The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-04-24
ABANDON PALOUSE PROJECT
ENGINEER DAVIS SAYS PRoPos-
ED IRRIGATION SCHEME is
TOO EXPENSIVE
investigations Have Been Practical,
CompIeted-Costs More Than
$35 an Acre

Owing to the great expense that will
be entaiied it is now doubtful if the
Palouse irrigation project contemplate
ed by the government reclamation bu-
the statement made by Arthur P. Da-
Wis, assistant engineer of the reclama-
ton service, to the Spokane Chronicle
Saturday.
Mr.. Davis is the head of a board of
consulting engineers detailed by the
secretary of the interior to investigate
the work of the reclamation service
in Washington and to report on the
proposed projects. The other men,
5ers Of the board are a. J. Wiley, con-
sulting engineer; T. A. Noble, resident
engineer.
Mr.. Davis said: 1.-The Investigations
on the Palouse project have been prac-
tically completed. They include the
preliminary surveys and large num-
Der of borings and test pits, which
have been made to determine the un
derground condition. These have de-
veloped extensive beds of gravel and
sand in the reservoir site and canal
lines involving expensive work to pre-
vent serious leakage.
''The project in it's completed state
would irrigate about 100000 acres.
1t would, however, be very expensive
and much more than the preliminary
estimate of $35 an acre. 1t would also
require the movement of the o. R. &
N. railroad out of the reservoir site,
which would make an additional ex-
pense. The expense is so large that
it is doubtful if it is carried out now,
but I conjecture that it will be carried
out sometime. That means that if
something in the state of Washington
proves more feasible it will probably
be taken up before the Palouse pro-
ject.
Requires Concrete Work
"The reservoir site, the site of the
dam to form the reservoir and the
canals leading to the reservoir are un-
.derlayed at depth of a few feet with
beds of coarse gravel and sand which
would allow free passage of water.
They would necessitate the Inning of
the canals with concrete, the pudding
of portions of the reservoir and the car
rying of a core wall down to bedrock
at the dam site, in some placed to a
depth of 60 feet.
1.-The limit of the per acre expense
for government irrigation projects is
determined by the secretary of the in
terror, according to the value of the
available security, which is the irri-
gated land. The most expensive pro-
| ject under way is the Yuma project of
southern California, which will cost
$40 an acre. The North Platte project
of Nebraska will probably cost the
same
1--WE investigated three projects for
the Yakima valley, one or two of which
might be taken up if the Palouse pro-
ject is forsaken now. One is near
Ellensburg, and contemplates the wa
tering of $4,000 acres: The water for
it would be stored in the lakes Katch-
ess and Keetchelus. 1t would be TAX
en- down the Yakima river almost to
the mouth of the Clealum, where it
would be taken into a canal on the
west side of the Yakima river. One
branch canal would water the land on
that side opposite Ellensburg, AMI the
main canal would cross the Yakima
river below BristoI to water the land
north and east of Ellensburg. The ca
nal may cross Kittitas creek, and reach
the land south of Ellensburg.
Tunnel a Mile.
1.-The Teton project is to irrigate
40, 900 acres west of North Yakima and
above the existing canals. Water for
it would be stored in Dumping lake,
and the McAllister meadows. 1t would
be taken down the Tieton river few
miles, and to get it upon the land
tunnel a mile long would have to be
driven.
1.-THE third project is to water about
10O. 900 acres between the Rattlesnake
mountains and the Columbia river. The
water for it would be secured by d.
version Of the Yakima river in the vi
cinitv of Prosser into a canal to run
northwest. The water would first be
stored in lakes Clealum, Katchess and
Keetchelus."