The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-10-29

GIIt StdIcLIlcilt OIL y. II. ELLIS, Drain
age commissioner for the Wyom-
ing Plan Farm Board when ne
says: 1T is to be noted that the
developed storage, plus the poten-
'tdal storage is in excess of the
present and potential require
ments, but this leaves an annual
run-off Of 1884, 900 acre-feet
more than one-half of the total)
for which suitable reservoirs must
be found for part, if the Big Horn
river is to be controlled. The DO
tential storage is a summation of
reports of various federal and
state agencies and includes such
projects as the Sunshine dam on
the Greybull river. reservoir on
Paint Rock creek. Anchor reser-
voir On Owl creek and numerous
other irrigation projects. This
available storage answers only
one-half the problem of flood
control and strictly flood control
dam sites and other agencies
must be found if we are to arrest
the depletion of our soils and pro-
tect the communities on the lowe!
river"
For some years practically full
use has been made of all the ma
tural flow of the Big Horn river
during the late irrigation season
down to the point where the Sho-
Shone empties into the Big Horn.
With the use of all storage waters
on the Shoshone as contemplated
on the completion of the Heart
Mountain project. no natural flow
can be depended upon from that
source and the possibility of tn,
purchase of water in case of
shortage. as has been nnssible in
the past. will be gone. Therefore.
the only source of supply without
resortlng to legal procedure to en-
force our rights to natural flow
based on interstate flow rights and
previous use) is a dam in the Big
Horn. No sane man who will in
form himself of the facts can
come to any other conclusion. he
cause we know that we will have
to depend entirely on the water
gathered between the south side
and the north side of the Big Horn
mountains for our supply and that
that IN the late irrigation season
- C1lIllcly INSUFFICIENT.
The only possible approach to-
ward getting our local needs would
be by impounding of water on the
tributaries such as Bull Elk, Black
Canyon and others.
While Robert YelloWtail operly
states that as long as he is slIper-
lntendent. he is willing to divide
up the water of the Big Horn be-
tween those needing it for irriea-
ton purposes. still the record
shows that the federal govern
ment has. at an expense of Sl37,-
900. built a diversion dam across
the Big Horn river near the
mountains which makes it possible
Tor the government to take ali
water from the Big Horn river and
conduct it to the government
ditch, which irrigates about 80. 600
acres of land in the upper Big
Horn valley. This dam was built
in 1881 and the water from the
Big Horn was all diverted at that
point and all the water coming
down to the Two Leggins ditch
return flow to the river. This
water was diverted to the Two
Leggins ditch by means of sand
bags. The Low Line Ditch. with its
head below Hardin about three
miles. used the same means of Sc
curing what water was possible
for its ditch. These sources having
it became necessary for the
CITY of Hardin. the Low Line Ditch
company and the Two Leggins
Water Users association to pur-
chase water from the Shoshone
project and so far as the writer
knows, no contribution was ever
made from the Indian department
,oward the paying for that water.
It is a matter of history that the
lsers on the lower end of the
stream or ditch as we'll as the ap-
,ropriations of water from below
mother appropriation suffers most
the shortage of water. These
cause law suits such as
present Crow case.
Tho oo~roOfinn ~ c,,nt n4~L;