The Dolores star., 1924-01-18

dams were constructed in the bottom of the canyon
and In nearly all the available draws leading into
.i'e main channel where flood waters could be in
tercepted and stored. The highest dam so far
found Is few inches over Ave feet in height ant,
.he extreme length Of any dam is approximately
Io reel These were so built In series (eghty.
SIX IN quarter mile in the main canyon) that the
.a'reihe water level in the lower reached to
tle nase OF the next dam above. Many Of them
are less than fifteen feet apart and some are
Dut foot or two in height
water could have never been carried directl.
from the reservoirs to the fields above because
OF the depth of the reservoirs below the available,
FARMING land Women and children evidently fol
lowed the method Of many Of the present Pueblo
indians, carrying jars Of water on the head over
'he trails to the crops to be irrigated
Durlng heavy showers the upper reservoirs were
the first to all and as they overdowed, the lowe:
dams were filled Since they were all for the mos,
part built directly the great sandstone ca which
forms the upper 15O to 200 feet Of the Mesa Verde
the water was rapidly absorbed by the sandstone
and soon disappeared from the reservoirs utoys
But II was not lost. Separating the upper can
Of sandstone from the lower Of equal thickpes.
Is an impervfous seam of shale from few tucbe,
to foot or more In thickness, and since this has
a slope to the southwark the water seeming
through from the reservoirs above saturated the
sandstone to this impervious shnle seam and fol
lowed 1t southwark with the slope of the conn
try to the point where 1t was exposed at ira con
maintained at the exposed shale seam and only
In this way could water be obtained through long
periods of drought which still persist on the Mesa
Verde
Adopting the methods of the ancient Cliff Dwell.
ers. two large dams were constructed on the rim
rock at the head of Spruce Tree canyon, above the
old stock reservoir, and drainage bitches were CON
struced to increase the surface run off that cou5
be conducted to these reservoirs. -Four more res
ervors will be constructed above this first serie,
this coming season. At the head of the canyon ion
to $50 feet below trench nearly $50 feet long
gathers the water which filters through the thick
sandstone cap or natural filter and conducts II to
cement csterns from which 1t is pumped 175 feet
above to the storage tanks where It is held for
camp
The larger the series OF reservoirs above tho
greater the area of sandstone that Is saturated
and since the movement OF the water through the
great bed Of sandstone Is SLOW the water which
enters the reservoirs in the early spring from the
melting SHOWS is the water which carries the
camp through the long summer periods Of drought
THE water when regained Is Of the finest ouai
ity, no matter how dirty It appears above" saie
Mr.. Nusbaum. ITO c0rroborate this statement
the state chemist at Boulder reported that even
when the water was at its worst and lowest stage
in the reservoirs above only 428 bacteria were
found in the unit sample submitted, which ia
remarkably low count. Because Of the vast fllte,
in use the water Is particularly clear and IL neari,
as cold ~ Ice water"