The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-05-10
POWER POSSIBILITIES
OF SNAKE RIVER, IDAHO
GOVERNMENT ENGINEERS MAX
ING EXHAUSTIVE STUDY
OF STREAM.

The study OF the power resources OF
the Snake river begun in 1920 10y an
examination of the river between
huntington, ore. and Lewiston. Ida
no, by engineers of the L.. $. geologi-
cal survey was continued i'm 1921 10y
a similar examination of the river in
southern Idaho between Miner and
Weiser
The report ON this work viii not Dc
published for several months. but in
the meantime i'm order to make the
data that it contains available. manu- D.
script copies of it viii be open for in
spection at the Office of the geological
survey in Washington. ID. c., and at
the Office of the district engineer al
Boise Idaho, in room 6l5 of the Ida
no building
In its western course across south
ern Idaho the Snake river has cut
through the bpsalt and the stratfed
sediments that make up the extensive
plains bordering the river and be-
] a.
tai fall of nearly 2O0O leet OF this
drop $40 feet is concentrated at two
points-at Twin Falls. where the fall
is 14O feet and at Shoshone Falls.
where it is 200 feet. At high stages
of the river both these falls compare
favorably in grandeur with Niagara.
Shoshone falls is now utilized for the
of power but Twin
falls and many other places, which
are fully described in the report, are
valuable potential power sites not yet
developed.
Power in South Idaho.
Prior to 1884 when the main line OF
the Oregon Short Line railroad was
completed across southern Idaho. the
Snake river plain from Pocatello west
ward was a sage brush desert. Boise
had a population of about so and
other points at which there are now
large villages or cities were little
more than stage stations. BY 1890
the total population of the plain was
perhaps $1,000. and a small amount
of land was being irrigated. About
1900 the country began to realize that
desert lands could be reclaimed by ir-
rigation, and between 1900 and 1910
many extensive government and pri-
vate irrigation systems were put into
operation in southern Idaho and in
other western states. Tracts in south
ern Idaho amounting to more than
1900 600 acres are now being irrigat-
ed. With the growth of population
that followed the opening of these vast
tracts there came naturally a demand
for power The geological surveys
report gives a history of the develop
ment of power in this region The
first developments were small and
were under local control, but as the
field of operations widened interior
ence between companies led to in
tense rivalry and to over development
which was followed by depression and
reorganization resulting finally in the
formation of the Idaho Power com
pany which now owns and operates
all the hydro electric de
in southern Idaho along
Snake river. The report gives the
history of each project in detail and
describes the project works. at which
over 10000 horsepower is now being
made available for use.
The report contains maps and de-
of 10 sites at which $50 900 /
horsepower could probably be devel-
oped, even during the times of low /
water flow. It sets forth the amount /
Of water available for power develop /
nent and the schemes by which the /
fullest use may be made of the water |
Chapters Of the report are devoted to
he physiagraphy and geology of the |
liver valley and to the springs along /
he river.