Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1939-07-21
BIG NEW LINK
In IRRIGATION
RECENTLY COMPLETED TONGUE
RIVER PROJECT WATERS
5000 ACRES

Is Largest Undertaking So Far Com
pleted by State Water Conservation
Board. Extending From Wyoming
Line to Miles City.
An important link in the irriga-
ton of eastern Montana lands is
the recently completed Tongue
river irrigation project which ex-
tends from within a few miles of
the Mountaineering boundary
to the mouth of the Tongue river,
which empties into the Yellowstone
near Miles City. This is a project
of the state water conservation
board. though funds for the construc-
ton OF the Tongue river dam were
the PWA. '' ~ "
Several hundred acres of land ad-
1acent to the south side of the Yellow
Tongue also are irrigated by the
Tongue river project, as well as about
5000 acres Of land along both sides
Of the Tongue.
The Tongue river project is the larg-
est ever undertaken by the state water
conservation board. Eventually an ar
tificial lake five miles square will be
created south of the Tongue dam near
Decker and will supply supplemental
irrigation for the maturing Of crops
along 200 miles of the Tongue river
Will Form Lake
The lake will extend about eight
miles. up the river from the dam,
reaching nearly to the Montana
Width 81 one I mile e' The ho sh w 'e viii
be about 80 miles and the submerged
area will be about 5000 acres.
Several miles Of road and telephone
lines had to be relocated on higher
the Tongue river at Decker had to be
elevated to higher piers. At peak of
employment about 200 men were work.
ing on the project.
Irrigation along the river and utili-
zation OF the water supply had been
shortage existed in July and August,
while on the other hand the stream
discharges flood early in the spring.
With the construction Of the Tongue
river dam. however. these waters, for
new reservoir and made available for
late summer use when it is most need
ed, water board members say.
The benefits to be derived extend
much further than improving the i'm
Many thousands of acres of excellent
grazing land flank the valley the en-
tire length Of the river which could
not be fully utilized in the past because
the valley was not able to supply
enough forage crops to feed the herds
grazed the adjoining pratries in the
summer. The completion of the Tongue
dam Is expected to make possible a
more even balance between the avail
kt,4 fiN,,
Of forage crops for winter feeding on
the home ranches.
Removes Water Shortage
At the lower end of the valley in
the vicinity of Miles City no longer
will there be q shortage of late irri-
cation water to mature crops such as
sugar beets and beans.
Another existing value of the prof.
ect which is secondary. however, is
the asset to sportsmen. Within an area
hitherto short of water there will now
exist a large lake where fish can be
Recreational advantages also will be
To Store 10000 Acre Feet
The reservoir is designed to store
10000 acre feet of water about half
Of which will be used each year. Water
serve about IS 600 acres Of land. Thirty
five thousand acre feet have been sub.
scribed for delivery at an annual cost
of $1.5O for each acre foot.
The project was financed through
the PWA, the total loan and grant
authorized being 81 100000.
According to the state water con-
servation board. "a visitor at the dam
can form no conception OF its mag
nitude from casual observation. The
rs feet of height one sees above the
natural riverbed and stretching 300
feet from end to end is impressive,
but the bulk of work and earthfil are
hidden below the surface since it was
necessary to trench out the founda-
ton 66 feet below the riverbed before
placing the fill. This involved a COM
plicated task for the contractor to
divert and control the river flow while
the foundation was being excavated.
On two different occasions minor
floods occurred which threatened to
break into the foundation but each
time the flood subsidized in time to pre-
vent disaster"