Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1906-12-20
WORK ON BIG Dam
STOPPED BY COLD
Government HaIts Operations
on Gigantic Project at Belle
Fourche, s. D.
R~ECOMMENCE iN April
Valuable Discoveries by Geological
Survey of Water Underlying
the Entire Black Hills
District.

Washington. Dec. 1.-THE geological
survey service announces
that owing to the cold weather work
ON the dam embankment Belle FourchH
irrigation project. South Dakota, has
been discontinued and probably will
not be taken up again before April
The total ogre on this embankment
To date is 219. 1000 cubic yards. The
closing down of work on the dam mad"
available u large force of men for 9TH
er work. The men employed by differ
ent contractors. as we'll as those under
the direct supervision of the govern
mcnt engineers. have been placed on
canal excavation. finishing structures,
etc. As soon as ~unfaVorable weather
made concrete and embankment work
impossible.
In many respects this is one of the
most remarkable irrigation projects yet
undertaken by the government. 1t in
wolves the constipation of one of the
greatest earth darss in the world. Il
structure over one inile long, 100 feet
high in the highest pl:~.e and 20 feet
wide on top. Its cahical contents will
be nearly half those % the pyramid of
Cheops, which is estin ated to have
The Belle Fourciae dam vii. be COM
pleted in less than one yeal. This
dam will create II reservoir 60 feet deep
with a water surface of about $500
acres when full.
Create More Than 1000 Farms.
More than 1000 new farms will be
created by this project in a ALLEY
where the principal product has been
low grade range cattle, and the value
of lands which now range from So to-
$40 per acre will he increased 10 s75
and upwards.
With the rapid increase in settlement
in western South Dakota. especially i'm
connection with the Belle Fourcho
reclamation project, the question of To-
cal water supply has taken on much
interest. The surface waters in many
portions of the area are not satisfac-
tory in quality or quantity. 50 that the
deeper seated and artesian waters will
have to be extensively utilized. Tho
United States geological survey has
been in vestigating these underground
waters for several years. and a report
now in preparation by Mr.. n. II. Oar
ton will set forth the results.
Water Under Entire Black Hills.
II has been found that the entire plains
region adjoining the Black Hills is under
lain by k sandstone carrying a large
VOLUME of water under considerable Yres.
sure. This water lies at depths Of 800 to
2nO feet. or even more. and in many dis
tricts. especially along the valleys. will.
'ia..ra large ar;esian flows The invcsti,
cations have been carried on with tho
view OF ascertaining the precise depth To
the waterbear.ng sandstone at all points
ana the limits of thn area in which an ar
iesian flow is available. This area ha,
been found to be much more extensive
than was originally supposed. and artesian
waters may be obtained at many localities
where local supplies are greatly needed.
Some preliminary predictions that the WA.
ter would be obtained in the larger val.
le.ys east of the Black ellis have been
.tbundantly verified by the success of u
number of wells along the line of the new
railway from Pierre to Rapid CITY. in a re-
slon where the surface waters are mostly.
of an unsatisfactory quality.
The report on the underground waters
of the northern Black Hills region will be
completed in a few weeks. but several
months will be required for the engraving
trated.