The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1908-06-25
DIKING THE VALLEY
A Correspondent Discusses Pro-
posed Plans.
Suggests Division Into Districts

Editor Newport Miner.
The annual freshet in the Pend
Oreille river is subsiding, after
having submerged the greater por-
ton of the Calispel valley to a
depth greater than occurred in the
summer of 1903. The water has
destroyed practically the entire
acreage of grain and done much
damage to timothy fields. A con-
servative estimate indicates that
the acreage destroyed was three
times greater than that OF last
wear, and that the loss in bushels
OF grain will amount to 125,0OO to
10000 bushels, and the same estl-
mate places the actual money loss
at fully $4,000.
But while this loss is keenly felt
BIZ all in the valley, this annual
event of high water has brought
with it some compensation, for 1t
is serving to crystalline sentiment
in favor of diking to prevent the
recurrence of such a loss, and
action has already been taken
toward the formation of two dix
ing districts, and it is this action
that causes me to offer some crltl-
cism of the proposed plans, and
suggestions that may or may not
have the consideration of those
most at interest, i. e., those who
will have to pay for the work, and
will hope to be substantially bene-
flied by the exclusion of the water
from the fertile basin lands OF this
valley.
Some explanation of Topographic
cal and other conditions is neces-
sary before proceeding to offer
either suggestion or criticism. This
annual inundation is not, strictly
an "overfow," for only twice with
in a period of thirty years, accord
ing to reputable evidence, has the
Pend Oreille river risen higher than
the banks, which line it in Il prac-
ticallv unbroken stretch on it's west
side, these two ''overfows" having
occurred in the years 1887 and
1894 respectively. In the latter
year only during the long period
mentioned has the water risen to
any dangerous stage above the
natural dixie that exists brokenly
along the west bank of the river.
During seven years personal OBJ
Servation by the writer the water
has only crossed this natural dixie
III its lower points three times.
But every year the water covers a
more or less considerable portion
of the Calispel valley, because it is
Il true basin, its ma jor portion
lying back of and lower than the
bank Of the great river that fronts
it. Being basin and draining
into the Pend d'Oreille river, it
follows that if the river rises above
The outlets of the SMALL streams
that traverse it the valley must be
flooded by the water that backs
into it from the big river.
These small tributary streams
have a variable infall that must be
taken care of, and, besides cutting
the natural dixie and giving inlet
to the food water they give rise to
one of the problems to be met and
solved in any drainage. or. more
properly, diking proposition.
The valley itself is cut by the
Calispel and Tacoma creeks. Three
other Observation-Disclosures, SmalFs
and Trimble creeks-contribute
their water to the other two and
to the supply of inflow that must
he taken care OF.
We have, then, only two prob
lens in any plan to dixie the val
ley. First, to erect the dixie itself
to keep out the Pend d'Oreilie
river. Second, to dispose of the
inflow water from the several ira
verslng streams, to prevent the
basin thus created from filling.
These traversing streams and the
topography naturally divide the
valley into three districts or areas
for drainage, each of which may be
treated separately, but may be
most economical treated as two
projects. The first of these would
comprise all the area lying within
the natural bounds of the basin of
Calispel lake and river, embracing
about $4,000 acres of land, of which
about 1900 is fertile prairie land
lying above the level Of the Calispel
river, but below the food level Of
the Pend d'Oreille. which enters. as
has been said, through the opening
in the big rivers natural dixie
through which the Calispel drains.
The natural bounds of this dis
trict are the hills on the south and
west, the Pend d'Oreille river on
the east and Tacoma creek on the