Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1914-10-31

1OI
Editor Elmore County Republican.
Mountain Home, Idaho.
Dear sir:
Quite a number of the citizens Of
Mountain Home and vicinity have re-
quested me to make a statement as
to what amount of development the
Mountain Home Cooperative Irriga-
ton Company will do on the canal
system at this time
At the time l purchased the canal
system the snow was on the ground
and it was impossible to investigate
the upper country thoroughly for the
canal runs below the part where the
reservoirs are located. | was led to
believe that the upper end of the
canal was in good shape with the ex-
ception OF one bad break on the
mountain side, and that the same
would last for five years and it would
give us ample time to repair and en-
large the same as conditions demand
ed.
The canal was not in good shape
and it has required many thousands
of dollars more to put it in shape
than what we had anticipated that it
would take. But, nevertheless, We
bo,,o ,,rooaodo6 +o irnnrouo tha canal
just as fast as it could be done un-
der existing circumstances and will
continue to do so until the entire
system is completed and in good
condition to deliver every acre of
water that has been sold or will be
sold, and no water will be sold un-
til it has been demonstrated to the
satisfaction Of everyone that We have
the water supply and that the same
can be properly delivered to every
farmer.
This fall we are raising Long
Tom reservoir to a height where it
will hold about 5000 acre feet. The
canal will be in shape in two weeks
for the delivery of water from Little
Camas to Long Tom. Just as soon as
Mr.. Query completes Long Tom we
Will at once commence to fill the
Long Tom reservoir with water
from the Little Camas reservoir,
which is now well filled with water.
There is more water in Little Camas
reservoir today than there ever has
been at any time prior to the year
1914. Our plan is to fill Long Tom
reservoir and then in the spring
bring the water from Little Camas di-
rectly through Long Tom and down
to the farmers for irrigation purposes,
and will hold Long Tom as a reserve
supply in case of a break in the
canal. This gives us a margin of
safety, which has been badly needed,
that absolutely insures a consistent
and sufficient supply of water to ir-
rigate every acre Of land that has
been sold under the system. ".
We have practically finished all of
the canal that is of dirt formation; we
have built several hundred feet of
steel flume, and will continue to
build steel fumes until every foot of
the system where flume is used,
will be equipped with steel fumes of
sufficient capacity to deliver water
to Long Tom for $4,000 acres of land.
Some of the tunnels will have to
be enlarged and others brought down
to grade. This work will be COM
menced and pushed to completion
just as soon as the weather condt-
tions will stop bringing water to
Little Camas from Long Tom this
year. We will have plenty of time
after that and before spring commen-
ces to put every tunnel in first class
shape.
The canal will then be in much
better shape for the delivery Of a
much larger amount of water 5han 1t
has ever delivered before, and by
the spring of 1916 will be III shape to
promptly and satisfactorily deliver
sufficient water to irrigate twice the
number of acres that has been sold
unde- he system.
The Mountain H,m4 Cooperative
Irrigation Company II complete its
system in substantial manner that
will insure the prompt and satisfac-
tory delivery of water for every
acre of land that is sold or will be sold.
am satisfied that am not going to
be able, under existing conditions
and in consideration of the excess
cost of construction, to make any
money worth while out of the CON
struction of this canal but l wish to
say to the citizens of Mountain