White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1933-02-16
Projects Assets
Are Listed

if1ed to give true eSClInaUe ol Iile
value of the irrigation and power in
strumentalities purchased by the Priest
Rapids irrigation district from the re-
ceiver, and the future possibilities OF
the project, than is Receiver Marvin
Chase himself.
Not only is Mr. Chase civil en-
gineer by profession but he has served
as state hydraulic engineer of Wash
ington, and through long years in the
practice of his profession has become
personally familiar with all the pro-
iects in this state and, in fact, with
nearly all the projects in the west. In
addition, he has had opportunity dur
ing the six years of receivership to
make an intimate study of this par
ticular project. His ideas of the nature
and value of the instrumentalities
should therefore be conclusive.
In discussing these, Mr.. Chase said:
"The franchise acquired is the right
to divert, for beneficial use, water
from the Columbia river, which is an
international stream. This was repre-
sented in the appropriation filings
made by the old Hanford company
under the laws as they existed at that
time. This was prior to the passage Of
the Water Code law by the state leg
islature of 1917 and many years before
the creation of the Federal Power
Commission.
rir re
have been preserved and are recog-
nized in their entirety by the state
and federal governments. They amount
to $4,000 second feet for power and
$4,000 second feet for power and irri-
cation, the former figure being about
the minimum flow of the river. 1t is
neither necessary nor advisable for the
district to make any supplemental APP
plication to the state or federal power
commission to preserve or develop
these rights to their full extent, as
all of them are prior and superior to
any rights in the United States or
Canada for power diversion or use
from the Columbia river.
1T is the policy Of the federal pow
VI commission and the state regulatory
body to insist at this time on all lower
rights on a stream joining in the ex-
pense of the headwater regulation or
development which, although equit-
able, might be a considerable burden
on any navigable stream such as the
Columbia river. 1t can readily be seen,
therefore that the district will reap
all of the benefits of a regulation of
flow without any of the burden al
tached thereto. In fact, very enviable
position.
1.-THE power canal at Priest Rapids
is diverted into and flows for it's great
er distance through an old channel OF
the stream through solid basalt rock
The balance of it is excavated to a
generous capacity for all of the water
that can be used through the wheels
for years to come, with the exception
that it is advisable to lower the bottom
of the canal from three to five feet
to bring it down to an elevation with
the gate sill at the power house. When
that is done, the plant will come
nearer to running 1865 days Of a year
than any other power canal diverted
from any of our western streams.
"The power house, wheel fumes and
draft tubes are constructed OF we'll
placed and massive concrete, and will
undoubtedly last out the ages The
many electrical appliances that go to
make up the hydro electric plant are
strong and we'll built, and with the ex-
ception of a renewal Of the turbines
will last for great many years. The
same is true of the transmission line
The poles are large and are spaced
much closer than is the practice al
this time, and with the exception Of
stumbling, which Is necessary because
of the age of the poles, the line viii
last many years and over the past
six years of operation there has beer
no interruption in service caused by
failure on any part of the line.
1.-THE pumping station at Coyote !.
of the same massive and well-con.
structed type as the power house, ane
well located on the river to serve the
lfrlRdClOn Canal. IL lS UIuC CildL oOiiA'
of the pumps should be renewed tx
make the use of power more econ
omical than would be the case will
any type of pump they might have in
stalled twenty odd years ago. The mail
canal of the irrigation system is ampl
in capacity for the lands now beinI
irrigated and will probably serve al
additional thousand acres without an.
enlargement With the exception o
one short wooden fume on the lowe
part of the canal, it is all constructed
through earth and rock, and is gettin
better each year of it's use. The dis
,, tribution system, owing to the topog
raphy of the lands which it serves,
mostly constructed of pipe and woode
fumes. These are in a fair state @
preservation, and in the main will las
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