The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1949-06-09
Man Urges
Placing Dam
In Phase !" A

Continued from page 81
factually developed.
Yellowtail reservoir will serve
to stabilize the water available
for existing irrigation units,
(roughly 6 $4,000 acres) already
under the ditch, lie. irrigated.
1t will also go far toward the
elimination of silt, estimated to
be more than twenty millions
Of tons annually now being
dumped into the Missouri river
and which requires such eX-
pensive dredging in the lower
Missouri and Mississippi basins.
Boysen dam, now nearing COM
pletion, will also arrest much
silt from this heavily silted
river and make even more de-
sirable the construction of this
project. .. :.
Flood control is a verv i'm
| portant item to be considered,
with its accompanying silt con-
troll problem. The region in
which this dam would be con-
structed is one of light rain
fall, but also one Of quick run
| off of the moisture which does
fall. Then too, the soil is of a
particularly friable nature. In
! deed, 1T is estimated that 26
per cent of the silt carried past
Kansas City by the Missouri
river comes from the Big Horn
river.
What this does to increase
costs of dredging in the navig-
able downstream areas, as well
as what it contributes to the
destructive floods of the lower
Missouri and Mississippi basin,
can easily be aScertained.
Building Of bikes and levees
along the lower regions of the
river basins are expensive, as
is dredging operations. Engin-
| GERS advise that the construc-
ton of Ye1lowtail dam would
materially cut down on these
overall costs. Yellowtail dam
would cut right into the heart
of the problem, for this is in
effect going right to the source.
While there is no doubt or
question of the necessity for
bikes, levees and dredging to-
day, doesn't it seem obvious to
the senators that this has been
work which might be compar-
able to the carpenter ATTEMPT
ing to build the roof first? Vel
lowtail dams potential contri-
| button to flood control cannot
be over emphasized, for it
looms large in the overall ma
tional flood control picture.
It is hardly necessary, I be-
lieve, to point out what an i'm
portant part previously con-
structed dams with their power
production, and Through power
their aid to industry, their ir-
rigation produced addition to
the nations food supply. have
had in the national defense
This part that dams have
PLAYED in the recent war are
I believe, generally understood
bv the public, at least in its
broader aspect, so time will moi
be used here to dwell upon that
important phase, but I do want
to call it's Importance to the
senators in passing.
Yellowtail dam must be re-
garded in the light of an in
rtestment, and not a drain up
on the public purse. 1t will re.
turn many fold to the nationa
treasury each dollar required
for its initial construction. The
direct and tangible return vii
come from the production o!
power and the industrial de.
velopment which follows the ir.
rigation of land, and the pro.
duction of agricultural product:
therefrom. as well as probable
oil and allied DEVELOPMENT. In.
direct and intangible returns
are perhaps more difficult tt
properly evaluate, but the SEN
ators will realize that they
have a definite place in this
proposal.
Some of these very positive
intangibles are the elimination
of much of the silt that clog.
the lower Missouri and MiSSiS.