Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-07-15
DISTRICT Will
LET CONTRACT
FOR new PUMP
Los Fresnos Irrigation
System to Mater
Large Acreage In
Coastal Area

Contract for the installation Of
additional pumping equipment,
which will increase the capacity Of
the pumping plant approximately 80
per cent will be awarded by the
board Of directors of the Los Fres-
nos irrigation system Tuesday.
Bids for the equipment and install
lation, submitted by ten firms, were
opened Thursday. and the board was
IN session Friday considering the
various proposals. Announcement
was made Saturday morning that the
bids OF three firms were under CON
sideration. w. L. Anderson, consult
ing engineer for the district Is
working out the various proposals
and will submit his findings at the
meeting OF the directors tuesday.
Approximately $4,000 viii be eX-
pended by the district or the i'm
provements, to be finapced By the
connection changes. Contracts
have been closed with districts Nos.
10 and II, comprising the Ruther-
ford-Harding lands and the Boory
lands secured by the Port Isabel
company for the watering Of their
respective acreages upon a cost-plus
basis.
10000 Gallons a Minute
New pumping equipment to- be in
stalled Will have q capacity CT ap-
proximately 10000 gallons a min
ute, bringing the total capacity Of
the plant TO 10000 gallons. which
will be ample to supply the presen.
acreage and the acreage 70 be added
by the development ot lands to the
east Of the Los Fresnos tract. At
least 800 horsepower viii be re-
quired to operate the pump. and the
district has not yet decided whether
II will be electric. gas or oil in
stallation.
Development Of new lands IN the
coastal area, practically all Of which
viii be watered BY the Los Fresnos
system, will also require the widen
ing Of the main canal for a distance
OF about II miles from the pumping
plant 20 the point where water will
be delivered TO the new districts
Just east Of the Los F%resnos town
site. The reservoir at the second
lift pump, formed by canning the
Cuates resaca, will also h enlarged,
officials of the district state, in or
der to assure no shortage or water.
Water for the upper end Of the dis
trict is now delivered by gravity
from the reservoir, the only second
life lands being those in close
proximity to the Cuates resaca.
Plan Water Storage
Storage plans are also being
worked out by the engineers OF the
new districts, who propose u%tiliza-
tion Of the Cuates resaca and several
iagoons for reservoirs. The water
will be carried az a point well below
the surface level in order 70 avoid
possible damage TO land from seep-
age.
While the additional pumping fa-
cilities will permit the district TO
increase the acreage under irriga-
tion approximately 10 per cent, sup
plying ample water for U 5000 TO 40,-
600 acres, developers predict that
additional facilities may be required
in a few years 70 handle the extern
sive development IN the coastal
areas. District No. 10 comprises Tess
than 1900 acres, but will probably
be increased 70 10000 or 10000
acres. according 70 present plans OF
N~EFNANHtAHs hAAAtldlr OF tAE Los
Fresnos district state that when the
additional acreage is taken into dis
trict No. III they VIII Ne prepared 70
supply the necessary irrigation wa
ter.
Deliver to Meter
Under an agreement with the new
districts the Los Fresnos district
viii deliver water at the east line
Of the district, where il will be
metered into the canal OF the new
district. Delivery is made upon a
cost-plus basis. The cost Of deliv-
cry is now being determined bv w.
r. Anderson. consulting engineer Of
the Los Fresnos district in con-
junction with T. B. White. district
manager. and the basis Of profit 10
the Los Fresnos district will w
agreed upon BY the contracting dis
trlcts. The contract will provide
for annual changes IN the cost fig
urc. providing conditions make
such change necessary.
Engineers connected with eastern
Cameron county development pre-
dict that within a few years the Los
Fresnos system will be supplying an
acreage that will place II in the
front rank among the major irriga-
ton districts Of the Valley. They
point out that the entire coastal
area. which has an immense acreage
Of extremely fertile land can be ir-
rigated very efficiently through the
Los Fresnos system. A-malgamatior
Of the three districts within a few
years when thew are Joined nv de-
velopment, Il also prcdi,ted ~ the
irrigation men who are watching
the rapid development Of the Cam
eron county coastal area