The Coconino sun., 1923-02-09


depth would be serious objection
IF this reservoir were in use for
water supply the water in storage
at the end of the run-off season,
probably in June, would be drawn up.
on from that time until the next
spring. The amount Of water would
be continuously decreased and the
depth diminished and the water itself
would be stagnant. The water COM
ing into the reservoir in the spring
would be muddy, although the res
ervoir would act as a settling basin,
allowing some of the sediment to set
tie. 1t would contain drainage from
farms and a populated valley and rum
off from grazing territory on the
hills, thus bringing in considerable
organic pollution. The quality of the
water coming into the reservoir would
certainly be poor and aside from the
settling out of sediment, would no
/ doubt grow worse during storage due
| to its standing stagnant in a shallow,
unlined reservoir and due to growths
of weeks and algae which often cause
the water to have Objectionable tastes
and odors. The surface soil and grow
ing vegetation should be stripped
from the bottom and sides of such
reservoir, and even then weeds may
develop which need periodical cutting
and algae may grow which require
dragging the lake with copper sui
phate. In addition a filter plant
would be required to purify the wa
ter and make it satisfactory for
drinking purposes. Such a plant
could be located near the present res
ervoirs, but above them, so that all
the water would be available for use,
with a gravity flow to the filters and
into the present reservoirs.
There would be about $50 feet diff
ference in elevation available for
gravity flow and a pressure pipe line
about 2 ga miles long would be nee
essary to deliver the water into the
filter plant and the present reservoir.
A flow line without pressure would
have to be about four miles in length.
The elevation Of this reservoir with |
respect to the present reservoir
seems to be about the only thing to |
commend it. The uncertainty as to
the adequacy Of the run-off in dry
years, the polluted character of the
water coming into the reservoir, the (
shallowness of the reservoir causing T
a further deterioration in quality
and the necessity of filtering, are
serious objections to the use of this /
source of supply.
Fort Valley Underground Supply
"A number of wells have been in
use for good many years on the
farms in Fort Valley, mostly on Sec
tion 26 and the edges of the adjoin-
ing sections. The existence of this
underground water has caused it to
be advocated as source of supply
for the town. Some test and exp1or-
alton work has been carried on at
different times, without very defin-
ite results.
about 20 years ago a contract was
entered into between A. II. BeasIey
and man named E. S. Gosney for
some experimental work in Fort Val
ley and an option on the water sup
ply was offered ts. the town for $780,
900 before contract was let for the
first pipeline from the springs. The
contract was assigned to two other
parties who began work on the Beas-
ley ranch. Trenches were run from
a sunp and were cut through the
gravel to the clay subsoil. A four
inch centrifugal pump was installed
in the sump and run continuously for
nearly two weeks. It was reported
that at first the pump could not han
die the water but that during the
first week the flow decreased con-
siderably, but began to increase the
second week. At the end of the sec
ond week a rain flooded the valley
and caved in the trenches.
sThe town let the contract for the
springs pipeline, and one of the pro-
moters of the Fort Valley project
withdrew and Gosney, with the other
promoter, secured a new 20-year op-
ton from Beasley Brothers and con-
tinued the tests. The old trenches
were cleaned out, deepened where the
entire gravel had not been cut
through, and extended. An invert-
ed wooden trough was placed in the
bottom and the trenches refilled,
leaving observation holes at inter
walls. The pump was moved along as
the trench was dug to handle the
water. 1t was also reported that {
tests were made east of the road !
along the east side of Section rs and I
that the water-bearing gravel ex-
tended as far as the malpais reef {
about 300 feet east, but not beyond.
Last year the town engineer, Mr.. {
Wright, made survey Of Fort Val \
ley to determine the water elevations {
in the various wells. Mr. Wright's (
conclusion that no underground lake j
Of water exists in Fort Valley is un-
doubtedly correct, but there does exist |
an underground flow through the !
gravel bed from west and north to- |
ward the east outlet through the I
break in the volcanic reef which |
crosses the valley. ]
"The test holes made over the val
ley indicate that the water-bearing t
gravel does not completely cover Sec
.ion 26 and seems to run south one {
half mile east and one mile from the
ranger station. The test-holes prove
that the water-bearing gravel is very S
thin, averaging only Is inches thick.
It is possible that this gravel deposit t
mas extensions west and north,
which act as feeders for it, and there
undoubtedly is considerable water