The Nespelem tribune. [volume] (Nespelem, Wash.) 1934-1936, 1936-01-30
lied as an initial step therein.

| moment IOT DrleI description OF the
Grand Coulee dam and power plant
The dam will be 1890 feet long
So feet high above the lowest beo-
-ook, and 90 feet thick at the base
1t Will nave subway 1860 fest
long, capable OF handling a l,OOO,UJ
second-Ioot flood. The volume OF
concl1te required will be II, UuG ,OOU
cuolc yards, or az times that re-
CURED 1ol the Boulder dam. The
IoWer installation Sy1nmeCrically
placed on each SIDE OF the spill
way will amount 10 100000 kllo-
| watts, of which $4,000 KlloWa us
| will be TOR the generation Oh tim
continuous power ana the balance
Tor secondary power for lrr1gaUlOn
pumping and tor standby erv-ce.
present. contracts cali IOr the COM
pietiOn OF the foundation Tor the
lam and power house to an average
eleVaJlOn about 5U lecC aOOVe low
waCer and involves, among otner
.4llngS, the excavation OF l5,0UO,UUu
ouplo yaras OF earth and rock ana
The placing OF 3,50O,00U cubic yaraS
VI concrete. The cost OF this Woik,
.nclua4ng camp, railroad, highways,
right Oi-Way, mater -alS, ETC., will be
ABOUT $63, JUU,UUU. The cOSC o. the
comp eGed structure is. estimated al
$186, 900 and the irrigation lea
ures OF The project 5000, 900, 900, max
ing a total or 1894 900, UUO; but the
maximum investment in the pioJecJ
IS estimated at around $26U,UUU, v-v,
depending upon how rapidly the
rrlgation features are developed
anp how soon the power revenues
may become sufficient to take care
OF the cost of future construction.
Power MARKET
An important factor in the feas-
Utility OF tins PROJECT as a Wno1e Is
the market that may be avallaole
Tor the power that is produced
at the Grand CouIee dam. The
market area IN which tins power
may pe ABSORBED includes Jho area
within a laulus OF 800 miles OF the
Jam and includes all OF the oJaOe
OF Washington, the northern part
OF Oregon, the northern part or
Idaho, and tile western part OF
Montana.
uurlng the 10-year period ending
With 1851 the requII emenLS Tor pow
er IN Jlle territory deScI bed as con-
sliLuJlng tine power market area IN
creased AZ an average rate OF 9.5
per cent per year, compounded an
naaliy. Inc installed geneI aLlA.g
CAPACITY OF power plants serving Tile
verf4uUry IN 1880 amounted to L.
4sy,ovo k--oWattS, and during thai
year there was generated 4,Uz3, UOu,-
W. -Watt-hours by CnoSe plaIlLs
rhe effect of the depression has
peen TO suspend for ABOUT 4 years
the normal growth OF Cne Lowei
market. Production fell Oft a Lite
after 1880 and reached minimum
IN 1888; but during 1884 returned
to the 1880 maximum and during
1885 is resumlng its former rate "a
increase with the result that there
Is every assurance that the produc-
ton this year Will substant- ally eX-
ceed all previous records. II we
may judge the future by the past,
tnele Is every reason to believe that
the rate OF increase IN power pro-
duction for the 1O-year period prior
TO 1880, amounting to 9.5 per cent
compounded annually, will continue
after 1884. If we assume that the
rate of increase starts off at but 8
per cent compounded annually and
decreases uniformly to per cent
during the next 30 years, and if we
assume further that Grand Coulee
will absorb only one-half Of the in
crease after it's completion, leaving
the other half to Bonneville ana
other new and additional develop
ments, all of the Grand Coulee
commercial power will be absorbed
by the market in Is years. II the
commercial power can be sold at IA
mills at Grand Coulee, equivalent to
mills on the coast, the cost OF the
Grand Coulee dam and power
plant, with interest at 4 per cent
can be liquidated in so years With
a surplus of $144, 100000, available
for the partial liquidation OF the
irrigation investment or other pur-
poses, and after the fiftieth year
the annual surplus would amount
to 100000 The annual cost for
operation and maintenance OF the
project, including the cost of power
for pumping, is estimated at $26o
per acre, while the annual con-
struction charge, if the irrigation
development is deferred until the
power income substantially exceeds
the annual cost of power develop
ment may not exceed $3.50 per
acre.
Power Not Wanted
Conditions in the power market
area tributary to Grand Coulee at
this time are Illustrated by the fact
that both Portland and western
Montana are calling for power from
the Washington Water Power Co.,
to which the company is respond
ing to the extent Of it's ability,
while Tacoma is feeding into seat
~ ~ 49,. x,o,,,or toot ifs intArcOn-