The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-02-08
The YAKIMA VALLEY A
MODEL IRRIGATED DISTRICT
Exhaustive Discussion of the Subject by
George H. Bliss, from Forthcom-
ing Government Report.
Continued from Last Week

These four surveys constitute all the
proposed schemes in the Yakima region.
which. on account of the amount and ma
ture of the land coming under them and
the general conditions, it was thought
advisable to investigate at the present
time
These surveys and calculations per-
tanning to them are not yet fully COM
pleted especially in the case of the Led
better canal All figures, therefore. in
regard TO the amount and nature of land
coming under the proposed canals as well
as the storage facilities at hand, must
be regarded as approximate.
This line was surveyed to determine
the feasibility of taking water from Ma
at a point about five miles above the
mouth of the Tictan river, where there
exists good place for diversion, and
leading il TO a point in the divide be
tween Nachcs and Wcnas valleys. where
with a maximum cut of II feet, 625 feet
in length, it passes through the latter
valley, and, circling around it and thus
commanding all the good land, crosses
the Yakima by an inverted siphon at the
southern extremity of Yakima canyon.
Passing thence along the cast side of the
Selah valley, the proposed canal contin
ues along the west slope of the Yakima
and Rattlesnake ranges above the Selah
Mckee and the Sunnyside canals. At the
eastern extremity of Rattlesnake ridge,
about & miles north of Kiona, it circles
to the north side of the ridge and Gov
ers that large amount of arid land lying
between Columbia river on the east and
the Rattlcsnakc mountains on the west
At the 100 mile mark it terminates near
Columbia river
From data collected during the sea
son of 1904 the maximum flow of Nache.
river at the proposed point of diversion
was 1900 second feet on April IA. The
average for the month of April. during
which month the highest water occur
red, was AGO second feet, and for May
was 34OO second feet For the five re-
naming months of the irrigating seaon
storage water would have to be utilized
in amounts varying a. the season pro-
gresscd. The average flow for these
five months tJune TO October, inclusive)
was found to be 1925 second feet, or
3O7 500 acre feet.
The only storage reservoir known to
exist upon the upper Naches and its trib
utarics is Dumping Lake. at the head
of the river of the same name. BY
survey made by Mr.. c. c. Babb during
the summer season of 1897, the area of
this lake was found to be 63l acres. of
a storage capacity, with 25foot dam,
of 22,3Oo acre feet. For this he ght of'
dam an excellent site exists. stone and
timber being ahHnnant in the vicinity.
The LEAF Naches storage is thus $780,
500 acre feet
As the canal would begin to use stored
water approximately after the first two
months OF the irrigating season, with a
storage capacity of only 22,30O acre feet
capacity. it would be impracticablc to
irrigate more than 10000 acres, with
due allowance for scepagc. Certain por-
lions of the whole amount of land COM
ing under the canal might be irrigated
from such n source, hut the largest share
of the hest land iics toward the lower
end of the proposed canal, involving OK.
ces,ive loss by scepagc through the long
line required.
Measurements taken August 20, 1904,
show that less than half the water found
in the Nschcs river above the mouth of
the Tictan comes from Pumping Lake.
The measurements were as follows:
Flow Of Naches river and tributaries
August %. 1901 Second feet.
Dumping river at foot of lake ..ll6
American river at mouth ,.........l los
Nacncs river above Dumping river, 20
Rattlcsnakc creek At mouth ....... IS
Total .......... ............. 35S
The amount aud character of the land
controlled by the proposed high line
canal is az follows
First class land, or land that could be
Immediately cultivated when irrigated,