The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1904-09-10
10 IRRIGATE BIG BEND
USE KoOTENAI COUNTY LAKE
=. a. as,sIs 0snaplstss HIs aopoEt-
DraiH Psad a'OFislIs Lake late
spsksHs RiVsF-RSiss cosar a'AIsas
Like fog = Storage Reservoir.

oFeiiie and Priest Fivers into the
Spokane river for irrigatiug the Big
Bend district, under government
auspiees, are outlined Ia tie report
Of Z. A. Noble, the government
engineer here, Who has been making
an expert examination Of the Big
Bend irrigation project, rays the
Spokesman Review He has MAIDS
bis report 10 the agriculture depart
meat, aud IL will he published ia
feN wekes. The question Of ptactic.
ability is Que 81 the most serious
that the irrigation experts have yet
encountered, aud on this point Mr.
Noble says that the scheme. even
under tbs most favorable conditions
will 10 Gus ~ srast magnitude, az ihe
quHatlty Of waieE 10 hs handled aiii
b. exceptionally large, tbat, be
adds, ''the Topographic difficulties 70
be- overcome 10 sditeTting this NaieT
thFOw more OF less doabt on the niii-
mate feasibility % this project The
irflgallon Of this large body of land
l. Of such great importance 20 the
state that every possible means 10 a
suecessfui result shnuld be thoroughly
Investigated -
The lowest portion Of the Big Bend
ares IL ., tho junction Of The Snake
and the Columbia Tiysrs. aud IL
3sn fest shove sea level. Prom THE
p0iut towards the north and east the
land Flsra 10 . series Of beuches 10 an
elevation u 2to0 20 2T00 feet The
upper portion 10 q FollinR prairie nos
ahoily taken up aud cultivated for
raising uheat. From the point where
the Spokane river Joins the Colombia
river Ia the northern portion 81 the
Blg bend country the Columbta
makes a tlR bend towards the wost
aud south Tor distance Of 370 miles,
leaving. uiih the exception Of the
GFahd cuuies, 81 uubrukeu ridge
irom so1 10 coo feet above any al.
equats scarce a. water supply This
ridge ls from 80 10 90 miles side.
Nr. Noble vs;imatas that the por.
ton Of the irrigation area which 10
bslow the level ~ 200 fest aud
which IL not profilabls for cultivation
without irrigation, covers 2, 400, 600
sorua A large pFortion Of this arca,
be says. is either % rocky or - L..
olated that u IL not a. for cultivation.
IL is believed that tuo thirds Of the
land can ts irrigated II sufilcisnt
watsr can b. brvaght Into the die.
tTics al an elevation Of oseF 100 feet.
ia regard 10 the water supply, Mr.
Noble says tbat tWo main streams,
Crab creek and palouso river. GOV
through the area Ia q general south.
wsstly direction, rising IN the wheat
growing district. Crab creek IL =
small stream, having . dranIase OF
1900 square mlles. During ordinary
stages through q large portion Of It's
course the main trtsam fovH under.
ground and HuallY energies and EN-
piles into tho Columbia river 20
miiea above the mount Of the Yakima
river.
No measurements have jet been
taken Of this stream. The los water
iiow IL probably not over 10 second
feet. AZ the entire Funoff from the
stroam either hWoa underground or
evaporatea from the surface OF Moses
lake, IL IL Of no importance for ir.
rigatlon purposes, except for q email
portion Of the lands lying along lie
course. and TO make up LOSSES from
evaporation In the lakes which could
be used for storage purposes.
Further discussing the source Of
water supply, Mr., Noble says the
Palouue river, which risea near the
boundary between Washington and
Idaho. flows through the southeastern
portion Of the land. The drainage
area IL mostly IN the wheat growing
districts OF eastern Washington; It IL
bare Of vegetation, with the exception
Of occasional pine trees, and the
stream IL subject to very radical
differences Of flow. Mr. Noble be.
lievea there will bo no serious din.
Guilty In divertips the waters Of the
PalouHe river 90 as 10 irrlgate those
portions Of the Big Bend lands lying
below 500 feet elevation. The FEAST
blilty of using this stream for the
reclamation Of lands near Big Bend
will depend, be says, upon whether
storage capacity can be found SUN.
client TO contain ali the flood waters.
A citation was established on the
paiouse river In 1897, aud the record
Of discharge measurements has been
carefully kept,
The Spokane river, Mr.. Noble re.