Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1907-12-26
IRRIGATION IN NORTH DAKOTA.
Outcome Of wiIliston Project Being
Watched With Great Interest,


The actual pumping Of water from
the Missouri river into the canal sys..
tenn OF the Williston irrigation project
IN Western North Dakota was begun
In October and until cold weather pre-
vents tests of the apparatus and the
gradual filling and printing of the
main canals and pressure pipes will
continue in order that the system
may be in good condition to deliver
water for next seasons crops.
A great deal of interest attaches to
this project by reason of the fact that
1t is the first to be undertaken in
North Dakota, and also because of the
unique engineering features in con-
ncction with it.
The Missouri river has a habit of
constantly cutting its banks and
changing its channel, so that it was
found impossible to locate any struc.
ture for the diversion of water by
gravity without mourning enormous
expense to protect it from the scour
OF the stream. Moreover. its grade
was so fiat that any gravity canal
would be of prohibitive length. For.
tunately large beds of Ignite we're
discovered in the vicinity, affording
cheap fuel, and the engineers con-
ceived the plan of building power
house at the coal mines and convey.
ing it electrically to the river The
pumps are placed on floating barges
which will accommodate themselves
to changes in the river channel and
in the water level. The water is de.
livered through pipes with flexible
joints into several basins located at
sufficient distance from the shore to
be safe from encroachment by the
shifting river. From these basins the
water will be pumped into canals to
cover the irrigable lands. The basins
also serve for the purpose Of settling
silt, large quantities of which are car
ried in solution by the Missouri river.
During the winter the barges will be
drawn out of the water to points
where they will be safe from ice
gorges and sudden freshets.
On Sept. Is the steam turbine gen.
Grating machinery was started up for
the first time, and on the following
day the electric power at $4,000 volts
was sent over the transmission line
to the intake pumping station. On
Sept. % the two pumping units To-
Gated on the barge were started. Dur
ing the present month the pumping
system has been operated at various
times, raising the water gradually in
the settling basin so that the banks
could be puddled wherever there was
any indication of weakness.
A semi-gas producing furnace de-
signed for burning Ignite coal is
used. AS the mine is carried farther
into the vein the quality of the coal
improves, and the little difficulties ex-
perienced in starting the plant to op-
Grating satisfactorily are being over
come. 1t is expected that 5000 acres
will be irrigated during 1908.
The Williston power house will also
supply power for the Buford- Trenton
project, transmitting it by wire TWEEN
ty-two miles. The installation of the
electrical apparatus and the four
pumping units in the station which
receives the power from Williston has
been completed at Buford, and the
pumping machinery will probably be
mounted on the barge this month.
Some obstacles have been encoun-
tered in securing right of way for the
transmission line, but the wires will
be manufactured this winter, and 1t
is hoped to have them placed on the
poles early in the spring, SO that pow
err may be transmitted in time for
supplying water as anticipated. 1t is
expected that more than $500 acres
can be supplied with water under the
BufordTrenton project in 1908.