The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-05-06
APPLYING STORAGE SYSTEM HoR
IRRIGATlNc PURPOSES.
PLANS OF Or. suDDu1H
Large Area Near Lavina Will Be
Watered and Made
Productive.
From Fridays Daily Gazette.

XAOA I14u0y . D01ly 1d10LVCs M.81. EE 81
It may be said that all of the lands
contiguous to running streams from
which water may be taken for irrigat-
ing have been settled, hence those
who woula make their homes on the
fertile valleys of the arid regions must
consider other methods of securing
the needed supply of water if they
wish to make those acres productive
and of greater value than they possess
as mere grazing land. While some of
the late corners regard with favor the
idea of sinking wells and with wind
mill or steam engine pump the water
to the surface, others believe that the
easiest solution of a vexatious prob
lem is through the adoption of the
reservoir or storage system.
Because Of the topography of the
country, especially that Of the arid
regions of Montana, the latter system
is easy of application in a great many
instances, while the cost involved as
a rule is also comparatively small.
The more the question is studied in
it's various phases the more popular
it is apparently becoming and it is
safe to assume that within a short
time much land nov lying unproduc-
tive and useless will be reclaimed in
that manner and many homes added
to those now dotting the valleys
through which running streams course
their way.
Practical Application.
The system is about to be tried in
this county and on a scale calculated
to demonstrate it's value beyond, a
doubt, preliminaries having been per-
fected for a series of reservoirs, dams
and the necessary bitches and later
ais by which it is believeded several
large tracts of some of the best land
in the state may be reclaimed.
DIR. W. x. Sudduth of Lavina is the
n to inaugurate the enterprise and
he has not the slightest doubt as to
the outcome. Yesterday he filed no
tice of the location of three water
rights from which he expects to OBJ
tain sufficient water to irrigate no
fewer that 20 sections of land. The
first is about Is miles from the city,
near Fairview and takes up the
waters of Spring and Celander
creeks. The water so secured can be
easily led into a valley nearby which
gradually narrows until at one point
1T is only a few hundred feet in width
and where the creek bed is fairly
deep and has abrupt, high banks. BY
building a dam at this point he be-
lieves enough water can be procured
to irrigate at least 10 sections. To
accomplish this it will be necessary to
construct about 10 miles of main
ditch and the required number of
laterals to properly distribute the
water.
By another location he files on what
is known as Mabel lake.. Like in the
first the doctor intends to build a
dam across n end of the lake. This
he expects will result in a reservoir
of about 20 acres in extent. From
Mable lake and Sand creek the water
is to be drained into a main reservoir.
which will probably cover two sec
lions. By tunneling a short distance.
or else cutting a ditch deep enough
the water from this reservoir can be
conducted to a valley at a considera-.
BILE lower elevation and five or six
sections of land irrigated.
By the third location the docto" Sc
cures the waters of Big Coulee creek,
about six miles southwest of Lavina.
Here also a dam will be erected and
the water so stored is expected to be
ample to irrigate over two sections
more,
Storing Waste Waters. +
The foregoing is only a rough out
line of what the doctor expects to do,
as a more accurate description is i'm
possible without a personal inspection
of the land, or at least familiarity
with the surveys and proiles. The
principle or idea, however, is believ.
ed TO have been made clear enough
to enable a comprehensive under
standing of the Doctors plans. All
the water he expects to secure now
runs waste and is furnished by the
spring freshets and rains, which, as
is well known are of short duration
and unless means are taken to con-
serve the waters from that source so
that they may be at hand for use
when needed later in the season are
OF no good to the -husbandman. It
is for the conservation of these waters
that he is preparing to construct his
system Of dams and reservoirs. OF