The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-10-31
THOUSANDS OF ACRES
IN RED LAKE PROJECT
improvements Required Would
Begin at Red Lake and +.
Go Down Stream

II Hon conseryancy and drainage PoD,
8'a,,, ma area comprises a watersneu
u u nhont 400 square miles or whlch
aho,,t A4O square miles is lake sur
saca The improvements required ~
padIoke river channel will beglh d.
mo lake and continue down streah,
ahoht 40 miles. A control dam anu
,ratns will be necessary at the :.' o9ties
f The Red lakes to conserve ilooo
tiers for power purposes. ~ - 49, pu
nosed to straighten, WIDEN anu u..p
On the channel to PROVIDE loi 49,
mo 900 cubic feet per second Gur t,.s
Tho flood water state. Ihrousa tne
control system it is proposed to pro-
{ @,,;da minimum of 600 second 1eeS
!. ~ water 81 all times Of the year Tor
mo water power plants in Red Lake
liver as far down as Crookston.. Al
No nresent time there is sufficient
water in Red Lake river for power
nurposes only during about seven
months each year. If, after the pro-
,,nsed improvements are pro'loeo'
t;00 second-feet will be available dur
mo the entire year, it is evident tnat
The additional water power created
will be Oh CIclncIuouo e'A
Northwestern Minnesota.
- On trip Of inspection taken july
10 and 20, Adolph F. Meyer, consult
ing engineer; e. v. Willard, state
commissioner of drainage and waters
George w. Walker, the district en-
gineer, and "a. G. Selvig, president
Of the board, snade the journey from
Neptune to the outlet of the lake by
motorboat in order to study first hand
the topographysof the area. Mr.. Mey-
ar in his preliminary report with
reference to the proposed work sup
mitted at the conclusion OF tins trip,
stated that storage space OF one
foot is necessary on Red lake to hold
back the flood waters which run into
the lake until such a time as they
can be discharged safely through the
improved outflow. channel. Because
the area of Red lake is so large in
comparison with the drainage area
which sends its runoff into this body
of water, the lake acts as natursl
reservoir with tremendous equalIZ-
ing effect upon the outflow. A stor-
age capacity of at least three feet
is, tentatively recommended by Mr..
Meyer in order to best utilize the
water from Red lake for water power
purposes. He states that the regula-
ton outflow from Red lake would
have furnished the water power
plants forty-three and on-tnird, bill
lion cubic feet Of water, during the
period from June, 1910, to April
1916, in addition to what they could
have utilized in Il state of nature.
At one cent per- kilowatt hour the
amount Of power that could have been
generated was estimated at about
100000 year. Assuming all the wa
ter power utilized and all the fall de-
veloped, the annual benefit during
these dry years would have been
worth a quarter. of million dollars.
Considering both dry and wet years,
the annual benefit Of regulation to
present power plants on the Red lake
river computed on the same basis
would be about SIS, OOO," said Mr..
Meyer. ~
For more than thirty Yeas the
farmers living on lands adja.eylt to
these streams have suffered enormous
losses from uncontrolled fooft waters.
Ihey look forward expccta ntly now
to the day when the improy ements
planned are completed. If, in addi-
tion to controlling food water, ad-
ditional water power an also be
boon Of ines Unable value,
will be conferred upon. the reside nts
Of Northwestern Minr .esota. - I.
III e. G. Selvig, presid .ent of the drain.
age board, is optim' 4stic over the de-
,elopments pointed .as,out by thu, engi-
aeers in their report. "Wit'l flood
waters controlled and adtitio nal wa
ger, power Great ed, the pcop.e living
= the Red LAX e basin face a bright
'uIture," ne sa id in his opering state
n f1e at the conference. "'With an
soil and an en.terprising
reputation this, section Of the state
',ll CONTINUE to forge :ah cad in it's
leveloprAent. The advent of such
leeded railr Dad facilities ii, the area
"a. nat These Improvement win benefit,
VII ara onderfully in building up
yeritab' e empire"