The Coconino sun., 1925-01-09
BIG HYDRO ELECTRIC
DEVELOPMENT PLANNED
FOR EASTERN ARIZONA

"A. b. Graham OF Detroit, consulting
engineer and director, respectively, of
the Commonwealth Power & Light Co.
Preliminary work to actual con-
struction of the first unit of the pro-
ject already has been started on the
north fork of the Black river in the
southern edge of Apache county, Mr..
Rosecrans announced. The actual con-
struction of the dam at this site,
which is expected to employ about $50
men through six months period,
will start not later than April 1, he
announced.
The first unit is one of several in
mammoth hydro-electric undertaking
which is being financed by Chicago
and Detroit capital, Mr.. Rosecrans
said.
The enterprise as a whole plans the
development at once of total of
about 42,500 horse power. Of that,
10000 horse power will be developed
on the Black river, in a section
roughly described as being about 28
miles south of Springerville. The re-
mainder of the power will be develop
ed in another major construction unit
along the San Francisco and Gila riv-
ers in the Clifton country, approx
mately so miles south and slightly
west of the Black river development,
Mr.. Rosecrans said.
Additional to power, the San Fran
cisco river project is expected to pro-
vide water for the assured irrigation
of approximately $4,000 acres of land
along the Gila between Clifton, SAT-
ford and Solomonville.
Irrigation, however, is not includ-
ed in the development planned by the
Commonwealth Power & Light COM
pany, Mr.. Rosecrans said. That COM
pany will stand ready only to sell the
water to an irrigation district now
planned. That district will build its
own distribution system, and the
necessary outlay will be an addition
to that which the power company eX-
poets to spend.
The whole project is separated into
two major divisions, one on the Black
river, a tributary of the Salt river,
about 95 miles northeast of Globe;
the other major division is the work
planned on the Gila river and its tri-
butary, the San Francisco, in the inn
mediate vicinity of Clifton.
Various units of these major divi-
sions follow:
On the Black river and its tribu-
taries. The first unit to be built, for
which preliminary work now is being
done, is a dam across North Fork
river, about a mile above where the
North Fork and the East Fork con-
verge to form the Black river. The
dam is to be built across box can
yon, and will be about 100 feet high,
so feet wide at the bottom and 120
feet wide at the top, impounding ap-
proximately 10000 acre feet of water.
Actual construction of this dam will
start about April 1.
The state permit for the Black
river project was issued in October.
Necessary federal permits also have
been secured, Mr.. Rosecrans declared.
The second unit of this work will
be a power house on the Black river
several miles below the dam. The i'm
pounded water will be conveyed
through red cedar pipes six feet or
more in diameter to the power house,
dropping a little more than 600 feet
enroute
The third unit, for which plans still
are tentative, is another dam below
the power house to catch water al
ready used, and power house below
the second dam, six miles from power
house No. 1. The power from dam
No. 2 will have a drop of about 500
feet.
Each of these power sites, it is esti-
mated, will develop in excess of $4,000
horse power of constant energy.
The various units in the second ma
jor division of that project, that cen
tered around Clifton, follow
Unit No. will be dam on the San
Francisco river, about six miles north
of Clifton. The dam will be approx
mately 80 feet high, las feet wide at
the base and 200 feet wide at the top,
being tied into solid granite walls on
the side and foundation, impounding
10000 acre feet of water.
Unit No. 2, also dam, will be on
the Gila river about 20 miles below
the mouth of the San Francisco The
dam will be about the same size as the
San Francisco structure, but due to
the geography of the impounding area
will impound approximately 10000
acre feet.
A power house will be constructed
below each of these dams, that at
unit No. l having an initial maximum
generating capacity of 5000 horse
power, and that at dam No. 2, maxi
mum of 1900 horse power.
Power development on the San
Francisco Gila, however, will not be
constant, due to the flow of the
water, although the figures estimated
will be maintained about three-quar-
ters Of the time each year. Power de-
velopment will be at its lowest dur
ing the period from March to June
and possibly for a period of few
weeks during the earlier winter.
The Gila-San Francisco dams will
impound large volumes which might
be used for irrigation, Mr.. Rose
Grams explained, although the Com
monwealth company expects to con-
fine its activities to power develop
ment.
movement already is on foot
however, according to Mr.. Rosecrans,
for the development of an irrigation
district in the Gila valley in the
Solomonville- Stafford sections and
northeast of the latter place, using