The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1944-09-08

familiar with active in development
and attempted development of Mnna basic He is nov
and California. 5 article 5
Average annual flow of Missouri River at it's m =
enough to rrigate about thirty million if it couo
applied arid land Perhaps not than sixth Oh 1T
can ever be used Without becoming involved in of
technical detail of the main why this is
be plainly and simply stated
The most important one is that about half the rivers
flow that falls in the lower third
of the drainage basin Here annual precipitation from 20
to 40 inches and while water contribution to the flow
stream larger irrigation not needed This water
be used for navigation controlled in part to prevent floods
and be hanessed generate changes from
flowing streams too far down the drainage to
irrigation purposes.
The second great operates defeat maximum
water for irrigation fucuang stream flow by
cycles Each year there two high water flood
RODS each lasting from few days to about month Melting
and breakup of ice brings flood March Rains and
going out of the high mountains causes another flood
June In these high water periods volume of river flow is 40
SO times larger than is at in late fall and early winter
months
All this that very large percentage of the water
must be stored great and kept there Tor rgan
during months Here another complication enters
the picture Rainfall in cycles Five SIX
dozen wet follow five dozen dry The
three four times much water
in wet it does dry For instance Yellowstone
delivered 154OOOOO feet to the Missouri in 1924
but only 600 feet in 1884 So to maximum
water much of must be carried in storage not
only during but for several In extreme cases
Is 20 might be required to save all the
water
But good reservoirs and the dams to hold them cost
it's In each individual there point beyond
which it economically feasible to unsound to
construct much reservoir that will be only partially filled
the years sake of catching surplus waters that
only every fifteen So it boi
down matter of engineering data and judgment for each
units will little
city, others have five six of without
extra On the whole very considerable
centage of floods cannot be proaby stored
and consequently used for irrigation
Now third major condition in water storage prob
lems Three things good dam Sites su
cent behind the dams and locations where the stored
be In the lower half of Missouri drainage
where streams fall in only feet mile and valleys
from to fifteen miles wde good dam sites not
but there ample storage capacity behind such
sites be utilized Location far down permits only
limited irrigation but is ideal for navigation and suitable
for flood control below the dams
In the upper half drainage slopes
sleeper valleys and bed rock the surface
Here hundreds of good dam sites be found but
them do not have sufficient storage behind the DAM
Such sites do have this storage requisite ideal from
the stand point of location for irrigation for flood control in
the valley and development units They
tribute little nothing navigation On the whole lack of It
eservo storage capacity the upper reaches of Missouri
drainage bottle neck likely down of waters for
irrigation C
Two other major considered Necessity
of fish and wild life and off pollution
it that there be continuous flow all live c
streams not all water be stored Seepage ooses
transporting water from to arid lands consider
able These from fraction of
of volume per mile This puts limit rrigable
lands that be served from
quenty the required reservoir capacity from irrigation
stand point. lin
Several minor factors the picture necessity