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A"A ~",;t. (\~l' L") L'- C\J CJ ,~ C:' " ~: ~ ~ f 2~ h. " , in the valley, accompanied the Committee and rendered invaluablo assistance through his intimate kncwledge of the irrigation and drainage systems. On the night of Feb~~ary 15, the Committee returned to Denver ,\here it has since continued a study of the proj ect. GENEIU\.L DESCPJ:PTION A clear comprehension of topographic, irrigation and drain- age conditions in San Luis Valley and the functions of the proposed San Luis Valley Drain is essential in the following discussion in which every effort has been made to concentrate only on those natur- al features bearing directly on the project. San Luis Valley is located in south-central Colorado and north-central New Gexico. The valley extends almost due north ffild south 150 miles and is 50 miles wide at its vddest point. The lower end of the vall6'J narrows down arcd extends about 15 miles into Nev. Mexico. North of the Colorado-New Mexico state line the valley is divided diagonally by the San Luis hills extending from Antonito to Fort Garland. The northern part of the valley, with \'hi ch this report is chiefly concerned, is a remarkably large, broad-bottomed basin lying west of the Sangre de Cristo Range and north of the tovm of Alamosa. On casual inspection, the entire valley seems to slope very gently and drain into the Rio Grande, which enters the basin almost due west of Alamosa and turns south at the city toward the New Mexico line. However, as a matter of fact, an imperceptible low divide in the valley floor parallels the north side of the Rio Grande, at a 2