The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1916-11-13
Federal Control Is
Only Avenue Open
In Handling Floods
So Declares A. B. Kaercher Ortonvle MINI, in Opening
Congress This Afternoon Prominent Men
Are Attracted by Gathering

, a depth at Grand Forks of 55 feet.
The next highest flood was in 1897
as feet-and from these reports it
appears that the actual damage done
in the Red river valley by the flood
of 1897 alone amounted to seven and
half million dollars. The only estim-
ates we have at hand as to damages
in the Minnesota river valley were
gathered by the Minnesota River I'm
Iprovement league. and these show
that in the years 1906. 1907 and 1908
the damage to the lower portion of
this valley exceeded one and one-half
millions. but it is a we'll known fact
that the Minnesota river valley suffers
great damages almost every year.
1T is well to bear in mind the
fact that congress has adopted a rule
that no legislation along the lines
here proposed will be undertaken un-
til the project has the approval of
the board of engineers of the federal
government and the secretary of war.
ITO give an adequate idea of the
problem with which we are confronted
II will undertake to outline briefly the
condition that exists and the remedy
we propose. and we will take up first
the Red river valley and northern
Minnesota. because here we find a
vast empire comprising approximately
millions of acres of land either sub
ject to periodical overflows or render
ed absolutely worthless on account of
lack of drainage that can be very
easily and cheaply provided. The Red
river drains an area comprising $4,000
square miles or 33,280,000 acres of
land, the stream being narrow, crook
ed end sluggish having a fall of but
six iaches per mile. The Minnesota
| river valley from Traverse lake to
the Mississippi river is about 256 miles
| wit nf
about one mile and lies from 100 to
ESQ feet below the common level OF tb~
country through which it passes.
Must Use Reservoirs.
1T appears from the government
reports that the Red river will carry
a flood stage at Grand Forks without
damage, to the height of 35 feet; that
after his depth was reached in 1897
eighteen billion cubic feet of water
escaped and spread out over the Red
river valley actually inundatIng
over one million acres of land and
rendering millions more useless. It
therefore appears that to prevent
such floods the only relief is the con-
| Struction of impounding reservoirs
| with capacity to hold and store
this surplus water until the channel
will take care of it without damage,
and it is apparent to anyone that any
|
only aids navigation but makes water
powers and in addition to that these
| reservoirs can be. so constructed as to
be available for irrigation purposes in
| dry seasons. The reservoir sites under
contemplation are q follows: Red
lake. Ottertail lake and a chain of
lakes to the north Of 1t on the east
Big Stone. lake Lac Qui Parle and
possibly another reservoir at Redwood
Falls. and one on Lake Tewankon,
Sargent county, North Dakota.
1T appears that the fall from Red
lake to grand Forks is about 400 feet
and from Ottertail to Breckenridge
from $50 to 400 feet and from the
servoir dam would probably be located
| to where that stream empties into the
Red river about 400 feet From these
facts the possibilities of water power
developed are very apparent.
Major Jones suggested the con-
struction Of two locks in the Red Lake
river and a canal about So miles I'm
length from Red Lake to the Rainy
| river and as Red lake is the largest
available reservoir and has bout 1000
square miles of drainage area. It In
Sossible that its drainage area might
be increased by the construction of a
canal from Red lake along the margin
Of the east line of old Lake Agassiz to
Ottertail lake.
Major Jones also recommended a.
reservoir at Ottertail lake and a dam
| in Ottertail river at suitable place
to throw the flood water into the
Rabbit river and another dam in the
Red river below. the Rabbit of suffi-
cient height to throw the water back
into Traverse lake, a canal from
! Traverse to Big Stone with a lock.
, Big Stone being eight feet below Lake
Traverse, turn the MILESTONE river in
| to Big Stone Lake above q dam at the
foot Of the lake fifteen feet in height.
He estimated the cost of such i'm
provements $4,000 The war depart
| ment on the recommendation made by
Major Skunk in 1912, recommended
| the construction of a reservoir at Lac
Qui Parle lake with capacity of
10000, 100000 cubic feet at a cost of
$1,375,000. To be safe, supposing we
double these estimates and add enough
| more for other reservoirs to make the
total expense $6,000.000. This would be
| a mere bagatelle compared with the
| benefits that would be derived to land
alone.
Certainly IL the government can
| expend millions of dollars annually I'm
| the construction OF levees in the low
er Mississippi for the benefit of the
cotton fields in the south, without re-
ceiving penny in return, 1t will not
hesitate to lend its aid to the people
of these three states to save the
wheat fields of the north"