Gunnison news-champion., 1920-09-24
TRANSPORTATION TUNNELS
MAY BE MEANS OF SAVING
WATER OF STATE OUT
SIDERS COyET
Vast Areas of Land in Imperial Val
ley. Old Mexico. and Arizona in
Line TO Secure Water Right
fully Belonging TO Colo
rado: Tunnels Will
Help Prevent

Shall Western Colorado sit supine-
ly by and let the Imperial valley and
a portion OF Old Mexico secure title
to water that rightfully belongs TO
the people of this state That Is a
question which We shall have TO an
sWer very soon The situation is
outlined in n portion Of letter from
Vim. G. Evans, chairman of the Col
orado Railroad Commission, to the
Durango Democrat
IF the voters of the state approve
the proposals of the Commission as
set forth in the amendment he says,
'-the three tunnels vii be for auto
highways and railroads. They will
be as nearly level as proper drainage
will permit and Will not b. suitable
nor intended for transferring water
from the Western TO the Eastern
Slope. IL Is my understanding that
the federal government. in behalf Of
the people of other states, refuses
right-of-way through the public do
main or permission for the construc-
ton Of tunnels to be used TO divert
water from the Pacific to the Atlantic
watershed, or vice versa
THE San Juan tunnel will be one
either three miles long near Cumbres
Pass, between the Rio Grande and
Chama river basins. or one approx
mately four miles long near Wolf
Creek Pass. A reconnaissance of the
Monarch tunnel site and of both the
Cumbres and Wolf Greek Pass tun-
mel sites Is now under way. The To-
cation Of the Mofrat tunnel has been
definitely made. No appropriations
wcre made by the legislature for
carrying on the work Of the Commits
sion. The expense of the surveying
now proceeding is paid from an ap-
preparation made for the purpose by
the City Of Denver. -,
''In this connection | wish to call
your attention TO the interest which
the people of the Western Slope in
this state have in the proposals for
development of the Colorado river
by the government, now being dis
cussed in 4 convention in Denver Of
governors and others from the south
western states. The proposals very
earnestly advocated by representa-
tives from southern California and
Arizona favor the construction of
great reservoirs on the Colorado riv-
er below the confluence of the Grand
and Green rivers, for the purpose of
HOlulNR lilt Iocu "dbSiS VI tilie
stream and letting them pass down
gradually past Yuma, instead of de-
struetively. as they now sometimes
do. II is also proposed that the
food waters of the river-more than
half of which come from the stream
of Western Colorado-shall be used
for the irrigation of million acres
of now arid land in southeastern
California, for large acreage of
lands in western Arizona, and for
great tracts of arid lands in Old
Mexico near the Imperial valley.
81 believe Colorado, and particu
larly Western Colorado, should be
alert to see TO il that owners of the
great tracts of land in Old Mexico,
in western Arizona, and in southern
California do not get a vested right
in the food waters from the western
portion of this state before so much
of them as can be benefcially used
to develop new sugarbeet, wheat,
alfalfa. and potato fields and fruit
orchards in Western Colorado has
been appropriated and applied TO that
purpose.
81 believe that adequate and eco
nomic TRANSPORTATION is necessary for
the settlement and development Of
lands now unused and that with the
construction of the proposed tunnels
or even if il were assured they
will be constructed-the settlement
and development Of lands and the
appropriation of flood waters in Wes-
tern Colorado will he hastened" ="