The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1920-11-19
wHITESTONE PROJECT.

For long time efforts have been
made to interest the state In an exten-
sive irrigation project ON Whitestons
Flat, that really had for it, object
the watering of the lands that extend.
ing east from Loomis to Whitestoao
mountain. Already the lands from
Loomis almost to Whitestone lake are
watered by a system put In BY the
Whitestone Irrigation and Power Co..
the land reached by that system Of
fumes and bitches Is limited to .
comparatively few acres. However. the
few acres irrigated by the compAay'D
system have been brought up to high
state of development and cultivation
showing just what could be expected
from the balance of the arid lands In
that vicinity If water could be carried
to cover the same. The projectors Of
an enlarged district had very ambitious
ideas, as the aim has been to substi-
tute system for the present one 70
cover 10000 acres. The one stumbling
block was the want Of sufficient water
to properly cover so large An area.
Surveys have been made, experts have
been called In to examine and report
and various methods have been suS-
gested for the storage of water for use
upon this enlarged scheme. One propo.
sition was to use Chopaka lake -
storage reservoir, but fault was found
with that proposition by engineers. and
indeed. considerable feeling has been
created by adverse reports upon this
suggestion. At last a board Of engin.
GERS made up of disinterested and ex.
perienced experts have submitted Q
report after careful and thorough
inspection of the land and the source
of water supply, and while that report
recommends the cutting down Of the
acreage from $4,000 to $500. It pro.
vides for ample water to properly
cover the smaller amount of land. while
1t has always been a mooted question
whether sufficient water could be 49,
sured to provide necessary water Tor
the larger acreage. Better $500 acres
with ample water than $4,000 acres
with shortage, for a shortage Of va
ter on this arid land means . complete
failure of production. and such . CAL
amity would work great hardship ON
those who might invest In the land In
good faith and bright expectations. The
following Is report of the engineers
as published Thursday In the 0pokes.
an-Review under an OlympJk aats
line:
Olympia. Nov. 10.-Recommending Q
reduction in the area to be irrigated
from $4,000 acres to approximately
3 600 acres, and the estimated cost
from$1S6 an acre to from SILT to 9127
an acre; asserting that all previous
plans for the development OF the pro.
ject are too expensive and proposing
new plans which contemplate the stor-
age of water in the Horsesprinss
Coulee creek instead of Chopaka lake.
and declaring that the previous reports
on the project. prepared from records
kept by the Whitestone Irrigation and
Power company, were inaccurate, the
final report Of board of expert eugin.
eers on the Whitestone Irrigation pro-
ject in Okanogan county was filed With
the state reclamation board today.
The board of engineers was compos-
ed of e. M. Chandler. chief engineer OF
the State Reclamation Service: d. C.
Henney. Portland: Professor o. l..
Waller, Pullman, and A. J. Wiley.
Boise. 1t has been submitted to Mr..
Picken. president of the Whitestone
Irrigation District. for presentation to
the citizens Of the district.
The report shows that in the origin.
al plans which called for developing
$4,000 acres lying 40 miles north OF
Wenatchee. between Tonasket and
Loomis, the water records Of the
Whitestone company are impossible 60
the basis of correct report.
The estimates as to acreage and cost
an acre of developing the project do
not contemplate any payment to the
Whitestone Irrigation and Power COM
pany for it's irrigation system. which
is deemed inadequate.