The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1908-05-08

The slnallps1 OF these l.esplvolrs Will
hold enough to cover 203,770 acres
of land with water m foot in depth,
and the largest will hold enough to
cover LOIS 900 acres to the depth of
n foot. Altogether the reservoirs
will have a storage capacity of o.
5S5,770 acre feet. Each acre foot
is equal to 1850 cubic feet, and II
you wish to form some adequate on
ception of the great mass of water,
you have but to figure out for your
self the cubical contents Of all of the
reservoirs. 1t will take twelve fig
ures to tell the story.
The important point is that it is
known, through figures gathered dur
ing many years, that each reservoir
is large enough to hold all of the
flood water which its particular river
will pour into it. each of these res
ervoirs is situated either at the head
waters of the Missouri or at the
h~eadwaters of rivers which are trib-
utary to the Missouri, and so the
effect upon that worst of American
rivers is direct. For its effect on
floods the North Platte project will
be most notable. The Platte river has
a bad reputation for its antics. 1t
has been estimated that its flood
rampages, before it joins the Missou-
ri. do a damage of at least Il million
dollars Il year. The dam in n
ton with the North Platte irrigation
project will cost Just a million dol
lars, and it will hold more than a
million acre feet Of food water.
AS the reservoir is situated at the
headWatcrs OF the North Platte, it
will have a direct effect upon the
lower river upon the South Platte,
which also contributes to the floods
of the Platte, the government has
no reservoir. But private interests
encouraged by the success of govern
ment irrigation, are already COM
struct!ng dams, and are thus cooper
ating in restraining floods.
In a similar way the Milk and Sun
headwaters of the Missouri in north
western Montana: the Shoshoni pro-
ject will affect the Big Horn, whose
waters will ultimately enter the Mis-
souri,; the Belle Fourche project will
affect the Cheyenne, which has IA rep
utation for floods and which adds to
the volume of the Missouri.
The holding of ~2,5S5,770 acre feet
of water by these five reservoirs
means more than accomplishing just
that much in preventing floods. 1t
means that those waters lose their
power to carry down mud and silt
into the Missouri. And if it we're not
for mud and silt, the Missouri would
not have such a bad reputation. 1t is
this burden of solids which clogs its
channels and the destruction Of ag-
ricultural land.
In the dry seasons the five reser-
voirs will become the means of swell
ing the flow of the Missouri and it's
tributaries. From the reservoirs the
water will be gradually released.
Much of it will be used for irrigation,
but not all. And of that which is
used upon the land, it is estimated
upon good authority that about thir-
ty per cent viii find its way back in
to the streams, largely through seep-
age.
All of these irrigation projects eX-
cept the Milk will guarantee to each
neighborhood an abundance of very
cheap power. AS soon as construc-
ton has progressed a little further
the orders for electricity for the
rect vicinity of each project will be
taken. The installation of the neces-
sary machinery and the operation of
the plant will be in the hands of the
federal government temporarily, the
reclamation acts providing the nee
essary authority. Power will be sold
at cost, and allowance being only for
operation, maintenance and depreci-
alton. AT the end Of ten years, after
the cost of the reclamation construc-
ton has been made good by the land
owners, the electrical plant will pass
into their possession. Thus the com
munities in the vicinity of each of the
four projects will guarantee perpet-
ual ownership of a public utility
which will become more and more
priced as the fuel supply diminishes.
The cheapness of this electricity will
make it serviceable in families of
very moderate means for light, for
power in a great many activities
about the farm, and ultimately for
heat,