The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1917-01-11
Public Corporation
for Tri-state Flood Control

New Ulm, Jan. differentiation OF
a public corporation similar to the
sanitary board that built the Chicago
drainage canal for the financing and
construction Of the proposed canal to
link Big Stone lake and Lake TraV-
erse to control the flood situation in
the valleys of the Minnesota river am
the Red river Of the north, was pro-
posed to seventy-five delegates of the
Tristate Flood Control association, In
session here. So
The proposal was made by A. b.
Kaercher Of Ortonville chairman or
the meeting, who explained that en-
abling acts would have to be obtained
from the legislatures Of the states al
fected. ... -
Chairman Kaercher said the inter-
SPARED OF obtaining adequate reller
from congress. -...,.a, .,.
Says Pleas Bring Only Surveys.
Every time we appeal to congress"
he told the delegates, "a new survey
is ordered. These surveys have each
cost $4,000 and $4,000 and more.
Survey after survey has been made.
The surveys have duplicated each 9TH
er many times.
3In this way the government has
spent several hundreds Of thousands
of dollars without giving us any re-
lief. They seem to think at Washing
ton that every time we appeal for help
we are just having another spasm ana
need an engineering hypoo ermic.
"At Washington they are mistaken
and If they don't discover the mistakes
soon we will organize every river VAL
ley in the United States and employ
a corps of new doctors whose treat
ment will be permanent cure.
Lake Linking Plan Outlined.
Chairman Kaercher explained in de-
tail his plan for financing the lake
linking canal.
s"The corporation formed" he said,
| would have full power to levy as
sessments against benefited land and
to issue bonds to raise money to pay
for the works. The canal would have
proper controlling works and, with ac-
companying improvements. would IA
cilitate regulation OF the volume OF
water flowing down both the Mime
sofa and Red rivers.
"The corporation would have the
disposal of waterpower, navigation anc
| fisheries rights created by the build
! ing of the canal just as the chicago
| drainage board has. Down there the
canal has been made a paying invest
ment. Our canal could be made the
same"
Chain of Big Reservoirs Suggested.
In addition to the construction ol
the canal, making two great controlled
reservoirs of the two lakes, Chairman
Kaercher's plan includes the turning
of the Little Minnesota river into Lake
| Traverse and the turning of the Whet'
stone river into Big Stone lake. He
said the periodical floods along the two
rivers was increasing annually, due tc
the drainage Of immense areas OF
swamp lands into the rivers and into
the lakes that feed them.
! e. ". willard, state drainage engi-
neer, advocated simple plan, involv-
ing:
Turning milestone river into Big
Stone lake.
| Construction of a reservoir at the
south end of Big Stone lake.
| Construction Of reservoir at Lac
qui Parle. .
Construction Of a reservoir at Red
wood Falls.
In this series of great reservoirs, he
said, all flood water could be safely
| limpounded, to be released gradually
throughout the year.
Control Of Surplus Flow ls Key.
| A. l., Crocker, chairman of the rec
l1anafion and flood control committee