Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-12-30
New Hidalgn Districts

Development in Hidalgo county has
been equally rapid, the outstanding
project Of the year being the Good
win tract, with a gross acreage of
25.200. and organized last year as
Hidalgo district No. g.. Pumping
plants have been installed, part Of
the canal system completed, and wa
ter has been turned onto n small
part az the acreage. The entire pro-
ject Is expected 70 he completed
within two years.
Development or the Jackson tract
north of Sharyland ard the Retams
pasture west of Edinblrg is PROPOSED
by Hidalgo district No. z. All plans
for this district have been COM
pleted. and a bond election is expect
ed to be called early in 1929 b. fl
nance the project. Hidalgo district
No. 3 will comprise that part Of the
United Irrigation system watering
part Of the Mission tract and adj
joining lands, and 3 move has been
in~auggrsted to vote n bond issue for
concreting Of canals and complete
rehabilitati3n OF the system.
District 10 TO Organize
Hidalgo district No. 2. organized
by the water users to negotiate for
the purchase OF the Mercedes sys-
TEN. has completed appraisal Of the
plant, and il Is understood the dis
trict will soon be in position to make
"A definite offer t. the American
Land & Irrigation Co., owners Of the
system. III the district takes over
the plant micro improvements
are contemplated. including extern
sin Of the drainage system and ron
crcting OF canals at points Of heavy
seepage.
Plans for organization of Hidalgo
County Water Improvement District
NJ. 10. comprising 1000 acres OF the
J. c. Fngelman lands in the Mes
tencs tract north Of the Donna dts
trirt. are practically completed. and
IL IL understood a bond issue Of
s65o,0O0 will be voted. The district
will secure its water supply from
the drainage Of the Donna and
pharr-San Juan-Alamo tracts. The
drainage ditch and conservation res
ervoir have been completed and in
stallation of the pump plant 70 lift
the water from the drain reservoir
IL under way. This district will wa
ter uy gravity from the reservoir,
the only lift being % feet from the
drain TO the reservoir.
Hidalgo District No. 8. serving g.
500 acres in the Progreso develop
ment southeast Of Weslaeo lying be
tween Llan0 Grande lake and the Rio
Grande. has extended its system to
cover practically all the acreage
Development H. proceeding rapidly
and practically the entire area ~ eK-
pected to be planted 10 fruit or truck
crops before the close Of 1929.
The Starr County Project
The movement to secure irrigation
for the fertile lowlands OF Starr
county took definite form the past
year with the voting Of a bond IS
sue 10 construct a system 10 water
approximately 21, 900 acres extending
along the Rio Crande from Roma 70
a point is miles below Rio Grande
City. Some work has been done on
the system. but sale OF the bonds
has been delayed pending n better
market, and IL is probable construc-
ton work on a large scale will not
get under way before next summer.
In Willacy county the movement TO
divert and impound flood waters To
provide irrigation for approximately
10000 acres in central Willacy and
eastern Hidalgo counties has assum-
ed definite form and an election to
authorize a bond issue of s7,500.0 600
has been called for January II. The
plans OF this district contemplate d.
version Of flood waters in western
Cameron county and construction OF
storage dams to impound 100000 %
800, 900 acre feet, utilizing natural
depressions in western Willaey
ty. Surveys indicate y gravity flow
can be secured from the Rio Crande
to the reservoirs and that approxi-
mately 90 per eent OF the acreage
can be irrigated by gravity from the
reservoirs. This is the most ambi-
tious irrigation project ever launch
ed in the United States, engineers |
say. |
Concreting Canals
Considerable progress has been |
by the older irrigation districts |
in concreting canals or constructing
pipe lines to eliminate land damage
and water loss from seepsge. I'm
der the ruling Of the water board
BIZ the new districts are required ~
construct concrete systems, ard the