The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-01-10
$2O,OOO,OOO FOR QUINCY
AND EPHRATA IRRIGATION
10000 Cubic Inches of Water Filed on
From the Pend Oreille River Near
Newport 100000 Acres Under Iri-
cation Project in Grant County,
Foreign Syndicate Interested

me Daily world OF some TWO
weeks ago contained little news
story of the work which has been
done during the past season by En-
gineer Jacobs, formerly of the United
States reclamation service, on a pro-
ject to water the Quincy-Ephrata
fats. The work has been done un-
der the auspices of the Quincy Valley
Water Users association, and al
though Engineer Jacobs report has
not been made public as yet, it is
known that he considers the project
for watering this vast territory en-
tirely feasible. 1t is also stated that
the association has arranged to fl
nance the project even though it is
the largest irrigation scheme at pres
ent contemplated in the United
States. The Associated Press report
of the filing on the water for this
project and further details are as
follows:
Newport, Wash, Jan. 10.-The
Quincy Valley Water Users associa-
ton has filed for record in Stevens
county, water rights for 10000 cubic
feet Of water a second to be taken
from the Pend Oreille river near
Newport.
The announcement marks the first
formal step for the construction of
the greatest system for irrigating the
5 arid lands of central Washington that
has been made. The promoters con-
troll nearly 100000 acres in Grant
county. near Quincy and Ephrata. 1t
is said 1t is impossible to use the wa
, tiers of the Columbia to irrigate these
lands on account OF the land being
so much higher than the river.
Surveys have been made during
the last year and the terminus Of
these surveys is at Wolford on the
Idaho & Washington Northern rail-
road and on the Pend Oreille river
I'VE miles north OF Newport.
To Take 10000 Cubic Feet
1t is proposed to take from the
river at this point 10000 cubic feet
of water a second and convey it by
flume and tunnel to the Little Spo-
kane valley to a point below Milan
and thence west to the Quincy valley,
nearly 200 miles. The engineering
feats are remarkable One of them
is the construction of six miles of
tunnel from near Wolford to the Lit
tie Spokane Another provides for
a long aQueduct across the Little Spo-
kane river.
The description of the land to be
watered by this project is townships
16, II. IS, 10, 20, 81 and other lands
in ranges %, 20, "a, Is and &c, in
Grant county.
The estimated cost of this gigantic
project is $20,000,O00 and the pro-
moters assert that foreign syndicate
is ready to finance it whenever pro-
moters show them that they have a
feasible proposition.
The engineering crews have been
working on the right of way of the
proposed flume for more than a year,
but the residents along the line have
understood that they were working
for one of the railroad lines making
surveys in this section Last August
some of the parties interested visited
Newport and Albeni falls. At that
time it was understood that they
would make Albeni falls the point for
diverting the water from the Pend
Oreille. 1t is also asserted that but
one greater water proposition is I'M
der way at the present time in the
United States, that of Los Angeles,
Cal. in seeking water supply.
The river would not be greatly af-
fected by the withdrawal of 10000
feet a second as most of the water
would De taken at season OF the
year when the Pend Oreille is at its
highest. The flow of the rive- ranges
from 10000 to 100000 cubic feet a
second. according to the season.
In addition to the Quincy project
the United States reclamation service
has filed notice of rights in the kalis-
pell valley in Montana for taking
about. $4,000 cubic feet of water a
second to irrigate $4,000 acres Of
land in that valley. This amount
would not affect the water. in the
river at this point as Lake Pend
Oreflle acts as great natural reser-
vo!r for holding the food waters CT
the Rocky mountains that drain into
the river.