Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-05-30
WATER STORAGE
HEARING SET
Other Towns on Rio Grande
May Help Valley Get
Dam Sites
Especial to The Herald.)

with the calling Of a hearing by the
State Board OF Water Engineers to
be held June 80 at Austin to decide
whether ten presentations for dam
sites on the Rio Grande made on
behalf of irrigation interests In this
section will be accepted for filing,
according to Frank S. Robertson,
who returned Thursday afternoon
from the capital.
Meeting Of the Conservation Com
mittee Of the Joint Association Of
Cameron-Hidalgo county water dis
trictS probably will be held here at
2 o'clock Tuesday TO consider action
IN the matter. says Mr.. Robertson,
secretary.
Following the meeting Mr.. Rob-
ertson plans to go TO Laredo and
Eagle Pass where he expects TO Sc
cure resolutions fGm water dis
tricts and individual appropriations
joining with the Valley districts in
asking the state board to accept the
ten presentations for filing. In
making presentations to the board,
Mr.. Robertson introduced resolu-
tons from is members Of the Joint
association and one from the VIII
lacy county district which is not a
member.
Interests Are Same
-Since there is no conflict of in
terests I see no reason why the
appropriations at those points should
not join US in asking that the dam
site presentations be filed" Mr.. Rob-
ertson said.
Five Of the presentations made to
the state board are on dam sites be-
tween Roma and the mouth Of the
Pecos river. The other five pre-
sensations are on sites between the
mouth of the Pecos and the mouth
Of the Mexican Concho river. which
empties into the Rio Grande near
Presidio.
The presentations do not cover
a site on the Pecos where the Cen
trail Power and Light company has
q filing nor the Maverick County
Water Improvement District No. /
permit so there should be no con-
flict of interests at either Of these
places with our own" said MI. Rob-
ertSon. In fact the move will bene-
fit not ony the Lower Rio Grande
Valley but also the Laredo and Eagle
Pass sections"
Already Have Permit
The Maverick county eagle Pass
district has a rermit to take water
out Of the Rio Grande by gravity
through SO miles of canal for power
purposes and then spill it back In the
river.
There IS this district at Eagle Pass
but at Laredo all water users are
individual appropriations. Mr.. Rob-
ertson said. He will interview the
larger appropriations, chamber of
commerce officials and others, ex-
planning the situation to them In
full with a view to securing their
support
Il believe that full publicity On the
matter and a complete understand
ing o will keep out any possible
misunderstanding later" Mr.. Rob-
ertson said. 1T will benefit them as
well as ourselves. There Is no pro-
vision in the statutes for a hearing
but the board wishes 10 give every
an opportunity for intervening
II they desire. The Valley districts
are willing that this be done.
Presentations Refused
Two presentations made for filing
with the board we're turned down
several weeks ago and one Of the
reasons was that they each covered
too much ground. The ten presen-
tations now before the board for
filing each take in less territory but
cover all available desirable dam
sites.
A system of three storage and an
undetermined number of control
and power dams will be necessary,
Il is believed BY close students of the
situation. One large storage dam
would be located in the Big Bend
country where there are three suit
able sites. They are known as Mar
iscal, Boquillas and Santa Helena
sites. Another storage dam would
be located somewhere between Eagle
Pass and Laredo and a third near
zapata OF Salineno.
Dams for control Of water and
generation or power would be 10
Gated below the storage dams. There
Is one desirable site near Roma and
there also are a number Of others,
any or all Of which may be utilized
II presentations are accepted for
filing.
Cost s1O.OOO,OOo
a system of dams which would
make most Of the flow of the Rio
Grande available for use would
cost about $l0.000,000 1t Is estimat-
ed. There are three ways by which
the system could be financed, IL Is
stated. One Is for the federal gov
ernment to furnish the funds,
another for the districts TO CO.
operate with a power company 10
build them and a third the forma-
ton Of q master district, embracing
the areas OF all the smaller districts.
TO vote q gigantic bond issue.
"Mr. Robertson believes that the
dams could be financed With little
cost to the districts. He does not
believe that IL ever will be neces-
sary to form q master district and
vote bonds but thinks that it
would be justified II no other
means were found to finance the
dams. The structures would assure
an adequate supply Of water for
almost the entire area which is
under irrigation OF may be placed
under irrigation along the Rio
Grande in the United States and
Mexico.
Agreement Sought
Everything Is being done TO reach
an agreement with Mexico in
renard TO division OF the Taters Of