The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-07-07
viii Conquer
Great Desert
Waters of Rio Crande Soon
Will Flow Into Three
Southwestern States.

DENvER.--Conquest of Ameri-
cas- great southwestern desert
started 400 years ago by Spanish
explorers-is under way again, this
time for a prize more valuable than
the fabulous gold sought by the
helmeted Conquistadores.
Ratification by Texas, Colorado
and New Mexico of a compact APP
portioning the flow Of the great Rio
Grande opened the way for expan-
sion of thousands of acres In farm
lands that line the 1,800-mile-long
river valley.
Guns and lances have no part in
the modern conquest of the South
west-rather the weapons will be
dams, reservoirs and irrigation
canals. The result will produce a
fortune in tillable land far surpass-
ing the widest dreams Of the con-
quering Spaniards when they
marched northward from Mexico
centuries ago.
Ratification Up to Congress.
Only the further ratification by
congress is necessary to make effec-
tive the tri-state compact permitting
actual work on $50,000,000 pro-
gram for construction of dams, pow
er plants, diversion canals and res
ervoirs at various points on the riv-
er's course.
Hydro-electric, irrigation and flood
control benefits will improve an area
comparable in size to Massachu-
sets, Rhode Island and Connecticut
combined.
Starting as a trout stream in the
two-mile-high snowfields of the San
Juan range in southern Colorado,
the river flows through sand dunes
and the volcanic badlands of New
Mexico, runs placidly to Ell Paso
and continues its lazy way after
plunging out Of Santa Helena cam
yon just southeast of the Texas city.
Near its mouth, the river streams
through the rich citrus farms of
southern Texas.
Fulfillment of the Rio Grande
compact was the result of more
than so years of work by water ex-
perts, engineers, and the govern
ments of the three states. The
treaty provides yearly quantities of
water that must be delivered at the
Colorado-New Mexico boundary and
the amount that New Mexico must
deliver to Texas. It limits the
amount of water that may be stored
during various stages Of the river.
Studied by Engineers.
Army engineers already were
studying the proposed Wagon Wheel
Gap reservoir which would water
the San Luis valley of southern Col
orado. This $14, 100000 dam and its
companion projects would supple
ment the present development of ap-
proximately $50, 1000 acres of the fer
tile valley. Flood control and power
benefits also would accrue from the
completed project.
Power for albuquerque, Santa Fee
and other northern and central New
Mexico communities would be the
product of a proposed dam near the
Colorado-New Mexico state line. This
structure also would be used to har-
ness flood waters that annually flood
the lower New Mexico valley re-
gions causing thousands of dollars
damage.
A projected series of slit reser-
voirs, bikes, canals and channel
deepening projects in the south
central section of New Mexico
would cost approximately $10,0O0,-
900. Value of bordering farmlands
would be doubled by this work.
Farther south, the Elephant Butte
hydro-electric power plant and dam
would be expanded and work COM
pleted for extended irrigation IA
ciities.