The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-09-15
DUMPING LAKE AND THE TETON.

In com munlcatOn TO the Herald
James F. Zediker wants to have the
proposed plan of watering Unit No.
Of the Tieton explained. Mr.. Zediker
seems not to clearly understand the
sources of water supply and the way in
which this problem is being handled
by the reclamation service.
The situation is a bit complex but
the Herald will do its best to make
the situation clear. To understand the
proposition fully, it must be borne in
mind that all of the waters of the
Naches and Yakima river are at this
moment appropriated. That is, if any
water is diverted from either Of these
rivers for any purpose, it must be re-
placed to supply the present acreage
under water in the Naches and lower
valleys, the same being true of the
Yakima river.
To water the Tieton project, the Tie
ton river which flows into the Naches
river above Naches City, is appropriate
ed. This cuts off a portion of the
water appropriated by present water
users in the Naches and the lower val
leys and an equal amount must replace
source is Dumping lake where a dam
is under construction by the govern
ment. If a careful examination of the
map is made it will be ascertained that
Dumping lake and Dumping river are
far above the Teton river and that
the two have no connection, but both
flow into the Naches river. BY the
construction of the Teton project. the
Tieton river and it's storage basin
which is McAllister's meadows, is di-
verted before it reaches the Naches
river, so at the low water period the
Naches river will be short unless
waters are conserved at Dumping lake
to make up the deficit.
Now then, before the reclamation
service can divert the Teton river to
the Teton lands under Unit No. /. the
other water sources must be so far
conserved as to provide present water
users with their usual supply. The
Dumping lake water never reaches the
Tieton project but it affects the Tie
ton project because these stored waters
will take the place of the Teton river
supply in the Naches river. Hence
the refusal of the service to deliver
the regular supply of the Teton river
to the Tieton project until there is
plenty of storage water held in reserve
in Dumping lake. The flood waters"
stored in McAllister's meadows are
available as long as they last because
they do not minimize the Naches river
at its lowest flow during the SUNNI err
months.
Just how much water will be avail
able for delivery to Unit No. l before
the Dumping lake dam is completed
depends entirely upon the capacity of
the Tieton basin supply which as
pointed out is conserved in McAllis-
ter's meadows where a dam is already
constructed. 1t is possible that suf-
ficent flood waters may be consery-
ed here to enable the land owners I'M
der Unit No. l to do considerable farm
ing next year, and then again there is
the possibility that the supply will not
be sufficient To undertake ranching
under such conditions would be
something of a gamble which probably
not even the reclamation engineers
would be willing to advise absolutely,
fact which is accentuated by their
statement TO the Teton Water Users
last week.
1t will be easy to understand there
fore, why the reclamation service is
unable to deliver water in plenty to
the first unit of the Teton Until the
water of Tieton river is replaced in
the Naches river by water stored in
Dumping lake, they dare not divert the
Tieton river supply to the Teton pro-
Ject. This is the part that the
Dumping lake supply plays in the
watering of the first unit of the Teton
project.