Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1920-07-27
WHAT RECLAMATION OF
COLUMBIA BASIN MEANS
Addition to Our Producing Lands Of
an Area Twice as Large as Rhode
Island, Larger Than Porto Rico
and Greater Than Reclaimed Lands
Of the Nile.

An irrigated area greater than the
Babylonian plains, more extensive
than the original reclaimed areas of
Egypt and richer than either, larger
than the state of Delaware and as
large as Porto Rico-a construction
work second only as an engineering
accomplishment to the Panama canal!
This is the Columbia Basin project
in Washington in prospect. In the
development program for this area Of
100000 acres of approximately
5000 square miles, representatives Of
the states of Washington, Oregon,
Idaho and Montana are to gather at
an irrigation and development con.
gress to be held in Seattle, Septem-
Der 16 and II.
Agricultural prosperity of the un-
developed portions of the West de-
pends largely upon. an adequate sup.
ply of water for irrigation. Water
rather than land is the primary unit
Of value in the development of arid
regions. In the eastern part Of the
state Of Washington alone there are
almost 100000 acres of rich soil
now barren and desertcd-only await
ing application of water to produce q
gross revenue of not less than $66 an
acre each year. When the Columbia
River Basin project is developed It
will produce before the third year, at
the rate of an annual 366 gross yield
an acre. more than the entire cost of
the construction and primary develop
ment. e. F. Blaine, president of the
Irrigation Institute of Washington,
the daddy" Of irrigation in Washing
ton, says $66 an acre is too low a
figure in view of the c;ose-by Sunny
side and Yakima projects, for the
former produced a gross revenue of
$167 an acre last season and the net
return in 1919 was greater than the
original cost of putting water on the
land and putting the area in shape for
crops.
Twice Size Of Rhode Island.
Just as a side issue to this great
increase in production Of food and
wealth, engineers estimate that in
addition to reclaiming an area more
than twice as large as the state of
Rhode Island the water after making
possible the addition of minimum of
$132,000,00O a year to the states
crop production can be used over to
develop 100000 horse power elec-
trio energy of that section.
Today, uninhabited. barren and q
great stretch Of volcanic ash-this
area has the same soil as the famous
Yakima and Sunnyside projects where
orchard lands command $500 an
acre. Elwood Mead, soil expert OF
the government who also put in the
Australian irrigation system, in re-
port to former Secretary Of Agricul-
ture Wilson said similar lava ash soil
on the Pacific coast was the richest
of all in this nation"
A total of 6,25O.OO0 acre feet will
be diverted from average annual flow
Of 100000 acre feet from the Pend
Oreille river at Albany Falls near
Newport, Washington. to irrigate q
100000 acres, and convert them into
an empire almost equal in richness to
tho entire state of Washington.
Ample storage can be developed In
had lake, in Montana, two of the
Lake Pend Grille, in Idaho, and Flat
largest inland lakes in the United
States. Consequently the storage on
the roject is sufficient to provide
regulation of flow. The use of por-
ton of the waters draining from 25.-
900 square miles in the Rocky Noun
tains is contemplated by the Columbia
Pacific Survey Commission. board
authorized by legislature and appoint
ed by the governor to determine the
feasibility of this great irrigation
project. Engineering Investigations
show that the irrigation Of the Colum-
bia Basin is entirely feasible from the
physical standpoint.
A Gigantic Engineering Feat.
The project necessitates the con-
struction of Sc miles of concrete
lined main canal; "a miles Of tunnels,
eight in number. the longest OF
which will be 15N miles and the
shortest one mile. Forty miles OF
artificial and natural lakes will be