Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-11-02
DRAINAGE MAKES
RAPID PROGRESS
IN PECOs VALLEY
Four Districts Have Been Or
CARRIED and a Fifth Is Con-
tenpIatedi System Is CIV
ing Good Satisfaction,
.speeAl cossrsronosses 70 MORNING JOURNAL

| Artesia n. NJ, Nov. 2.-One of the
most important questions that have
/ confron ed the farmers of the Pecos
! valley (outside of politics and the
| war; is drainage. 1t has always been
known that in order to make farming
a profitable business the land must
r1 productive. And ii is beginning to
he known that arid land. in order to
he productive must he drained as well
! as irrigated; in other words that
drainage and irrigation should so
hand in hand. This, great big fact,
and enc that is recognized by all; and
thus when the New Mexico legislature
Of 1912 passed an act providing for
the organization of drainage districts
within the state, it builded, perhaps,
better than it knew. 1t is quite prob
able that the area of unproduCtive
land that has been drained and made
productive under the provisions of
that act, added to the area yet to be
brought under its provisions, exceeds
the anticipations of the trainers of the
law.
The data to show how many acres
| have been reclaimed since the law
went into effect is not at hand, but
| it is sufficiently comprehensive to
state that practically all the irrigated
| portions of the Pecos valley has been,
| or will be in time, brought under its
| operation.
Land Becomes WateTiogged.
The history of all large areas of
| continuously irrigated land shows that
| in time the land becomes waterlogged
| to an extent that renders it wholly un-
| productive for valuable crops, and can
| only be used for crops of lesser value,
| CT pasturage, There is a sub stratum
| of alkali in most of the land of this
and other arid or semi-arid regions,
| SO long as the alkali is undisturbed it
| has no damaging effect on the crops.
| But the water waste from continued
| irrigation, and leakage from wells and
| laterals seep down to the allfali for
| nation, and in time dissolves more or
| less of it. The solution then comes
| gradually TO the surface in sufficient
| quantities to ruin growing crops.
When water percolates to the alkali
stratum it moves slowly underground
| from the higher to the lower levels.
| sometimes a great distance, before it
| comes to the surface. In such cases
| he farmer on the lower land suffers
| from the prodiGal use, or wastage. of
| water by the farmer on the higher
! level
The only remedy for this condition
| of things is drainage. Not only 50,
| but the drainage to be effectual
| must be thorough, universal and pro-
| cured and mainted under scientific
| and practical system. One farmer in
! the midst Of an irrigated district
! oonld gain M benefit by draining mis-
land unless the land about him was
| also drained He might be willing to
spend the money necessary to drain
his land while his neighbor would
| not The practical, enterprising far
mer would thus he at the mercy of
his less enterprising neighbor.
Relief i'm Ora mage Law.
! In cases like this the state drain
| age law provides relief by making
! available scientific and practical
system of district drainage. Under its
| provisions every farmer in the district
| is benefited more or less and his cost
is assessed in proportion to his hene-
| fits as computed by commissioners
! and engineers.
| In the first place. the drainage dis
| trict is established by the inclusion of
! all the land that in the judgment of
| the drainage engineers should proper
! ly he included. without regard to the
| opinions or wishes of the landowners.
| Then a petition for district organizI-
! ton must he signed bv a majority OF
| the owners of one-third of the land
| within the proposed district When
| the preliminares are all arranged. the
matter is presented to one of the
| judges of the district embracing the
| area, and he sets date for a hearing
Of all the interested parties. The
| Judge also appoints three commission
ers who supervise the work of con-
| struction, and act in all matters ex-
| actly as the directors of a corporation
! act in reference to the affairs of the
| corporation.
Every Person Protected.
| The intention of the law is to pro-
tee every person interested and 10
| make the financial feature of the en-
| terprise Us easy as possibl In ordr to
| do this the work of organization is
| enormous in its extent and completely,
and consumes much time. The pro-
| posed district is surveyed and resur-
veyed. plated and replatted, every
landowner resident and resident,
is served with notices and copies OF
| recorded procedures, and the value
| of each individual holding. with the
| accruing value, is carefully figured
| out And every feature is subject to
later review and equalization by the
| court.
| Four districts have been organized
under the law in the Pecos valley:
| The Roswell district, East Grand
| Plains, Hagerman and Lake Arthur
| The Lake Arthur district begins at the
| village of Lake Arthur on the north
| and extends southwark to a point
within four miles of Artesia. The con-
| struction will require another year for
| positive completion, though about
twelve miles of thing, main and later
| al. have already been completed be-
| sides a considerable length of open
| bitches dug. In all four districts the
/ drainage is conducted to the Pecos
| river. The commissioners for the
| Lake Arthur district are, M. w
/ Evans chairman, Lake Arthur A. C,
| Keinath. secretary and treasurer, Ar
| tesla: Il. p Mccormick, Artesia.
4 Contemplate Another District.
/ A fifth district is contemplated in
4 this valley. beginning a Artesia and
Il extending southwark 10 the vicinity OF
\ Dayton The organization has not yet
II passed its formative period and nc
H particulars cen be given.
II So far as known the system OF
i drainage now in operation In all these
i districts is entirely satisfactory, and
has proven the wisdom of the law that
Il made it possible. 1t also speaks well
for the progressive character of our
youthful commonwealth, and its zeal
Il for its agricultural interests
1t might be pertinent to add tina,
drainage by district organization Is
recommended and encouraged by the
U. S. department of agriculture and
II that division is maintained Nv tha