The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-06-28
WEDNESDAY. JUNE %, 1905.
REPORT OF CONSULTING
BOARD OF ENGINEERS
Recommended that PalOuse Project
Project BE Held Until Others
Can Be Investigated

The report of the consulting en-
gineers Of the reclamation service to
Chief Engineer F. H. Newell has
been made public 1t outlines in
all their details the objections to the
project. 1t is as follows:
The undersigned board of en-
gineers have examined the irrigable
lands and the sites of the proposed
structures together with the maps,
surveys and estimates of the Palouse
project in the state of Washington,
and have to report thereon as fol-
lows:
The project contemplates the di
version of the Palouse river at a
point below Hooper and it's convey
ance through a canal to the Wash
tucna coulee, where it would be
stored in a reservoir to be con-
structed. This reservoir would have
a capacity of about 10000 acre feet
and an additional storage of $4,000
acre feet could be secured from the
Palouse river A further storage in
the same basin may be secured by
making a reservoir of Rock lake. 1t
Is estimated that in this manner an
annual water supply of something
over 100000 acre feet could be made
available for irrigation. This
amount may be increased to nearly
boJ, 700 acre feet by the storage of the
waters of Hangman creek and their
diversion in the palouse basin. 1t
is believed that the waters of these
basins could be made to irrigate
100000 acres of land.
Irrigation waters would be drawn
In tytn nd
Quoted to lAe lands lying around and
above Pasco, 10000 acres of which
could be reached by gravity and 20,-
900 acres additional could be
reached by pumping by means of
power developed from drops that
would occur in gravity canals.
ABOUT 5000 acres of these lands
Xwould be in the Washtucna coulee
and about 5000 along Snake river,
both of which tracts would be
tributary to the Oregon Railway &
Navigation company system. The
project as outlined would require the
removal of about eight miles of the
o. r. & N. Co.'S railroad track in the
Palouse valley and about sixteen
miles of the same line in the Wash
tuCna coulee.
Preliminary surveys have been
practically completed for this entire
project, with the exception of the
distribution system. which is esti-
mated from the topographic map of
the irrigable lands. Borings and
test pits to determine the under
ground conditions affecting the cost
and feasibility of the project were
begun in the fall of 1904 and have
been nearly completed. The ex-
plorations demonstrate the existence
of extensive gravel beds underlying a
thin top soil in the Washtucna reser-
voir and the canal leading thereto,
which will involve expensive precau-
lions to prevent serious leakage from
the canal and reservoir, without
which precautions the project would
not be feasible.
BY means of the survey and esti-
mates furnished us we have made
the following preliminary estimate
of the cost of the project designed
to irrigate 100000 acres of the land.
The lands to be irrigated have an
excellent sandy soil, and warm
climate. and with proper treatment
would be very productive and valu-
able. A portion of them would re-
quire extensive leveling, but in the
main their topography is favorable
Tor successful irrigation and they
seem to be all thoroughly under
drained by natural conditions. 1t is
probable that they would stand as
high charge as any lands that have
been considered by the reclamation
service and much higher than most
From the available data we do not
To -,l,, s,,,,s
gate any land in this project at less
cost than $50 per acre. In addition
to this high cost there are elements
of doubt connected with this project.
due to uncertainty of the quality Of
leakage to be expected on account of
the unfavorable formations in which
the reservoir and canal lines occur.
We recommend that the under
ground examinations now nearly
completed be finished and that the
Palouse project be laid aside until
more promising projects in other
parts OF the state shall have been in
vestigated.
That the lands withdrawn for the
Palouse project be continued in a
state of withdrawal for the purpose
of development at some future time
That the offer of 100000 for the
removal of the railway tracks from
the Washtucna reservoir be neither
increased nor urged for the reasons
given above.
Respectfully submitted,
A. p. DAVIS,
Assistant Chief Engineer.
ID. c. HENRY,
Consulting Engineer
A. J. WILEY,