The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1913-07-29
THE LARGEST IN ENTIRE WEST
Nampa Man mt Head of Great Irriga-
ton and Power Scheme.

The construction of the largest pow
er plant in Idaho and of the largest
pumping plant in the west, together
with the supplying of electricity for
heating purposes to the towns of the
Boise valley at a rate that will cut
present fuel bills in two, are all in
cluded in the plans for the reclama-
ton of 44,700 acres of land under the
Owyhee irrigation district.
The proposition has been in the
hands of the promoters for the last
IS months, and they have at last re-
ceived satisfactory assurance of fin
ancial backing for their project.
The power site is on the North Fork
of the Payette river, about three miles
above the junction of the North and
South forks and few miles below
Smiths Ferry in Boise county. The
land is under the Owyhee irrigation
district, located north and south of the
Owyhee river in Malheur county, Ore,
tributary to the town of Nyssa The
tract includes 44,700 acres, 60 per
cent of which is decided land and the
remainder homestead and desert en-
tries. Water for irrigation will be
point near Browns Butte, ~ miles
south of Nyssa.
The project entails an expenditure
of over S3,0OO,0OO and the water will
cost the settlers $50 per acre. The
power site is held by r. W. Purdum of
Nampa, who is the original promoter
of the project. He has recently sue
ceeded in interesting in the PROPOSE
ton, Slick Brothers Construction COM
pany of Boise, who assert that ample
financial backing is now practically
assured the enterprise.
With the power generated by this
plant required for pumping purposes
only five months of the year, the COM
pany will have available for sale seven
months of the year 10000 horsepower
sufficient to supply the entire Boise
valley with electricity for domestic
heating purposes. This surplus pow
er can be disposed of to a distributing
company at a rate that will make the
cost of electrical heating, in a com
parative way, what it would be if the
price of coal were about 81 ton.
The importance of this fact to the
people of this section is best empha-
sized by the statement that the city
S350,000 worth of coal for domestic
purposes, while the entire territory
that could be served by the company
uses an estimated 100000 worth Of
fuel annually.
With the total output of the power
plant disposed of in this way seven
months of the year, it is figured that
the proceeds of the contract would
not only pay the interest on the bonds
of the district, but would also provide
a sinking fund that would pay large
part of the bonded Indebtedness at
the end of 20 years.
The building that will house the
power plant on the Payette river will
be 200 feet long and 40 feet wide.
Above it, at the lower end of the Big
Eddy will be built a solid concrete
dam which will divert water into a
steel flume five miles in length With
40 second feet of water available, ac-
cording to repeated gauges, this flume
will give an effect of head water of
| 600 feet.
The plant will be equipped with
standard water wheels, three 1000 X.
" A. generators and two $500 X. " A.
generators. The transmission line
from the power plant to the Payette
river to the pumping plant on the
Snake river will be 70 miles in length,
constructed on 40-foot poles and will
have lines large enough to carry 90
600 horsepower.
Water for the irrigation of the en-
tire district will be pumped from the
Snake river at Station No. 1, - miles
south of Nyssa. and it is claimed that
this station will be the largest pump
ing plant in the west It will be equip
ped with four 40-inch pumps, pro-
PEELED by four 2000-horsepower mo-
tors. This first lift will be one of lie
feet; from the main station bitches
will run north and south, and five
other stations located at suitable
points for watering the lands of the