amt
the higher benches and p%lateaus will
exc out the entire acreage to bc drain
ed and reclaimed to the potential area
NJ about sic.ooO acres. an directly
'%tribuiory tu the city OF AipuqpucrpIc.
Treat Enterprise y u Whole.
Something uNcv q ,epr = cher
Engineer Davis ot the United states
re, amntion stryirc speaking ~ IN"
Chamber 81 Commerce here made tho
statement that this vast reclamation
enterprise could and should boz treated
us e whole. and developed along sys-
tcmatlc plans which would not oulN
reclaim "a maximum ut land. hut
would also reduce the cost 90 slrn
work TO tho minimum.
. Il should he added in his onhcc
ton shat the san Luis valley up m
tho edge OF Colorado has Dos $780,
GOO acres which d. becoming water
logged and must also Doe drained CO
elise % VIII soon become practically
worthless. Another strong reason for
draining IA, san Luis valley Is that O.
would ckc nut the lsio irandc water
supply 20 an moun adequate for re-
claiming al OF the locn. hcrcu2c de
reatlN tr,putory TO Albuquerque.
pccn~ Valley Interested.
again the PocoS valley in the south
EASTERN portion of New Mexico i- vital
IS Interested. 49, IN also the c'y or
Gn-V,Il. New N,Ni,u's sc,uud m,trup-
oils. An surplus water MOST turned
back into the l;iu Gruudv ritur. after
having performed It's fruc,ltyiug and
.iifc-Ei,ing service. su ihat those r"sid-
ing further south may utilize the re-
juNcnutiug liquid over and otvr again.
u Is 70 known fact that ca1is"
and possibly 'hr main cause uf III"
slh-irrlgiutiuu Of tho ltiu Grnudc VA
ley to near tho puIW uf Wnter-lusgins
is that the channel b. gradually rails
ng This Is not su much thc cas-"
.aiour H. course FROM colorado Il"
White Rock canyon. ON account of "a
solid rock bottom which continues
mos, of the way, but In this fertile,
a%l,uiyul region of which the Duke city
is tho busino~- center, geological con-
ditious are different
Not only do the sits and dccom-
posed vegetable matter accumulate
and abide. thus tcndlng 10 deepen IN"
soil and raise the bed ut the river
hut additional mountain streams pour
ing their tons 81 dcsitrAis ~ feItiliz-
ing elements, enter the Rio Grandc
above White Rock canyon md hc."W
too This has continued 81 long ANA
uniuuarruptcdly tina. tho bed of tn"
chunue' hus been gradually raised, un-
III now IL IL a fact that scientific ana
approved tests have revealed the fact
that the water line can he reached
anywhere In this vicinity 81 a depth
varying from - inches to q feet.
Mammoth Enterprise,
50 ID can Dee seen that the proper
dialnagc and reclamation ~ the ii,"
Gunde valley is not only % mammoth
enterprise. hat lt b. that lies al
the bottom Of the permanent growth
and prosperity 81 IL large section of
hoth New Mexico aud Colorado.
A]ibuuuerluc is back of col Hopeweli
IN his mission eff constructive "ftnlt.
More than his Sew MrNic" ana Col
orpdn are back Of him and Ultimately
THE members OF both houses 81 'l'
congress. from AN the state west IF the
Missouri river win JON" ,u asking CON
grsss Co Yield Co the wl~hcs 81 d pe"-
ple Goo his extremely important ana
mighty dcsifab'" constructive forward
movement. o. viii materially and rap
,dly aid the entire west.
Plans IN Formative stage.
pmns for this final contamination
are az yoi In the formative stage the
west wants congress to aid IN IA"
work. or take the project over IN ts
entirety. II that Is pos sihl" There are
many million acre of government
land In New MoNiro ana 70 few mllll"n
acres might we'll be voted hN congress
to De used iu the proper way Tor
raising this bettermeut fun To IN
sluence such LEGISLATION rs tho yer
laudablc purposc 81 cot lI"pew'u >
present Nisit 90 Washington lie VIII
receive the aid and valued cooperation
Of state Engineer French, who IL now
In the capital city awaiting the col
onel's arrival. Both of them viii re
coiye aR the moral support p"sslh"
from great. but uuudcVcloped New
Mexico.
Various estimates of the cos have
hcen made. These range from 81 per
acr. up 60 S2j per acre. The mhN
imum In this case IL less than the
minimum cost 81 an such work IN ihe
West done b> the government ~ "a
cost sly OF S2o per acre for the possi-
bic 25G.OO0 aUres the total would
amuun o. $1,000. coo.
Phone 3. Red barn. sII ve-t mp