Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-02-28
STATE ENGINEER ATKINSON HAS
TRANSMITTED REPORT OF MOUSE
RIVER SURVEY TO THE governor
Many Interesting Disclosures
Investigations
Result From

near the mouth of Wintering Creek
and one in the Sheyenne River six
miles east of the town of Sheyenne.
The dam on the Mouse River would
create a reservoir $500 acres in ex-
tent which would extend nearly to
the town of Velva. A large part Of
this proposed reservoir is bottom land
and the land damage would be heavy.
The Sheyenne reservoir would cover
$500 acres of land and in addition
would food about mile # the North
era Pacific railroad where it crosses
the valley.
From careful records kept by Prof.
Chandler of the run Of the Mouse
River at Minot for the years of 1908
to 1911 inclusive, it is shown that the
annual flow Of Mouse River at this
point averages 10000 acre-feet, an
acre foot being the amount of water
necessary to cover one acre one foot
deep, and it is estimated that to main
tain Devils Lake at it's present eleva'
ton it will require the diversion Of
about 47.O00 acre-feet of water, and
would require ditch IA feet wide on
the bottom and carrying water six
feet deep with grade line of six
inches to the mile.
From the Sheyenne reservoir the
water would be taken to the lake by
a ditch through one OF the coulees
which evidently in past ages drained
Devils Lake into this river. The esti-
mated cost of the construction of the
bitches ana dams necessary for
diversion works. carrying sufficient
water to maintain the lake at it's
present level is 1868 900.
The report further shows that to
deliver sufficient water to the lake
to bring it to it's elevation OF 1889,
which was the elevation in the year
1879, would require an additional
diversion of $1,000 acre-feet' and
with this diversion it would take sew
eral years to restore the lake to the
elevation above mentioned. The
diversion of this amount would re-
auire a ditch with &c foot bottom
and with g"ade line two feet lower
than under former plan. and the estl-
mated cost would be $2,042,OOO.
The report also shows that there
il sufficient annual flow Of the river
to provide irrigation for 100000 acres
Of land north and east of the mouth
of Wintering Creek and on lands ao'
iacent to the Oberon-Esmond branch
Of the Northern Pacific. The irriga'
ton of these lands would be brougnt
about by the construction Of pumping
plants at the Mouse and Sheyenne
reservoirs The irrigation Of these
lands would be accomplished at a
cost Of probably not 10 exceed $25 per
AGRA and the annual cost to apply the
water to the land would be approx
mately $3.50 per acre The irrigation
of these lands. considered together
with the diversion of water to Devils
Lake, would very materially decrease
the cost Of the version and would
probably bring it within the range OF
possibility.
With the diversion of the water to
the lake and the diversion OF sum-
Gent water to irrigate 100000 acres
of land one foot deep, the drainage
problem on the lower Mouse River
would be greatly simpliAed.
The report is accompanied by a
map showing all that part of the
state between the Mouse River and
Devils Lake and the Sheyenne River
to the Canadian boundary, and shows
the elevation Of all the towns and
many intermediate points over this
territory. Profile Of the ditch line
and cross sections of the rivers at
the proposed dam sites are also
shown.