Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1934-04-25
APPLICATION FOR
ROCK CREEK DAMS
AWAITS APPROVAL
Action Follows Visit of
Water Board
Members

application LOT Il loan from Ine
public works administration for
the construction of the Rock
creek water conservation dam pro-
ject was on its way to the state
water conservation board at Hell
ena today where it will be the
first application for the c~onstruc-
ton of such a project to be sub
mitted for approval to Washing
ton from Montana.
The action followed an inspec-
ton tour made by members and
co-workers of the board on the
Rock creek project here Thursday.
Included in the party were r. R.
Purcell, vice chairman of the state
water board; /. d. O'Donnell,
board member of Billings; j. S.
James, state engineer and engin-
eer of the water board; r. H. FL
field, Billings engineer in charge
of the local project, and DR.. E. S.
Perry of the Montana State School
of Mines at Butte.
DR.. Perry, who was here to in
vestigate the site selected on Red
Lodge creek, one unit of the pro-
ject, from a geological standpoint,
gave his approval of the project
after an inspection.
Following their tour of the site,
the party conferred with members
of local committee of the project
here Thursday night. The meet
ing was informal and, besides
members of the inspection party,
was attended by members of the
local committee who were John
Normile, Frank O'Connor, Albert
Budas and j. G. Skinner, chair
man. Enthusiastic approval of the
project here and a prediction that
it would receive an early approval
for a PWA loan was expressed by
members of the party at the meet
ing.
Saturday night, it was an
nounced, a meeting attended by
more than $50 Rock creek water
users was staged at Joliet. In
charge at the meeting were Mr..
O'Donnell, Mr.. Fifield, Mr.. Nor
mile and Mr.. Skinner, with Mr..
Normile acting as chairman. En-
thusiasm was expressed by those
in attendance for going ahead
with the construction of the pro-
ject. The water users at Saturday
nights meet subscribed to take
$500 acre feet of water when the
project is completed. The sub
scription was only an initial out
lay from the representation at the
meet, Chairman Skinner of the To-
cal committee said, and reported
that the list of signers for water
in the new project is increasing
from day to day.
Work of constructing the Lock
creek dams will begin here i'm
mediately upon approval of the
application and the granting Of
the loan for the cost of construc-
ton, it was said. If approved the
project will give employment to
many workers for a period ex-
tending over eight months. And
when complete, $4,000 acres of
Carbon county farming lands, ex-
tending along Rock creek and now
dependent upon a seasonal flow of
water for irrigation purposes, will
be insured against drought with a
plentiful supply Of supplementary
water at all times.
Plans call for the construction
of dams at Glacier lake, Emerald
lake and Frosty lake in the upper
reaches of Rock creek, and a sup
Elementary construction on the
Skinner reservoir site near the
Wilson school house on lower Red
Lodge creek. Total cost of the
construction is expected to be be-
tween 100000 and $500,0OO. The
projects total capacity for water
storage will be around the 10000
acre feet mark.
A certain percentage of the loan
will come as a grant from the
government while the bulk of the
money borrowed will be paid back
to the government by water users
benefiting from the project and
who are now signed for shares in
the corporation formed for that
purpose.