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<br />LETTEH OF TRANS.l\HT1'AL
<br />
<br />XIX
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<br />nll'l~llrly pl'ogl'e~s('fl to tilt' point. of tIIe t:oml11CJh'cmcnt of the pn:pnl'fl-
<br />tioll of pln~.ls nnJ SIH'cifitflt.iolls l1J1d till' uegot.intion of fL rcpnYJllcnt
<br />cOJlt.l'l1et. The PlntoI'o Rl'Seryoir will lwve fi. t'Upllcit,y of 60,000
<br />:I("rc-f(~ct. Another 1'psel'yoir mnv be built nt what is known os
<br />\Iogotp sit.e. Tllest: re:-;('rvoirs w~l'e llutllorizl'd for flood control nnd
<br />irrigatiun. The waLt:r supply llYllilllhle for stOl'flg~~ in t.lw rcs(~ITuirs
<br />of t,lle Slln Luis Vnlley project. indudt~s csscnt,inlly nil the wnt.cr which
<br />otlwrwise would spill from Eleph'utt But,te llntl Cnbnllo Rnscr-
<br />Yoil's. The rescn'oir~ will provide II :o;upplrlllt'ntuJ W~l ter supply for
<br />ubout 400,000 acres of the lund, wlJil'h is ill. prescnt, irrigtJted ill Lht~
<br />SIll I Luis Valley. It ",illl'elipvC'. Illllch of thl' wuter ~hort,agl' which i~
<br />::;llffer(~d pnldicnlly t~\'l'ry Yt~Hr by t.llHt ourage>.
<br />11'1'igat.ioll was initintt'd in the middle Hio Grandr Vnllcy in N"ew
<br />\.lpxil;o nt a VI'.ry t~llrly rhlt.e wit,1t apptlrent.ly only n rt'lntin:Jy ~mnll ilI'Pfl
<br />being- irrigntl'd at. aH.Y (,ime. Tltp Natural Hl'solll'('t~S J:>lnnIJing: BOlll"d,
<br />in eOIIl1(~ct,inll with tht~ uppel' Rio GranJl~ joint. inYI~st.igfltioll, rc-
<br />pOl'tl'd nf),08D nl:n':- of land ns IH'ing irrigated ::dong t.hp moin stt'm of
<br />t.bl' Hio Grande helWC'L'1l toile Colol'ltdo-Nl'w :Mexico Stat.l' line Illlrl t.he
<br />Eleph:lllt. Butt.1' H~Sf'I-Yoir, of wbidl ,5,S01 "1L'.rcs we1'e located bl~t'\\"l~cn
<br />t.he St.llll' line and t.he Otowi Bridg-c n.ud nU,07S' Heres b(,t.wp.pn Otowi
<br />Britlg(', nnt! Slln :r..1ol'cinl. It. is understood l.hltl npproximnt,cly 80~OO()
<br />fleTt's nre Tl('lW ilTigated in l-h(~ ~liddle Rio Grande Valley. Over 3U
<br />years ng!) Illu~h oft,he fll'l'11 il'riglll,ed in t.lw middle Rio GJ:l1nde Vnlley
<br />hf'g-an to go to seep. All ndivc interest in the l'cdnmnl.ion of the nn'tl
<br />dc\'doPl'd nbollt 1018. In the 1l1t,t~ H120's, tlll~- l\:liddle Rio Gl'lllldCl
<br />ConsC'r\'llTlI.'Y District, wn~ Ol'glllli;.wd ill ordl'l' t.o rclwbilit,tlt.c t.he I1rcu.
<br />About $10,OOO,oon Wl~r(' C'xpf'Hdl'd ill t.hc const,]'uctioll of n. dl':lilll1gP
<br />system; 11 systcm of levL't's Oil eit.lwl' sidCl of IILL' rin'!" for t\ood cont.J'ol;
<br />fOllr di\'t~r:;:.iun st,!'!H'tun's; irrigat,ion ('I1IHlIs; lllld t.ht, 200,000 It(:I'(~-fo()t.
<br />El VlIdo stol!\gc ]'C'St'J'\"oil'. Flood-cont.rol storage WllS (~OlltplllplnJed
<br />as n pnl'!, of t.he originul plan. Sl'\"l~],lll sites fOr" stIch res('l'VOil WI~I'C
<br />inn'sligllled, i/lc:ludill!2: sl'-\'t:J'1l1 near t.ht' Cok'll'lldo-Npw :r..lt-'xi('o SInk'
<br />lint' nJ\71 SOllie in t1w "'bit,c H.uek C:1/lyon. Nnlll~ of t.Iwse l'L'sP-1'\'oirs
<br />\\'pJ'(' built.
<br />'I'hp l'l'hahilitllt,(-'d sysU'm welll into full op('J'ntioll :tbout In::Hi llnd
<br />oppJ"at.L'd f:lirl~' sUl'l~I,'ssftllly for SOllll' ]0 Yl'Itl'S. Tile d1l1iTlnge syst,t'IllS
<br />gradulllly df'tcrinl'ulrd fol' Illck I'd' proper moinl,I'IlIl1H.'l.'. Till' floods of
<br />1941 nnd 1042 so ng-gl'lldl'd n pnrl of the river bed fiS t.o make suh-
<br />:3Pljw-'lltly soml' of tILl' d1'llill~ Inl'gl'}Y im-'fl'l'etive. Those floods olso
<br />did mnkri:d clnmllge to it portion (If t.hc k~VI'('S~ whil'h hilS not, bt~('n
<br />('omplf't,(']y l'l'pnil'l'd. It i:; l'st,imnt."d hy t.lll~ Corp~ of Enginepl"!" thlll-
<br />dll' ng-gl'ndlltioJl of tlw river bed is pl'o(~t~edin.z llt tl cnt,e of 0.10 f(,L,t to
<br />o.rlD ft'l't 'WI' yeftr, wllieh nOl, only incl'ellsl'S lh(~ flood buzard, but illso
<br />is callsing a gmdu:lI I'isf' in l,hp level (If t.lle wa(,('1' l-nhl(~.
<br />Thl' Bn:-;(jlll.~ dcl Apache U1'l1Tlt is 100:i1t-ed IH~twe('n t.ht~ lower limit~ of
<br />Lilt' ~Jiddh' Rio Grande C()n~L'l'Vl1neY Di~(riet, ilnd extendiIJf!' to u.
<br />point llbnut .5 Illil('~ Ilho\-(' tlw old \'ilhlgp of P,an r-.-Ill}'(~illl. This grnnt
<br />hm: b('Plllll rgply d('\"l~lop('d I1S II \\-'ild lifl' refuge by the Fi:::h nlHl '''' i]dlife
<br />S('}'\"icI'.
<br />TIll' Snll )'lHrcillllll'l'll t'XU'lIds from tile ]0\\,('-1' rnd of t.hl' BosquC' del
<br />Apllclll' Gl'l1nt fol' II, dist,llll(,(, of 10 miles t.o t.he bl'nd of Elephnllt. BlILl.e
<br />Hpsl'l'Yo]1'. V\'j'\- little irrigillinn i~ (~mTi('d 01\ in this llrel1, liS it. is
<br /><::lIhj('d to fn'qlif'llt flooding, 111l'gl'ly from l'Ioudburst fhn~'s whieh
<br />()l'i~~iillltl';1l Ihl' Bin PUCI'CO nud Rio Salado1 which eliteI' t.he riv('r from
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