The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-11-24

Mary's Lake irrigation project, by
means of which it is proposed to IT.
rigate the Milk river valley. has fur
nished the Malta Enterprise very
interesting and detailed account of
the work accomplished and what it
is intended to do. He says in part:
I'm the northern part of Montana
close to the international boundary
is a section Of mountainous country
unsurpassed for it's scenic beauties.
Here are peaks covered with snow
the year round. and little lower
down occur glaciers. the largest in
the United States.
Numerous streams, insured a plen-
teors supply from the heavy winter
snow fall in the basin. descend and
their waters are collected in the St.
Mary lakes, which are drained north
ward by the river of the same name
in the Saskatchewan: and are finally
lost in the Hudson bay.
Milk river. heading in the low
rolling country immediately east of
this basin. has general northerly di-
rection, the two principal branch S,
North Fork and South Fork, uniting
after crossing the Canadian line. The
stream thus formed flows easterly
for $50 miles or more. when it bends
to the southwark again and returns
to Montana, finally emptying into
the Missouri river. The broad Mil
river valley in Montana consists of
a generally rolling country, adapted
to irrigation. The water supply from
the river is deficient, however. owing
to the lack of high mountain area at
the head.
"The Milk river or st. Mary's river
project is designed to store flood
water in the St. Mary lakes and con-
duct these easterly by a canal cutting
through the gravelly ridges to the
head Of Milk river. This canal will.
therefore. connect a mountain catch
ment area to the latter stream.
TT is proposed to build a low,
ea1then storage dam at point about
three-fourths of mile below the
present outlet of lower St. Mary
Lake. This dam will have maxi
mum elevation Of Of SIS feet above the
bottom of the river. and will form a
reservoir of a capacity Of about $780,
900 acre-feet. The top of the earth
en- dam will be at an elevation Of
4.413 feet above the sea level. 1t is
the intention to use the hydraulic fill
method of dam construction. Most
of the material will come from the
hill west of the dam, as the water to
wash it down can be easily obtained
from Swiftcurrent creek by means of
a short diversion canal. A concrete
core wall will extend from the east
abutment of the dam across the river
for a distance of AIS feet, where the
present depth of bed rock below the
surface of the ground is 33 feet.
From this point to the western
end of the dam puddle trench will
be first excavated and sheet piling
driven as far as practicable. This
trench will then be filed in by the
hydraulic method and the balance OF
the dam deposited on either side
The lower toe of the dam will be rip
rap in order to prevent the sliding
of the material due to any percola
ton of the water under the dam
The upper face will be riprapped as
a protection against wave action.
"From the reservoir thus formed
the water will be diverted through AZ
open cut in .oCk ~"ound the eastern
end Of the dam Opposite the end q
crete core wall will he located thu
headaches Of the reservoir outlet
This consists Of a curved wall of IA
dius 20 feet placed on tour concrete
piers. There will be two series O
circular cparings Of l-foOt diamete
in the wall, at a distance of 20 fee
below the top. and 4 at distance o
80 feet below the top. There will hr
five additional openings at the bot
tom or between the piers with the di
mansions Of feet in width by @ fee
in hight Water through all the OF
enings will be controlled by cast iron
sluice gates operated by appropriate
gearing.
Fight hundred and fifty feet he
You'd these reservoir gates there i
to be located in the canal a concret
spillway for dischargihg the vast
water into the river. and suitabl
regulating gates in the canal itself.
The canal propor will begin in
mediately below the headgates. Th
grade was assumed at two hur
dredths of one per cent, or a fall O
Loss feet per mile. 1t is propose
to make the bottom width 80 fee
with a 10-foot depth of water, an
with side slopes OF | to |. 1t is ~
sumed that III a canal of these diner
sions the mean discharge at the hea
will be 1850 second-feet From til
dam the canal will continue dow
the east bank of the river distanc
of seven miles, then turn eastwar
and pass through a gap known a
Spider Lake Gap. Thence it wi
continue in a general northerly dire
tiOn or a distance of pa miles. c
to the North Fork of Milk river TIL
last step in construction of the cana
will be the dropping of the waite
1870 feet to the level OF North For.
creek. The estimated cost of col
struction of this portion of the lin,
dropping the water to North For
is 1924. 070
This stream crosses the intern,
tional boundary entering the Unite
States for the last time at an elev
tion of 1850 feet. It continues in
southeastern direction for 2bout