Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-10-21
DRAIN WATERS
WILL Be Held
in RESERVOIRS
A Full Concrete Dis
tribution System Is
Planned For Engel-
man Lands

man Lands
The most extensive water rpnser-
vation and irrigation project ever
launched in the lower border cour-
try, utilizing drainage waters as well
as surplus waters from the Rio
Grande, includes approximately 5000
acres belonging TO J.. e. Engelman in
the Mestenas tract in Hidalgo county.
The entire area lies north Of thu
Donna irrigation district, outside The
irrigated area Of the Valley. Water
for the project. which will be con.
served in two large reservoirs, uil,
be secured from the drainage OF the
Donna and Pharr-San Juan-Aiamo ~
rigation systems. with surplus
waters from the Rio Grande, when
necessary.
The Engclman development. one az
the largest in the non-irriratcd area.
started two years ago, and over q
Thousand acres were set to citrus
fruit in 1927. These paintings will
be greatly increased this year. ara
II Is the intention or the owner ~
develop practically the entire acrcsze
as a citrus project.
Under nm arrangement between the
Donna and Pharr-San Juan-AIamo ~
rigation districts, the Donna district
supplies a drainage outlet for both
systems, and the drain waters are
carried north 70 the reservoirs on
the Engelmnn development. The first
reservoir. which has a capacity or an
proximately 200 acre feet, is To-
Gated about a mile south OF tha
Engelman club house. and the sec
ond, which has n capacity or approx
mately 100 acre feet, is located 4
mil eand half northeast Of the club
house. Both reservoirs are formed
BY natural depressions requiring
levees on n side to complete them.
Their combined capacity is $500 acre
feet. sufficient to assure ample irri-
CATION water for 5000 acres.
Will Concrete System
The first reservoir has been COM
pleted, and water from the Donna
drainage ditch. which In now flowinr
a large stream as a result Of the re-
cent heavy rains, will be turned into
It the latter part of the week. Work
on the second reservoir is under wav.
and ~ will be ready 20 receive water
In a few weeks. A contract has beer
made with the Donna irrigation sys.
tenn whereby 10 will supply surpluw
waters from the Rio Grande az arv
time the drainage waters NAV not
prove adequate for the irrigation 81
the acreage. Under the terms of the
contract the surplus water il 10 bs
supplied upon a cost plus basis.
n entire irrigation system will
be constructed Of concrete pine and
concrete lined canals, the present
plan comprising pipe distribution
systems on practically all tracts. Two
large pump plants, located on the
reservoirs, will supply the system,
the average lift being approximately
is feet.
An emergency outlet for the Donna
drain system has been supplied by .
connection with the north floodwav
channel NJ "A point near Mile rs lust
north Of the Mercedes system. the
emergency outlet 20 discharge drain
age waters which cannot be retained
In the reservoirs.
Donna Drainage System
The Donna drainage system. which
will supply the major part of the
waters Tor the Engelman development
Is considered one Of the most efficient
in the Valley, having been financd ~
a $5eO,0Ou bond issue, which provided
ample funds to extend the system
20 every section Of the Donna tract.
The flood waters from the entire
area north Of the "sejo" or bench are
discharged into the main drainage
canal along the east edge of the
Donna tract and carried ~northward IL
the Engelman lands. The system was
designed BY A. Tamm. who Is also
handling the engineering on the En-
gelman project.
The main drainage canal connect
ing with the first reservoir on the
Engelman lands was recently COM
pleted, and with completion of the
levee on the reservoir, the water
will be allowed to flow IN. "A heavy
volume has been discharging through
the drain canal ever since its compile
tion, indicating that the flow OF seep-
are and surface water for the con
~scrvation project will probably ~
ample TO irrigate the acreage without
the addition of large volumes of
surplus waters from the Rio Grandc.
The drainage system has been de-
signed TO intercept, the seepage from
ali canals on the Donna district and
also TO cut off the seepage from the
Mercedes main canal along the east
line Of the Donna tract. The main
drainage discharge parallels the
Mercedes canal between five and six
mile. The seepage at this point il
very heavy, as indicated by the small
rills Of water which continually
trickle into the drainage ditch two TO
three feet below the surface.
The effects Of the drainage system
D. mlEmmAWr WMw4W --wA-L
out h district. The water table IN
gradually lowering on hundreds OF
acres which prior to construction of
the drainage bitches we're rapidly
turning salt" The heavy secparr
mtintains a constant and hcyy flow
through the drainage bitches, but
this flow ~ expected TO decrease SIS
the water table lowers.
Plan Big Development
Practically the entire acreage on
the Engelman project has been
cleared, and the major part IL ell
ready under cultivation. The deep
tilling method Is used as a means
OF conserving the water supply and
assuring ample moisture for the hun
dreds Of acres of young trees, whose
thrifty growth attest the extreme
fertility of the soil and the efficiency
Of the cultural method. "A large
acreage was also planted 10 cotton
this year. and "A big crop harvested
despite the adverse weather eondi-
tions.
Plans for the irrigation system
have been practically completed. and
construction of canals and distribu-
ton system is under way, all open
canals and bitches 60 be concreted
ms soon as they settle sufficiently.
The pump plants will be electrically