The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1920-07-09
CORRECTING WRONG IMPRESSION.

a gentleman VINO ldu DeeH lo Con
conully and was cosnizant of the con
ditions prevailing at that place in ref
arence to the water situation at thu
reservoirs from which the government
prOject, in the center of the county
draws its water supply. 1t was not in.
tended in the item to convey the i'm
nression that the orchardists on th>
nroject were down and out on account
of that water shortage, or that the life
of the trees under the system depended
entirely upon that source of supply
The low stage of water was mentioned
as one of the misfortunes that has fol.
was deplored because of the fact tina,
fruit growers dependant upon the Con-
conully reservoirs, and feeders tc
these reservoirs, had to turn to other
means for a supply of water The pre-
yailing condition may never occur
again, as it has never been known to
occur before. What We regret about
publishing the interview is that it may
create the wrong impression on the
outside, and in order to correct any
such impression We are giving space
to the following article upon the sub
ject taken from the Okanogan 1nde-
pendent. We feel that because we gave
the item calling attention to the wate'
shortage, that works to the disadvant-
age of these people, publicity, it is our
duty, and a pleasant one, to explain
the situation on the project where am
pie water is being provided.
But We wish to insist that in it's at
tempted correction in refernece to the
condition of Conconully. or Salmon
lake. the Independent has been woeful-
ly misinformed. 1t was the old Salmon
or Conconully lake that this paper re-
ferred to as having been largely pump
ed out, and that statement has been
confirmed by s. &. Cloud. an old resi-
dent of Conconully, hHw living at
Oroville, who visited his old home last
week. Mr. Cloud substantiates the re-
port given this paper by another gen.
tleman who had visited the scene. In
stead Of being two miles long, as the
Indenepent states, Salmon lake al
ways struck us as being three or four
ed that it was bottomless, and sup
posed that there was sufficient water
in that lake to irrigate the county, yet
according to reports coming from gem
tlemen of known veracity, a large
portion OF that lake is now dry and
according to Mr.. Cloud the pumps are
now being moved to deeper hole in
the lake from which a water supply
Is to be drawn. This does not mean
that the project will be without water,
It only shoys that the chief source Of
water supply has been greatly reduced
through the protracted drouths now
reaching into four years. The Okla
hogan river is still running untroubled
to the sea, or Columbia river, and its
waters can an dwill be utilized by land
owners under the project.
AN interview published in last
weeks Oroville Gazette and given out
by gentleman who had just visited
ConcOnully lead the world to believe
that the Okanogan government project
was system of empty reservoirs and
dry bitches and that the farms and
orchard tracts lying under the system
were about to be blown away by the
scorching winds of summer.
1t Is true there is shortage of wa
ter this year, not only with the Okla
hogan project, but in most of the irri-
gated sections of the state, but the pic
ture painted by the gentleman from
oroville who told his story to the Ga
zette reporter, was so misleading to a
reader not cOnversant with the facts,
tnat a statement of conditions as they
actually exist should be made in the
interests of fair play to the project and
tne people living under it who have put
up such a heroic fight the past year to
secure water to save their orchards
and their crops.
owing to the exceptionally light
snow fall in the mountains for the past
TWO consecutive years, the original res-
erVoir OF the project contained littls
water after the spring run off. This
was anticipated by the project authori-
ties and the water users and steps
were taken at an early date to supple
ment the supply by a number of diff
ferent sources.
one scheme which has been resorted
70 and which has worked out success
iuily is that of transferring water
winch belonged on low lands along the
river, to benches higher up and pump
ing from the river for the low lands.
MANY hundreds of acres of land are
now being watered by this means.
another source of supply comes
IRON wells dug at numerous places on
.he project. Last winter, prospecting
ior water was INDUCED in at numerous
piaces where wells had never before
oeen attempted and while all of the
noies dug did not produce water in suf-
iicient quantities to be of any value,
nevertheless great many fine flows
VI water We're thus discovered and a
sreat deal of land is being irrigated by
pumping.
ureen lake Is another source of wa
'er that had never before been consid-
oied IN the scheme of irrigating the
eovernment project Last winter two
enterprising citizens of this place
poaght the adjoining land and water
r'shts OF the lake and have put in
powerful machinery for lifting water
30 mat 1t can be carried by gravity tc
he orchard lands of the project. and
not less than $50 acres of apple land is
now being furnished with an ample
supply of water from this lake.
nut these sources are small COM
rared with an auxiliary supply which
ne government reclamation service Is
aoiding in reserve to be used later in