This week’s photo was sparked by some old photos that my brother Barry brought during his recent visit.  The photo was taken in 1978 while jeep riding on the West Bank of the Canal.  He came across the historic site of the old Camacho Reservoir which was instrumental in supplying water to an area populated by Canal Construction towns.  This is what they called the "Gate House" where water was drawn from the reservoir  I wonder if it is still there today? Thanks for bringing the old photos Barry.. 

Below are some historical facts from several old publications:

The district from Empire to Bas Obispo inclusive was supplied by the Camacho reservoir, with a capacity of 296,000,000 gallons.  The area of the watershed was 592 acres and the height of the spillway was 365 feet above sea level.  The Camacho reservoir was put in service early in 1907 and was situated about 2 miles west of Empire.  The Camacho reservoir was one of four reservoirs ( Rio Grande , Camacho, Carabali, and Brazo Brook that furnished water to the Canal Zone .  All four watersheds were free from human inhabitants, so that the danger from human pollution is very small.  The watersheds were all covered with a dense growth of vegetation and many wild animals inhabited the areas.

Below is an old photo of what the gate house looked like in it's prime.
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