The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-12-07
IRRIGATION PROJECT
ON LARGE SCALE NOT
FEASIBLE At PIERRE
Scheme to Water "a, 900 Acres
in Hughes, Stanley and
Sully Impracticable,

Pierre, 8. D., Dec. 5.--The prelimin-
airy observational report or Westing-
house, Church. Kerr & Co, the engineers
employed by Hughes. Stanley and Sully
counties to examine the Little Bend
power and irrigation project with view
to it's practicability Is at hand. the gist
of which is that the proposition is per-
fectly practicable from physical and
engineering standpoint, but that IL Will
cost too much to construct to be profit
able. However, in a detached personal
letter, Henry r. Kent, the vice presi-
dent, recommends the irrigation of the
large tracts of land lying along the
Missouri at an elevation Of not more
than leo feet above the river by means
OF steam and gasoline power.
Steam Power Possible.
Says Mr.. Kent: 1.-THE most promising
prospect ~ in the direction of irrigation
by means OF steam power on large
scale. We would suggest for your con-
sideration the use Of steam pumping
for any large areas that may be avail
able at elevations OF 100 feet or less.
For instance. IL you could find an area
OF 10000 acres. more or less. at an ele-
walton of about 80 feet above the river
In your vicinity, We believe you could
irrigate such an area by steam power
at an initial cost Of about $25 per acre.
In this event an annual operating
charge to the farmer Of So per acre
should cover all operating expenses and
fixed charges and also q moderate prof
it to the irrigating company"
400 Feet Too High.
The report in detail showed that the
lands TO be irrigated were located at
an altitude of about 400 feet above the
river. and In extent were limited only
by the amount OF water available. Spe-
cial mention was made of the Fort
Bennett fiat near the mouth of the
Cheyenne with 10000 acres. and the
large fiat above Fort Pierre with 5000
to 10000 acres available. Both lie low
along the stream. 1t was found that
the most suitable reservoir for I'm
pounding water for the highlands was
near the Sully Buttcs, the head waters
Of Okobojo creek being in so deep a
valley rs to limit the land irrigable by
gravity from this point. The report
showed that the discharge Of the Mis-
souri, at Pierre was about 10000 cubic
feet per second. At Little Bend" It
Is possible to create a fall Of water of
IA feet. 1t had been previously sup
posed that a greater fall could be Sc
cured but the report shows that while
the difference in the surface Of the
water at either end Is 1914 feet that
one and one-half feet would be lost
by the slope of the water through the
cut. the head or 10000 cubic feet per
second falling IA feet would create ap-
proximately 10000 horsepower, or suf-
ficient power to pump 200 cubic feet
per second to q height of 400 feet. This
would amount to 144,S00 acre
feet annually, but allowing for evapora-
ton and loss 1t would furnish power
enough for irrigating $4,000 acres.
Magnitude of Work.
To make channel sufficient to di-
vert 10000 cubic feet per second across
the neck at Little Bend would require
a cut with bottom width of about 30C
feet, a depth of water of about 10 feet
with side slopes made on a ratio OF
one and one-half to one. The channel
would have a length of approximately
two and ore-half miles and at the bes,
location in the divide the maximum
depth would be about $50 feet The
construction Of the channel would re-
Quire the excavation of about &c, 000, 00(
cubic yards of material at cost OF
100000
The report concludes:
1t is physically practicable to utilize
this power in the irrigation Of approx
imately $4,000 acres on the highlands
Of Hughes and Sully counties, situa-
ted about 400 feet above the river lev.
ell. The first cost involved In this pro-
posed development is so great as tc
make the project financially impractic.
able.