Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1935-04-26
Announcement Of Plans TO
Water Basin Lands
Due Soon

Washington, April 22.-senator
Pope (D-Idaho) today cited the
need for development OF fertile
lands to substitute for the margin
al and submarginal farms removed
from cultivation as positive assur-
ance that huge reclamation and IT.
rigation projects in western states
would be developed Immediately.
The Idaho senator mentioned
the Grand Coulee project, on the
Columbia river in North Central
Washington, the Roza project in
southeastern Washington, the de-
velopntent of a. supplemental awter
supply for the Boise valley, the
Black Canyon project and the up
per Snake river Development in Id
aho as proiectswhich he was con-
fident would be pushed to COM
pltion within the next few years.
''i have been informed from q
reliable source,' he said, that en-
gineers now are at work on pans
for q high dam at Grand Coulee
and an official announcement of the
movements intention to irrigate
the 100000 acres i'm that region
will be MAIDS just as soon SIS it is
determined whether it would he
more Economical TO extend the
present contract for the low dam
or to call for new bids On high
barrier.
81 also have information that
the Black Canyon area and the
Roza project will be thoroughly
surveyed as possible subsistence
homestead sites"
The subsistence homestead di-
VISION has sent an investigator in
to the Pacific Northwest to. make q
thorough study of these sites with
the idea of developing them with
irrigation. In addition, plans also
are under WAY for reclaimin2 hun
dreds of thousands of acres OF land
IN northern Idaho which would
not need irrigation"
Pope said government agencies
p mad gone TO great lengths to make
plans for the removal OF miIIioI.sof
acres of marginal and subnas gin
a lands from cultivation, s,ut tih.
I'll the preaeslt had given littlo At
tention as to where the lands 10 Ike
substituted, would be found,
Government officials are grad
ually coming to realize that the
only possible source for fertile pro-
ductlVe lands is through the reila-
nation OF the rich but now arid.
regions OF the Pacific slope states.
Pope declared, Farmers of the
drought and dust storm area also
are reaching this conclusion and
RSndreds of queries and REQUESTS
-f.fr aid are coming into the offices
OF ewstern Representatives and SEN
ators.'
Pope said the land which would
be reclaimed by the western rec
lahatlon and irrigation projects
would be settled just as fast as if
as made available for cultivation
Il am confident" he said, ''that
Within the next ten years, because
or these reclamation projects,
which are sure to be developed the
population of the Pacific slope
states will be doubled and the
area will gradually become one of
the greatest industrial and pro-
ductive centers Of the world. Wa
terpower possibilities are almost
unlimited andautomatically will be
developed in connection with the
large dams necessary for the stor-
ing of water to reclaim the lands"
Pope's prediction OF widespread
brighton Development in the Pa
Ciiic Northwest is strengthened by
ttl8 fact the bureau OF reclamation
has recommended the expenditure
under the new public works nro-
gram of $.0,OOO,GOO en- the Grand
Couloe project, indicating that the
buScnu wants high, dam there,
$S,OO0,000 on the Rosa project
and several mill on dolioIs on pro
jects i'll Oregon, such as the Owy-
fiee and Vale and New York on
on the Deschutes and Burnt river.
While thes projects merely were
recommended as worthy of devel-
oDment by the bureau and the re-
commentator does not necessa rilv
indicate the work Will be done
Immediately, it does mean, Pope
said, that the government is begin
ming to realize this reclaimed land
is essential in its program of elm
ination of unproductive lands from
cultivation.