East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-05-22
INVESTIGATE THE
FLOW Of STREAMS
GOVERNMENT WILL REPORT
ON OREGON WATER POWER
Investigation VIII BE Made Subject
of Special Report - Various
Streams of State VIII BE Examined
Extensive Surveys Will Be Neces-
sary--Streams Of the Cascades Are
Most Important OF State.

Washington. Before the govern
ment can make much progress look
ing to the conservation of water pow
ers in the state of Oregon, the geo.
logical survey will be obliged to make
rather extensive examinations of the
various streams of the state to de-
termine their power possibilities, and
the approximate location Of desirable
power sites. Up to the present very
little is known about the opportuni-
ties for power development that are
still unapproprlated. In fact, in re-
cent government publication 1t is stat
ed that "the total possible water
power of Oregon has not been closely
estimated, because of the lack of wa
ter supply data and profile elevations
of streams. However the supply is
certainly far in excess of the needs of
the immediate future"
In a general way, it is known that
there are attractive power possibili-
ties on most of the mountain streams,
both in eastern and western Oregon,
but to what extent these streams may
be used for power development is not
known, and will not be known until
the geographical survey, under in
structions from Secretary Ballinger,
makes hasty surveys, which, in some
instances, will result in the withdraw
al of such sites from entry, or filing
pending legislation by congress. Much
progress with these surveys is expect
ed to be made this summer.
In the publication just referred to
there is brief reference to the known
waterpower resources of Oregon.
Some of the desirable sites on the
streams named have already passed
into the control of private interests;
others still remain undeveloped and
unattached. The following extract is
taken from the report:
THE most important streams in the
state for development Of water pow
er are those heading in the high, per-
petual snow-clad Cascade mountains
and dropping rapidly to sea level. Of
these streams, the Deschutes river,
having a minimum flow of 800 Gu
bic feet per second, and flowing
through a narrow canyon in solid rock
for 80 miles above its mouth, is the
most important. This stream paral-
| lels the Willamette valley and flows
into the Columbia river 80 miles east
of Portland. 1t has 34S0 feet fall
from Bend to its mouth, 500 feet of
this being in the last 36 miles. With
in this distance of sc miles 100000
theoretical horsepower can be devel-
oped. This, at the extremely low val
ue of $40 per horsepower per year,
would produce an annual revenue of
nearly 100000.
Hood river falls 740 feet in the
last IL miles of its course. 1t will
furnish $500 brake-horsepower per
mile
1.-THE Mckenzie river has an aver
age low water flow of about 2200 Gu
bic feet per second. Its fall is 11.5
feet per mile in the vicinity of Eu-
gene and 26 feet per mile at Bel
knap Bridge. In the 39 miles above
Hendricks Ferry it's fall averages 1871
per mile.
1.-The North Fork of the Santiam
river has minimum flow of 1877 Gu
bic feet per second at Mehama. 1t
falls 14.9 feet per mile in the vicinity
of Mill City and 66.S feet per mile
near Idanha, "a miles above, The av-
erage in this region is S7.5 feet per
mile.
Fifteen thousand electric horse
power is now being developed at Ca
zadero, on the Clackamas river, and
about 12,O0O-horse power at Oregon
City during the low water in the Will
lamette At Gold Ray, in southern
Oregon, on the Walla Walla river, and
at Rock Creek in eastern oregon, large
hydro electric power plants are in OPP
Grafton. A large plant is being con-
structed near Portland, on the Sandy
river"