The Pumping Plant of the Morenci Water Company

The aim of this paper is to describe the pumping plant of the Morenci Water Company, and to relate operating experiences and difficulties encountered in its construction. The plant is about 6 miles southwest of Morenci, Ariz., on the Eagle River. It furnishes all the water used for domestic purposes by the inhabitants of the Town of Morenci and also by the two copper mining companies operating there. The town is an unincorporated mining camp in Greenlee County, in the middle of the rough, mountainous region of southeastern Arizona. Copper mining is the sole industry, and is responsible for the camp's existence. The two mining companies are The Detroit Copper Mining Company, owned by Phelps, Dodge and Company, operating a 1 300-ton mill and a 350-ton smelter; and The Arizona Copper Company, Limited, controlled by Edinburgh capital, operating a 3 000-ton mill. The smelter of this company is at Clifton, Ariz. The population of Morenci is about 6 000, 20% being American and 80% Mexican.