Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-07-01
VALLEY FLOOD
CONTROL WORK
NEARS FINISH
Protection For Entire
Valley Will Be Prac-
tically Assured In
60 Days

The Valley flood control system,
virtually assuring ample protection
10 almost half a million acres in the
Lower Rio Grande Valley, will be
completed within 60 days, according
TO the estimate Of engineers.
Construction Of the river levees in
Cameron county has been completed,
an unbroken system Of levees now
extends from a point neal Mission
TO several miles below Brownsville,
protecting the large acreage lying
between the river and the flood con-
troll channel in Hidalgo county and
the entire river section in Cameron
county.
Work on the north floodway. the
only uncompleted part of the Valley
project, is progressing rapidly. All
gaps in the south levees have been
closed, and engineers state that the
entire cultivated area Of the Valley is
now protected against any normal
rise Of the Rio Grande. Within n few
weeks the system will be able TO han
die any flood equal to those hereto
fore recorded.
Mexicans Build Levees
on the Mexican side of the river
a levee system has been constructed,
and a spillway TO the Arroyo del
Tigre has been cut across the low
ridge living between the river and
the arroyo. The levees will direct
the water onto the lowlands above
Matamoros from which point IL viii
spill into the Arroyo del Tigre, the
} natural drain for the southern SIDE
, Of the stream
Numerous short levees along the
lower reaches Of the Arroyo Colorado
n remain to be constructed. This nat
. ural drain viii carry seven-twelfths
a Of the water taken from the RIO
- Grande during periods OF major
FLOOD. That section Of the arroyo
between Mercedes and the cameron
ounty line has been leveed, ana
cameron county has extended the
nth Ievee from the county line 70
IVY Harrington canal, a distance Of
f-2 miles, and the north levee 70
,oint east Of Ia Feria, where ii
= in" with high ground about five
~ east OF the county line. The
er reaches OF the arroyo are ex-
ted to carry the flood waters with
extensive levees.
Working I'm Hidalgo
cameron county Is constructing APP
Aoximately 10 l-2 miles of levee IN
idalgo county on the north 1000
tay, which will discharge about i've
-etfths Of the overflow waters. The
ction Cameron county is construct
. extends from Mile IL of the
ercedes tract to Mile is, thence east
, the Cameron county line. The east
levee is nearizS completion, and the
huge s-vard dreGEe Nof L. d. Craw-
ford is expected to start work on the
west levee next week. The average
height Of these levees Is about IL
feet. and they are spaced approx
imately half a mile apart
The north fioOdway has been ex-
tended TO a point east Of the old
Alice road about twelve miles east
Nof Sebastian. and may be EXTENDED
almost To the Laguna Nadre. Under
present conditions the waters would
he discharged upon the lowlands OF
the coast and practically none OF the
cultivated areas of either Cameron or
Willacy counties would be affected.
The resaca Rancho Niejo ~floodway,
which will carry approximately
1000 second feet, wal completed sew
eral months ago. This floodway is
designed 10 relieve pressure on the
lower river levees n 70 discharge
such surplus waters as the north
floodway and the lower river cannot
carry. Completion of the flood con-
troll system on the Mexican side is
expected TO practically eliminate the
= flow through the Rancho Niejo re-
SAGA except in times Of abnormal
floods.
Handle Large Volume
The maximum flood record Of the
Rio Grande is 100000 second feet,
and the Valley flood control system
| has been constructed with a view Of
handling this volume. With the COM
pletion Of the Mexican system a vol
ume OF water considerably in excess
Of that could be handled. During the
major floods approximately 10000
second feet viii flow into the flood
control channel of Hidalgo county
through the Mission and Grangeno
Intakes. OF this amount $4,000 sec
ond feet viii discharge through the
north floodway and 10000 second feet
through the Arroyo Colorado. The
lower river will carry $4,000 to 3 5000
second feet without danger Of seri-
Gus overflow, and the Resaca Rancho
Vieio spillway viii handle an addi-
+ional 5000 second feet. On the
Mexican side cuts are being made
through tine ridge at Cabras Pintas
with a view Of handling $4,000 to 60
600 second feet. Two Of these paral-
lei cuts nave been completed and as
4 result there has been very little
pressure on the Matamoros levees
since the first cut was finished.
The total cost Of the flood con-
troll system will be approximately
100000 IL is the first bi-eounty
project of the kind in the South and
has created considerable interest
among southern engineers who as
sert that the Mississippi flood con-
troll system should in every respect
be a ~magnified replica Of the Valley
rrntnn.