Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1920-12-15

WATERSHED
0rtonville Citizen Plead. For
One Control of Whole Min.
nesotas River Basin =
Editor Willmar Tribune: -:
s.. The entire Minnesota River
watershed should be included
in thes:Drainage and" Conser-
vancy District-proposed>to be
formed because: it is the wa
tiers that fall upon this surface,
that must be controlled to pre-
vent disastrous floods and that
can be converted into useful
purposes, such as fisheries and
waterpowers, besides redeem
ing So, 0Q0 acres of the most
fertile land in the state. The
law should be amended so that
in all cases the entire drainage
basin. of any stream, the wa
tiers of which are sought to be
controlled must be included in
a single district. There is ev-
cry reason why this should be
done and mot a single sound
reason why it should not be
done. The possibility of in
Vulnerable smaller reservoirs
on the tributaries, and of the
diversion of a part Of the food
waters thereof into a tributary
that leads into one of the large
reservoirs makes it essential,
The most successful control of
flood waters of any stream re-
quires the impounding of the
surplus waters at every avail
able place from the source Of
all the streams to the mouth,
and that the entire basin in
Guiding all the reservoirs be
under a single control and
management; and subject to
jurisdiction of all the courts of
the watershed, that wrongs
may be righted and new de-
velopments and regulations
made possible in the territory
affected by the development,
namely the whole watershed.
ANY piecemeal plan will either
fail or fall far short Of the best
attainable results. "
This is a large project and
must be handled in a large
way.
! Z: A desperate effort is being
made to exclude The Blue
EEarth River from the5proposed
district. Can it. be that this
is because the General Electric
owns the waterpower at Rapi-
dan, and does not want to be
regulated, but wants the priv.
ilege of impounding water and
making the most profitable use
of it for the company regard.
less of the rights and best in.
terests of the farmers and
towns down the valley? Must
people of the state surrender
to water power companies OF
/ must the latter yield to regula'
ton in the interest of the speo
pie as a whole the same as in
, dividuals are compelled to do?
The dam at Rapidan is, W.
believe, about so feet high anc
forms a reservoir of consider
1 able capacity. If this is a pay
= ing investment why will it no
pay to go up stream on thu
. Blue Earth to the head of thu
Rapidan reservoir and con
> struct another dam 60 fee
= high and thus form anothe!
reservoir for power purposes
!. and in flood times use both sole
lily to protect property in tn
. valley below, and Temperate!
supply the Rapidan compan.
o with power from other plant
!. of the district until the reser
. voirs are no longer needed 70
. flood protection?
J. The Blue Earth River is on
. of the largest tributaries O
the Minnesota River and. ful
nishes the most water an,
therefore should be under tn
, control of = the District tn
same as other streams, If tn
% food waters of the othe
. streams above the. Blue Fart
!: River are. controlled by mean
3 of reservoirs, this will give tn
\ use of the Minnesota River Va.
ley below the mouth Of til
H. Blue Earth River to that strea1
i and the Rapidan Power CON
n pany, without restraint or ref
% ulation. ~ !: -.
'e Below the Blue Earth a fe,
% inches less Of flood would saw
r hundreds of acres of crops al
nually. It is the peak Of til
!. flood that does the damag
= that can besprevented.
Re no other dam is constru,
sited on the Blue Earth, the r,
III nS.l nnsEvna0vs1yN;r4a + n,11d hos d