Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1921-01-11
COVERS GENERAL s INVESTJGa.
TION FOR UTILIZATION OF
ARID AND SWAMP LAND
GIVES SUMMARY OF WORK
Nearly Three Million Acres by Irriea-
tiOn and Four Hundred Thousand
by Drainage, ReclamabIe.

ated by the legislature Of 1919 states
In its biennial report, covering gen.
eral investigation of waste lands.
gives summary of the projects COM
pleted and planned for the irrigation
of arid lands and the damage OF
swamp and overflow land. This is not
completed but the report is up to
date. seif, S
Members of the state reclamation
board are: State Treasurer w. W.
Sherman, chairman; State Land Com
missioner Clark v. Savidge; State
Hydraulic Engineer Marvin Chase;
State Commissioner of Agriculture.
Frank Gloyd; DR.. e. o. Holland,
president of the Washington State
Colleges; State Reclamation Engineer,
e. M. Chandler.
From the investigation of the board
combined with those Of the United
States Reclamation Service, the
United States Indian Irrigation Ser
rice and the Columbia Bnsins SURVEY
Icommission the report summarizes
the arid land resources susceptible
|of irrigational development as fol-.
lows: Yakima Valley, including
Kittitas Valley. 100000 acres; North
Central Washington. $4,000 acres;
Columbia Basin, 1.75O.0O0 acres;
South Central Washington, 496,000
acres; Western Washington, $4,000,
making total OF 2,750.00o acres.
u Reclamation Cost High.
The cost OF reclamation of these
lands is high under the present con-
ditions, leaving no room for specula-
tion in unimproved lands nor per-
hitting them to be developed by
private capital for profit.
The board has undertaken a gem
eral survey Of all drainage and dix
ing projects in the state and while
the work is only partially completed
the counties are reported up to
date to have the following: Cow
litz count, 8 projects. 9,970 acres re-
claimable; Grays Harbor county, ~
projects, $4,000 acres; Clarke county
IS projects. 34,700 acres; Wahkia-
KUN county, 4 projects, $3.50 acres:
Lewis county, 8 projects, 44,6OO
acres; Pacific county, 16 projects.
1890 acres; Thurston county, 8
projects. 6,400 acres; Pierce county,
A projects, 1900 acres; Mason
county. 2 projects. 5000 acres: King
county. projects. 10000 acres;
Kitsap county. / project, $50 acres:
Snohomish county, projects, 40,-
900 acres; Skagit county, projects.
$4,000 acres; Whatcom, projects.
1000 acres, making a total of 13
counties with 101 projects contain
ing 367,150 acres of reclaimable
land.
Many River Diking Projects.
For the most part these are dix
ing projects along rivers, especially
the Columbia, Chehalis, Snohomish,
Skagit and Nooksack rivers, and tide
flats flOm which the sea must be
diked off. The largest projects and
those requiring earlier attention are
in nearly all cases, projects Of river
control and flood prevention, espec-
tally in the Chehalis, Skagit and
Nooksack valleys. Millions of dollars
in crops are lost in Western Wash
ington during the excessive floods on
these rivers practically all of which
can be prevented by proper drainage
and diking, according to the report.
Upon the request of the interested
owners Of land in the Okanogan
valley and the Chambers Of Com
merce of Spokane, Everett, Belling-
ham, Tacoma and Seattle, the board
undertook first complete investiga-
ton, surveys and designs upon the
Methow Okanogan project. While
the situation is a very cOmp1icated