The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-09-26

dicated, are not satisfactory, Okanogan
river navigation to the Columbia being
possible only during short period each
year. 1t is not unlikely that the impe-
tus given by government irrigation will
result in the construction by the Great
Northern Railroad company of con-
Meeting branch from Wenatchee north,
surveys for which are understood to be
in progress.
Yakima Project.-.The Yakima valley
is too well known to require descrip-
ton here. Private enterprise has devel-
oped irrigation along the Yakima river
so that at present 10000 acres are If
rigated in the disconnected valleys
around Elensburg, North Yakima and
Sunnyside. The water is diverted by
some sixty canal companies and indi-
viduals from the Yakima river and its
branches. During recent years the grad
ual expansion of many of these canal
systems caused the aggregate quantity
of water diverted to approach more and
more closely to the summer flow, upon
which all were dependent, and finally
during 1904, and especially during 1905.
shortage was felt, and q clash be-
tween conflicting interests seemed inev-
table. Water litigation was commenced
and the entire valley seemed upon the
verge of plunging into interminable legal
disputes.
| At this point the reclamation service
stepped in, obtained an option on the
Sunnyside canal, the largest canal in the
valley, and thereby made possible mu-
tual agreeemnt of all water users defin-
ing their respective water rights.
BY virtue of liberal state law per-
hitting thew ithdrawal of waters by the
reclamation service control was secured
of flood flow and of storage basins
throughout the valley, and firm found
alton was thus laid for government
work.
The Yakima project in its entirety in
cludes about $4,000 acres which when
watered will be as valuable as any land
to be found in the state. This project
therefore, both on account of the area
to be reclaimed and the cost of reclaim
alton is easily the largest project thus
far commenced by the reclamation serv-
ice. 1t will be built in units as money
becomes available and private property
holders indicate their consent. Thus far
two units have been approved by the
secretary of the interior, the Teton and
the Sunnyside projects. All units will
have the common element of storage
created by damming up three lakes at
the headwaters of the Yakima river
(keechelus, Kaches and Gle Elum) and
one lake at the headwaters of the Mach
es river Dumping lake), the main
branch of the Yakima river, and dis
charging into it near the town of North
Yakima. Large as will be the combined
storage of these reservoirs when COM
pleted 100000 acre feetl, it is far
less than can be supplied from the food
flow of the streams. Economical con-
ditions prescribe the maximum height
to which dams can be built and limit
in consequence the additional irrigation
which can be safely undertaken.
Teton Unit-The Teton project is
the first unit which will be constructed,
all necessary preliminaries having been
satisfactorily completed. By the time
this paper is in press advertising will
probably have commenced for bids for
the main canal, which will be twelve
miles in length and will be built along
the steep slopes of the picturesque Tie
ton canyon, the Teton river being a
branch of the before mentioned Naches
river. The canal will be cement lined
and contain about three miles of tunnel.
At its lower end it win connect with
Ia system Of distribution bitches which