The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-11-30
FORT PECK?

Three friends requested the story of
Fort Peck Thousands of Montana people know as much
about Fort Peck this editorial contributor of them
much However, the story real Importance because
Fort Peck sets the pattern and striking example of the
kind of Missouri valley development being preached to
Montana people a worthy substitute for MVA refer
of to the socaed unified PLAN of Army Engineers
and Reclamation Bureau, quite commonly known the
Power Company plan So here the Fort Peck story as
far I know it:
In 1888 fifteen million unemployed had long since
the chickens feathers included that in each of
Mr.. Hoover's pots Mr. Hoover had just turned
the White House keys Mr. Roosevelt The latter asked
and promptly got five billion dollar
alton for public works Several
requested suitable construction projects Among
these Army Engineers These gentlemen reached into
their hope chest and brought out the Fort Peck dam and
idea Conditions desperate nobody else took time
for investigation study and the project was approved
almost night
Over period of SO total annual water flow, or
off, of Missouri Fort Peck has BEEN round
bers about follows maximum Q908) ten million feet
minimum (1937 three million feet annual flow
about million has, years. dropped down
about four million feet This largely due to ncreas
ing of irrigation in the several valleys that make
up the drainage basin above the dam
reservoir capacity of about nineteen million acre
that will hold five
flow or two years of such flow plus any year
flood with release the bed below
However, released constantly order to keep
be mower plant turbines turning carry away sewerage and
maintain wild life So practical proposition in
operations, the reservoir capacity probably sufficient to
handle all the flow that be stored five
riod Of time.
Just why it necessary to build such high dam and
provide such quantities of storage capacity in the
engineering talent of this writer furnishes Ger
anly the amount of spent several smaller
dams farther stream would have been quite effective in
control of floods and regulation of stream flow for
ton, These upstream dams would have
vded power and been hundred times useful for
irrigation purposes And the spent for construc
the of needed
jobs matter where spent Now the construction of other
dams and sore needed for further develop
Missouri valley Fort Peck will render the vast
storage capacity all the thereof all the
useless
designed built Fort Peck made provision for
development This later because special
congress- If the writer correctly informed 100000 kio
watts generating capacity may finally be installed Only
of this operation with prospect OF l5OO0
additional klowas AS yet Fort Peck has contributed
nothing irrigation It's water probably will be used
northeastern Montana and North Da
All power irrigation development does
out project be purely incidental AS it
designed built Fort Peck grandose and diversified
control and navigation project with little regard for
kind of Missouri valley development According to their
report all the rest of the Army Engineer
Missouri the drainage to the
pattern pressing demand public and
gresona will additional generating nstaa
lions from and methods of handling this
interest of private companies exemped by
Fort Peck Shasta in California This is story in
itself In the of composing there
is mor-to-cum. JEROME G. LOCKE. Id