Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-08-03
VAST IRRIGATION PROGRAM
OF GALES GETS UNDER WAY

AAAA4&2 -
Mexico'S largest irrigation project.
It will irrigate 160. 900 acres Of arid
and virgin land co%ntributory to the
Rio Salads, when the four units Of
the "Nueva Espana' dam are COM
pleted. The undertaking was begun
III 1926, after winch at intervals
General Gales, accompanied by
prominent American. Mexican and
European engineers made VISITS q
inspection to the site. General CAL
les was instrumental IN increasing
the first appropriation for the prof.
ect from ITO 900 to 2l,0O0,OOO
pesos.
An earth embankment, a concrete
spillway section in the river chan
mel, and an auxiliary dixie OF earth
constitute the Nueva Espana dam.
The spillway section. which IS OF 2
round headed buttress type, Is 40
feet long and 131 feet high. The
auxiliary dixie has a maximum
height Of 30 feet, and Is six miles
long. The embankment portion IS Of
a maximum height OF ia feet, and
Il 1920 feet long. The spillway IS
equipped with 20 radial gates l4.o
feet deep and % feet wide, p OF the
gates being automatic in action. The
auxiliary dixie has a maximum
height Of 80 feet, and Is six miles
long. There are 1850. 900 cubic YARDS
of earth III the embankment, l,lOO,-
100 in the auxiliary dixie. and ll2,OO0
cubic wards OF concrete IN the spill
way. The work is practically COM
plete. The storage capacity Is LIZA
700 acre feet.
The man canal is now built 10
serve three OF four units into which
the project has been divided. Inc
first unit. which will be opened TOT
colonization this fall. IS already
equipped with a virtually completed
ateral system. This unit comprises
5000 acres.
Three Units to Start
When colonization OF unit one
5 unOer way, construction o. Can
as Tor the olner three UNITS Will rs
begun. The estimated cost OF the
lroIect. incIuQIng mt one, IS Il
JUG. 900 pesos, and the final oeVsi-
Opment VIII increase this amount "
So 600 600 pesos. The main canal
system as now constructed IS ~
niles long. and the laterals tota!
las miles. The project IS equipped
with complete drainage and ROAD
systems.
Water supply for this project Is
almost wholly dependent upon lhe
storage OF flood wat s Of the Sal
ado river and its upper tributaries,
chief OF which are the es
and the Sabinas. which unite TO
form the SaladO about eight klo-
meters above the dam. The catch
basin of the reservoir covers about
10000 square kilometers. 1t IS a
tvp.cal arid region, the major part
Of the precipitation coming IN tor
rental rains. usually during the
rainy season between May and
November.
The lateral system Is 70 reach
each individual farm or farm unit.
The principle adopted IN designing
the automatic gate control OF the
spillway was Independently conceiv-
ed by the Mexico City office. al
though a similar device has been
employed IN other places. including
tie Imperial Valley in the United
States.
The Presa Gales, on Santiago
river. 90 miles from the city Of
Aguascalientes. has called for an
expenditure OF 8,l58,000 pesos 70
date, including q complete road sys-
tenn that has been built. Since that
section OF the country Is greatly In
need Of water. the government has
already begun colonization there.
The project will iTrigste $4,000 acres
acres OF land.
Main Cause
The main canal of the Gales pro-
ject is II miles long and 81 miles Of
laterals viii furnish water TO the
lands to be irrigated. There are two
tunnels. one l.9 miles long and the
other 0.9 miles long. The dam IS
of the single variable radium arch
with gravity abutments. IL Is zoo
feet high and contains $4,000 mubic
yards Of concrete. Storage capacity
Is 2T6. 900 acre feet. There Is a diver
sion Of the dam downstream from
the main dam. of the multiple arch
type. LAP feet high. and containing
% 900 cubic yards Of masonry and
1000 cubic yards Of concrete.
The Rio Mantle project, which IS
already III operation. is on the Rio
Grande in the state OF Tamaulipas,
about 100 miles from Tampico. II
is planned to irrigate $4,000 acres
OF rich soil in a region where a
favorable climate prevails. To date
the undertaking has cost 100000
pesos.
More To Come
And apparently Mexico's irriga-
ton program has only been started.
Several months ago Preside-t ortiz
Rubio asked all state governors TO
send the ministry OF agriculture
detailed information about lands IN
their territory that would benefit
by irriration works. This informa-
ton will serve as a guide In the
future irrigation projects 10 be
undertaken BY the government.
q. w. Caldwell Is vice -Dresident
and general manager OF the J. @
White Engineering co~rro-ation ir
Mexico G.. II. Howell. formerly Of
the United States Reclamation
Service. Is chief er~inear. and II.
v. r. Thorne Is construction
supervisor.