| OCR Text |
Show by the Department. The inspector thinks that this will be sufficient to irrigate much more land than will be required to support the Indians now on the reservation. An extraordinarily heavy flood in the San Luis Rey River during the latter part of March, 1906, destroyed the most expensive part of the irrigation ditch on the Pala -Reservation, constructed at a cost of about $18,000. The damage is estimated at $10,000. By putting in a temporary heading and making considerable repairs, which they did without compensation, the Indians were able to obtain a reason-ably good supply of water for this season's crop. Chief Engineer Code estimates that for about $12,000 a ditch could be constructed on the Pala Reservation which would not be damaged by my floods likely to occur in the future, and he suggests that that amount be set aside from funds available during the fiscal year 1907. His report of May 22 says that the Indians are making fair progress in farming, and seem to be reconciled to their removal and quite satisfied with their present environment. A, walk down the street along which their portable houses are located with military regularity surprizes one accustomed to the appearance of the average Indian village. The places are neatly kept, with good gardens in the rear and flour-ishing flower beds in front. The same flood also greatly damaged the ditch recently const,~cted on the Rincon Reservation, but the Indians were able to repair an old ditch so as to save their crops. From his observations on the Pala and Rincon reservations and . his investigation as to what was being accomplished on the Monser-rate ranch in the matter of underground-water development, Mr. Code is confident that an abundant supply of water could be obtained, either on the Rincon or on the Pala Reservation, by pumping. The pumping station recently installed on the Monserrate ranch consists of four bored wells, 10 inches in diameter, from 70 to 100 feet apart and about '60 feet deep, situated on land immediately adjoining the ' channel of the San Luis Rey River. From these wells a volume of 210 California inches is obtained in the summer season, when abso- ' lutely no surface water is flowing in the river at this point The pumping station is 7 miles below the Pala Reservation, and in his opinion the fact that such a supply is available on that ranch war-rants expectations of similar results on the Pala Reservation, since the underground formation at the two points is very similar. Navaho.-On the Navaho Reservation, in New Mexico md Arizona, the repair and construction' of ditches and the development of a water supply are under the immediate charge of George Butler, superintend-ent of irrigation. His estimate of the expenditures required during the current fiscal year were $10,482 for Fort Defiance, $10,800 for San Juan, $1,550 for Navaho extension, and $6,620 for Western Navaho |
