The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-04-26
HOLD DISCUSSION
ON Dam PROJECT
Indications Are That
New Reservoir Is
Assured

IDAHO FALLS. - Reclamation
service officials, local business men
and others interested in the purchase
OF storage in the American Falls
reservoir project met Wednesday
morning at the court house to dis
cuss the project which will put the
site of the present town of Ameri-
can Falls under water. The meet
ing was called to order by Senator
John w. Hart, chairman of the stor-
age committee. G. A. Baldwin, rec
lamation engineer, was appointed en-
gineer, was appointed secretary.
| Out-of-town officials present at
the meeting were: F. E. Weymouth,
chief of construction, United States
reclamation service,of Denver; B.
E. Stoutmeyer of Boise, district
counsel, United States reclamation
service, and Barry Dibble of Burley,
project manager for the Minidoka
project, United States reclamation
service.
Mr.. Weymouth addressed the
meeting and explained that the
board appointed to investigate the
Shelley-American Falls nighttime
canal had in it's report advocated the
building of the American Falls res
ervoir, stating that if the building
was to go ahead this year action
should not be delayed. At the re-
quest of the chairman he read let
ter of transmittal which accompan-
led the forty-page report.
The committee is composed of
Senator John w. Hart, chairman, of
Jefferson county; Grin Lee, Bonnie
vile county; N. A. Anderson, Madi-
son county; j. c. Whelan, Minido-
ka and Twin Falls counties, with F.
A. Banks, engineer, and Cheney St.
Clair, attorney, representatives at
large.
The bulk of the work of this COM
mittee was done last fall. 1t was
decided to have copies of the report
printed and sent to all canal COM
panies interested in the project.
One of the most important fea-
lures of the meeting was the reso-
luton, which was passed unani-
mously, to the effect that an initial
payment of 10 cents per acre-foot
would be made, and the time to sign
contracts and make the initial pay
ment was limited to June 1. 1t is
strated that the second payment will
probably be 50 per acre-foot. Ac-
cording to the contracts, a company
signing and making the initial pay
ment of 10 cents per acre-foot will
be permitted to withdraw if it wishes
when the final estimate is made,
with the forfeiture of the initial pay
ment.
The project will not be undertake
en- with less than 00,000-acreage.
and it, is stated that it may go as
high as 100000, in which case the
present site of the city of American
Falls, would be submerged. Reports
from that section of the county indi.
cate that the people are pleased with
the proposed plan and want it to go
through. In the meantime the prop
erty owners will discontinue inn
provements until they know definite
ly the future of the project.
The South Side Twin Falls, or the
Twin Falls Canal company, has sign
ed a contract for 100, O00-acreage. It |
is stated here that the reservoir is |
a certainty, the only uncertain fea-
ture being the size. A rough esti-
mate was made on the time required |
for the project to be finished. 1t
was stated that it would take APP
one year to complete the
right of way and an additional two
years for the construction.