WSP05238

• File Number: 8509
• Description: San Luis Valley
• State: CO
• Basin: Rio Grande
• Water Division: 3
• Date: 2/26/1935
• Title: Report of San Luis Valley Drain Committee to Administrator Harold L. Ickes
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

q;;~~

(ZI
l~}j
t:~
(:,1
.~)

i.~.,')

'"

.
l'

I

\.
~~
t.

~

~,
(.

stroams. It is bclievod tho futuro salt contont of tho drc.in 1\',,-ter

..hero it is disch[U'gcd into the Rio Gre_ndo wi 11 bo materinlly less

than 1000 pe.rts per million, with common snIt as tho principe.l con-

sti tuont .

EFFECT ON i'.'ATER SUPiLY FOR DOrmST.REAl., IRRIG"TTON

Whon wnter is nppliod in irrir;at;.on, a pe.rt of it is

consumed in transpiration by plants und in ~.porntion from soils.

Tho remaindor - thore is n.lvro.ys ~~ rOIilnindcr of groD.tor or loss

U'Tlount - find sit s way to the underground s troams and sooner or

10.. tel" l"or..ches the s urfnco Hi thin the strem71 system i'rom. which it

is divortad. 'Tho suIts which tho trc.nspired CUld evaporated w,,-ter

aonte. inod n t the point of di versi on aro left behind upon ovaporn-

tion and go to increQse the suIt content of the soil and/or tho

ground v~ter. It ~~y bo sc.id th~t if c.pproprinto methods of

irrigntion c.re prncticod, the 'snIt thc.t is left behind nh",_ys

evontuc.lly joins the ground wntor mod is normnlly roturned to the

strco..m s~Tst.om. Tho result is r., progressive concontrntion of' sC'~lts

dovmstrOD.n o..nd this is particulQrl~l true;" whoro ns I'd th th(~ Rio

Grondo thoro is c.lso n diminution of stromn flow.

The report of lkW 1932 on "Hiddl G Rio Grondo Investi gu-

tions" by E. B. Debler on pnge 131, g;ives the snIt contant of Rio

Grande waters as follows:

At 8[',11 MD.rci~" New ~.~oxico
At outl at of Elophnnt Butta
Lt Lo~sburg Drnn, Now Mexico
i~ El Fasa" TCXQS
~t Fnbons, Toxas
At Fto Quit~~" Toxas

40
rosorv:)ir 50
60
100
120
240

po.rts por 100,000
" " "
" " "
" " "
" " "
" " "

23