A shallow valley cut off the southeastern portion of the eastern section from the rest of the district, and they had to find a way to get the water across. The company's engineering department attacked the problem of it's length, low slope, and need to siphon the water under the CPR mainline as an experimental challenge.

Hugh B. Muckleston, the Assistant Chief Engineer for the Department of Natural Resources for the CPR, was the man in charge of the choice of the flume for the Brooks Aqueduct site. An earthen fill, similar to the replacement of the Brooks Aqueduct, was inconceivable at the time. The only other water conveyance system that would do the job would be siphons or pipes. Muckleston rejected both of these systems in favor of the elevated canal.