The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1923-10-30
Nc CALL HOWLS
At PROPOSALS
To USE LAKES
Payette Lakes Residents
Dislike Possibility Of
Pleasure Resort for
Storage Use.

DO you want to see Payette Lake
made pothole?" is the question which
features the call for a mass meeting
held at Mccall Monday night to pro-
test impounding water in Payctte
Lake for storage and power purposes.
Commenting upon the plan to use
the lake for storage purposes. the
Payette Lake Star. edited by Mark
Bates, says:
"A movement is we'll under way by
federal and state reclamation officials
that will destroy the natural beauty
OF Payette Lake and put it in the has
been" class as a summer resort. il 1t
is carried to completion. In short.
it is to make storage reservoir of the
lake. building a dam to high water
mark or above. and cutting a channel
to lower it Is feet below low water
level. The water is to be used to
generate power at the Black Canyon
dam to be sold to the Gem district
and the proceeds applied to reduce
the cost of the Black Canyon project.
We understand that the state claims
the lakeshorc between high and low
water marks. and also the lakcbed
proper; and that it has already issudcd
permit for the perpetration of this
outrage. Engineers have been on the
ground the past week making obser-
vations
"The holding OF the water at high
water mark will do little damage. but
the lowering it Is feet below low water
mark will leave us without beach on
the lake and do incalcuiable harm.
The dam now being constructed by
the Payette valley association doesn't
injure anyone, as it does not raise the
water and the river channel is not to
be disturbed under the permit held by
the water users. The other PROPOSE
ton is an entirely different matter.
"And it is not contemplated to use
the water for irrigation, but for power
purposes. Now. if power is needed,
there is an unlimited quantity going
down Snake river, and its use will help
all and not injure anyone. 1t is esti-
mated that the water from the lake
will develop 5000 horse power; they
can get 100000 horse power from the
Snake If they want it-and the Gem
district lies on that river. The argu- .
ment used by the reclamation officials
is that the Payette Lake water can be
secured more cheaply and more quick
ly, and that if done right away there
will be less kick about it than If the
matter is delayed.
at is simply an unholy piratical
scheme to destroy our lake and the
interests OF this section in order to
enrich the Black Canyon project. and
the state is party to it. 1t has been
to its present stage with
out publicity, which of itself shows
the nefarious character of the scheme.
1t will undoubtedly be consummated
unless the people here and their infiu-
ential friends do not promptly pro-
test the destruction of this, the most
beautiful and popular of Idaho's sum-
mer Fairgrounds.
There is no place in Idaho where
the water OF Payette Lake would bene-
fit more people than right where it is
now. True, it might benefit different
people, but we do not subscribe to the
theory that it is right to rob Peter to
enrich Paul; but the pirates who are
furthering this scheme seem to be act
ing on the theory that it is proper to
grab everything they can so long as
it doesn't land them in the pen.
Long Valley has lost the right to
use the water OF the lake for irriga-
ton, and that was calamity. II we
would not now lose the lake itself. we
must quickly take energetic action
-----O-----