The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-02-28


in charge, states that by impounding
the waters in these basins, during
flood period, which would comprise
about 81 per cent of the Red river bas-
in or valley above Grand Forks, while
the excess flood above the bankfull
capacity of the Red river at Grand
Forks was in 1897 about q per cent
OF the total flow of the Red river dur,
ing the eighteen days of such excess;
ii this surplus of lS,O0o,00OO0O cubic
feet from. the crest of the flood wave
could have been intercepted and inn
pounded in reservoirs at the critical
time of the flood, the river would not
have risen above the danger line at.
Grand Forks upon that occasion"
Bear in mind that that was the high
est flood known of since 1850 and very
little is known of that
Lieut.. Col. Allen, senior member of
the corps of United States engineers,
estimates the cost of dams, ETC., ut
Lake Traverse and Big Stone lake for
the improvement of the navigation If
the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers,
at from $357,957 to $1,176,972, and
would not recommend their construu-
ton for the reason the outlay would
he far in excess of the benefits.
To dam Otter Tail Lake and river
would cost s5S,O95. and is not recon-
mended as desirable. "The construc-
ton of dam with locks at the outlet
OF Red Lake for the purpose of I'M
proving the navigation Of the Red
River of the North and the Red Lake
river. Minnesota, in the manner out
lined by the district officer, at an esti-
mated cost of s27O,456,6O0, is recon-
mended as desirable"
The Red river below Grand Forks
maintains a low water depth of four
feet in the channel kept so at cost
$500 annually by dredging, while
with dam at Red Lake that depth
can be maintained without dredging.
The questions that present themselves
are, will the slight benefits to naviga-
ton with its very limited scope pay
for the outlay to protect it? Also will
the dam at Red Lake, without dams
at the other two basins, that are not
recommended, prevent the overflow Of
the Red river? From the engineers
report it will not, but would reduce
the volume of water about ten per
cent, thus lowering it, but not contiu-
ing it within its banks. Then will it
pay to protect navigation considering
the enormous losses caused by floods
and what follows? 1t is estimated, and
not contradicted, that the losses caus-
ed by the 1897 flood equalled s7O0O,OOO
along the entire, valley.
How long would it take to recover
that amount from navigation after the
government expenses to maintain it
We're taken out? Then let lis elin,i-9
nate navigation, from the river, in
other words. destroy it and deal with
the overflow. Let us commence at its
source, the junction of the Otter Tail
and Bots des Sioux rivers which can
be shortened to unite twenty-four
miles north of Lake Traverse, which
is about six feet lower than the lake.
Lake Traverse is ten feet higher than
Big Stone Lake, it's depth varies from
ten to twenty feet, which by canaling
will give about four feet fall from the
new junction of these rivers to Big
Stone Lake. To give it still greater
fall the Minnesota river near Orton-
vile, where there are rapids, can be
lowered FIVE feet, thus giving fall #
nine feet from the junction of these
rivers to the outlet of Big Stone Lake
into the Minnesota river, a distance Of
about sixty miles, while the Red river
has an average fall of less than five
inches to the mile. That would dispose
of the two basins through one channel
at greatly reduced cost, for only canal
ing need be done and no damage for
f1owage. Construct the dam at Red
Lake, then these will give us the q
per cent in the reduction of the over
flow, holding the water within the
banks of the river. in flood time Build
dam on the Sheyenne at the most
feasible place and hold back the water
in its basin when required; probably
four per cent of the flood waters can
be impounded in this basin. Besides
large tracts of land along its banks,
will be protected from overflow.
We now come to another very i'm
portant basin owing to the rapid de-
scent of its waters being about six feet,
ten inches per mile, that is the Penn
bina river.
At Rock Lake in Manitoba. about 1870
miles direct, the altitude is 1886 feet,
at the Red river 100 feet, fall of $40
feet. l can best describe this basin
and its outlet by copying from the
Pembina Pioneer Eixnrass tho follow
ing: ITO ascertain the volume Of
water passing down the Pembina river
at any stated point during the flood
period and the capacity of the storage
basin as proposed, fortunately we have
some reliable data to work upon, and
by computation of same show the feas-
Utility of the storage reservoir.
Prof. E. F. Chandler, of the Uni
versity of North Dakota, acting hydro
grapher for the United States Geologi-
cal survey, is maintaining records of
the flow of the Pembina river at Neche,
N. D. He has kindly furnished us with
brief summary of the results, in
GLIDING the months of April and May,
1904, when the stage of water was at
its maximum, allowing tie flow to be
the same at the junction of the Penn
bina in Cavalier county, is fair esti-
mate. We have also the estimated ca
pacity of the proposes reservoir on a
5O-foot head dam, calculated by DR..
Charles P. Burkey, of Columbia Col
lege, New York city, made when visit
ing this section last season.