The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1916-11-18
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FACTS IN
RIVER JOB
Congress Held Here This
Week Marks Real Epoch
in Movement
WATER POWER DEVELOPED
If Reservoir Plan is Pur-
sued, Financial Advan-
tages Are Anticipated
WATER POWER DEVELOPED

Red river pioneers, veterans of
thirty years, having seen several
floods, and just as many series of
flood control meetings, met once
more this week in Fargo. This time
they went away with the realization
that definite progress had been made,
and that the big machinery had at
last been set going whereby flood con-
troll and consequent valley drainage
may become a reality. Heretofore
agitation had repeatedly ended in a
survey" followed by no action, so that
the mention Of a survey" became
signal for shouts OF derision. True
the information got in these surveys
was Indispensable, but no authority
existed whereby practical action would
likely follow. Now that sufficient
preliminary surveys have been made,
Except in the region along the west
side of the Red river valley in North
Dakota) the business men grimly
turned with determined eye set on the
doing Of som ething final. Nothing was
neglected from the formal minority
engineers report on the absolute prac-
ticability Of the eight or ten reservoir
sites and of channel shortening OF the
Red and its branches. to the appoipt=
ment of legislative committee to shape
bills for action by congress and state
legislatures. and finally the raising of
several thousand dollars to set the
work going at once. -.'
Since the war department must soon
be deferred to In dealing with the
"naVigable" Red river. and. lest
jealousies develop between it and the
agricultural department. Congressman
Steenerson advised that the very
generous offer of the department Of
agriculture conveyed to the congress
through Professor Hard, be not accept
ed. This latter would have completed,
largely at federal expense. further sur
vey and the collection OF and stand
ardiSfng of all earlier data. This must
now be financed by the states.
AS several streams are listed as
"navtgable" special permission must be
gotten from the secretary OF, war, and
the work approved py the chief engin-
eer. Congress alone can initiate and
finance a program for internal inn
provement. The government can carry
out this plan through power of pur-
chase and eminent domain, com
pensating damaged property owners.
Again. the North Dakota state
constitution prohibits such internal
Improvement as reservoir construction
and channel cutting. Proper legisla-
ton will remedy these defects. To in
sure joint action on the part of the
three affected states 1t is recommended
that congresse authorize an agreement
between them. and create a commits
sion to handle the reclamation pro-
jects.
The steering committee of the flood
control congress proceeded without de-
bate to act upon the minority engin-
eering report of SardeSon and Hard
which recommended certain practic-
able reservoir sites. with rough APP
Proclamation OF cost: waterpower
development: shortening of river
channels: raising local funds to start
collection and compilation of data and
a few indispensable tie surveys in tracts
not yet covered.
The majority report Of Professor
Chandler and the state engineers had
recommended delay till state legis-
latures convened when funds would be
sought to be disbursed through the
state engineers offices Further they
had refused consideration of water
power development.
The computed capacity of the vari-
GUS reservoirs was reported to be
ample to hold back the excess waters
of flood time on all OF the main
tributaries of the Red. This is a very
comforting thought in the face of the
peril confronting the valley at this
time. True. a series of dry years may
precede the next food. On the other
hand the fact remains that the soils
capacity for holding water was fully
occupied, when the freeze came this
fall. Given a heavy snowfall and a
heavy spring rainfall and the valley
faces ideal conditions for an unprece-
dented flood. Great damage is posi- ;
BILE. In fact the committees report
was substantiated by Senator O'Neil's
statement that. but for the fact that
in April last. while the snow In the
upper basin OF the Red was melting
out, the peaty marshes about Red lake
were locked by local freeze. Had
their waters gone out at the same
time, Grand Forks would have been
swept into Hudson bay" Fargo and
other towns may see like condi-
ton.
Waterpower Rights.
One of the compensating features Of
the enormous outlay OF funds lies in
the fact that great waterpower can
be developed at the several reservoir
sites, probably enough to equal the
cost of reclamation True, flood con =
troll limits the use of water for power
to an extent, as the basins must be
emptied In ample time to catch and
hold the next ficod, still 1t is readily
seen that, beginning with April, for
many months the water may serve
power uses continuously.
Milling and other manufacturing
may be done at the various dam sites.
Fortunately these are distributed at
convenient intervals to serve the vari-
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