The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-03-22
TESTING FLOW or
ARTESIAN WELLS
United States Geological Sur.
vey Report Contains Inter-
esting information.
OF AID TO THE SETTLERS
The Artcsian Basin is the Favorits
Section in South Dakota for Set
tiers, and Such Land Is Eager
~ Taken Up.

Sioux Falls, S. D.. March 2Q.-The
work lone by the United States geo
logical survey in the various states
Of the union during the last fiscal year
July l, 1904, to July l, 1905-is given
in the twcnty-siXth annual report of
the director. which has recently come
from the department.
In South Dakota $50 square miles OF
new areas We're geographically sur
Veyed in l9Oi-6. In cooperation with
the reclamation service W. parties
were engaged in topographic work in
an irregular area which is the site of
the Belle Fourche reclamation project.
and ais. in the Vale and Belle Fourche
qu~adrangles. The area was surveyed
on the scale OF 1000 feet TO the inch
with a contour interval of 5 feet. al.
the work being for publica ton by large
scale photolithographs.
Mapping the Black Hills.
r b. Robertson occupied 8 primary
triangulation stations. II secondary sta
tons, and located Is other points fol
the control of the special maps of the
Belle Fourche project in Butte county
The geologic structure OF the country
about Belle F'ourche was studied by
N. II. barton TO ascertain the depths
10 the underground waters and the area
In which flows may be expected. Among
geologic publications of the year relat-
Ing to South Dakota were q report or
the geology and underground water re-
sources Of tbs central great plains by
N. H. barton. a report on the geology
and water of part Of the low
er James river valley by j. Z. Todd
and c. NJ. Hall, a geologic folio Of the
Edgemont quadrangle by n. H. barton
and w. S, Tangier Smith, and geologic
folfos of the Huron and De Smet quad
rangles, the first by ]. E. Todd, the
second by Todd and G. NJ. Hall.
Stream-gauging stations We're main
taIned at Edgemont. Belle ITourche,
Seim, Camp Crook. Bixby, Rapid City,
Spearfish and Interior.
Investigated Artesian Basin.
Professor J. E. Todd. who was en-
gagged in investigating the James river
arteslan area, extended his studies into
the Byron and Redfeld quadrangles.
Much attention was given TO the Ques-
tion OF the volume n pressure of the
wells, With a view to determining
whether the multiplicity of borings is
causing a diminution of the water sup
ply. Professor Todd also completed .
report on the southeastern termination
of the artesian area for the Elk Poim
folio. AS lands within the artesian ba-
sin are X up by settlers, it becomes
n matter OF great interest to ascertain
the limit of the area in which flows are
~obtainable, n this was one of the
chief purposes of Professor Todd's
work.
Missouri River Reclamation.
In this state attention has been Civ
en- to reclamation possibilities west OF
the Missouri river, especially to those
In the vicinity Of the Black Hills, Any
reclamation attempted on any OF the
streams in this region must be based
on storage of storm water and spring
flow. With his in view the country
around the Black Hills has been care
fully investigated for storage possibili-
ties. and the north side has been Sc
lected as the most promising. The pro-
!ect is known as the Belle Fourche, the
water supply being obtained from the
Belle Fourche and its tributaries. Work
on this project was prosecuted vigor-
ously during 1904-5. During 1904 the
south side canal, which would water
lands on the south side of Belle Fcurche
river in the vicinity of Vale and En-
pire, was surveyed and mapped.