San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-01-17
VAST AREAS
RECLAIMED
BY FLOOD
CONTROL
West Texas to Make City
Natural Marketing
Center, Is Plan.

Irrigation projects involving hun
dreds Of thousands Of acres Of highly
productive soil in West Texas now are
under construction or are being con-
templatcd, according to Ray Leeman,
Southwestern Manager of the West
Texas Chamber of Commerce, with
headquarters in San Antonio.
It's an i'll wind that blows nobody
good, and the crop conditions during
the past season caused by prolonged
dry periods. though they caused bad
times in some sections, are now react
ing to bring about the unprecedented
development, Mr.. Leeman said.
Following n recent survey OF the
irrigation and reclamation projects
now under way or being planned, Mr..
Lceman said there has never been a
time in the history Of the state when
SO much interest and activity in the
question Of conservation Of flood
waters has been taken.
SEVEN BIG PROJECTS.
Seven large irrigation projects, some
of which are already started aud in
operation, h. said. are now retaining
vast areas raising from 10000 to
100000 acres. Most of them, he said,
are in the west and northwestern part
of the state where crops before have
depended entirely on natural weather
conditions.
A few of the undertakings, accord
ing to Mr.. Leeman. are in the southern
and central parts of the state, all, how
ever, being directly or indirectly i'm
portant to San Antonio.
San Antonio business in general,
Mr.. Leeman said, should be vitality in
terested in the irrigation and develop
ment programs as much of the vast
output of the acres reclaimed and
made productive will be cleared
through here.
S. \. TRADING CENTER.
San Antonio, he said, is the natural
trading center of West Texas and he
is planning with the chamber of com
merce here to build up a cooperation
between the city and the West that
will teach persons of West Texas to
consider this their marketing and dis
tributing capital.
West Texanj have profited by ex-
amples set by the Rio Grande Valley
and the rice growing sections of the
state, Mr.. Leeman said. A project in
yolving more than 100000 acres has
recently been put under irrigation
near Wichita Falls. 1t will be ex-
tended to take in $4,000 acres more,
he said.
One of the next most important
undertakings, Mr.. Leeman said, is
that assured by the recent election held
at Cotulla when 1881 600 in bonds
was voted.
The San Saba territory, Mr.. Lee
man said, has followed suit and
preliminary election on 10000 acres
was recently put over.
Details of another project which.
when worked out, Mr.. Leeman said,
will be one of the most comprehensive
in the country, are now being perfect
ed at Red Bluff in Pecos county.
Irrigation districts are being formed
on the Brazos river in Baylor, Steph-
ems, Palo Pinto, McLennan and Ellis
counties on the upper stretches, Mr..
Leeman found in his survey. SINH
lar districts are being worked out on
the Colorado river, he said, and the
Amarillo and extreme Northwest Tex
as sections are working out irrigation
plans with New Mexico and Okla
homa to utilize the Canadian river.
Hundreds of thousands Of acres are
also being reclaimed for agriculture.
according TO Mr.. Leeman, by levee
building on the lower reaches Of the
Trinity river.
Most of the projects, Mr.. Leeman
said, are being made possible BY
topographic and photographic surveys
made by the board Of water engineers
and the United States Geographical
Survey at Austin. The Texas Con
seryation Association. he said, u also
an active agency in the work. u
was formed four years ago and II now
! headed by J. A. Kemp, Wichita Falls.