Hungry Horse news., 1952-12-19
Diversion Would Utilize Snow Water

Next project to turn snow Wat-
ers of the continental divide into
a local cash resource is likely to
be diversion of the Flathead rivers
Middle Fork through an eight
mile tunnel into Hungry Horse res
ervoir.
These past months, for the first
time, the Flathead has seen first
hand, the benefits that come of
holding back big floods of spring.
The Flathead's South Fork can
flow at $4,000 cubic feet per Sec
ond in May, and then 300 cubic
feet per second in November.
Power generation at Hungry
Horse started Oct. l. In December
two generators were producing
100000 kilowatts, six times the
power requirements of this coun-
ty. Balance was exported to the
Pacific Northwest Gin brownout"
for lack of electricity.
WASTE TO BENEFITS
Water to make power in the
Flathead previously flowed down.
stream in the late spring into al
ready full reservoirs. AS result
it went over spillways, unused to-
the sea, just adding to the flood
threat.
1852 saw Hungry Horse hold
back water for the first time. In
the fall power production started.
The dry fall made this resource
even more valuable. In early Dec
ember, water turning turbines at
Hungry Horse, flowed down.
stream to account for 4,300 of the
1000 second feet at Kerr dam.
This feature makes the Flat
head dam near the continental
divide practical. Water it holds
back is used and reused en-
route to the sea. In terms of pow
er it amounts to 100000 kilowatts
of additional system firm power
(power available 365 days Year,
to the Northwest power pool.
Downstream use of waters stor-
ed here makes Hungry Horse prac-
tical.
Hence the plan to divert the
Middle Fork of the Flathead into
Hungry Horse reservoir is not a
"plan to bail out Hungry Horse
project" Instead it is more utill-
zation of the snow water resource.
GLACIER VIEW, DEAD
Most discussed new dam for the
Flathead has been Glacier View,
% miles north of Columbia Falls.
This projects reservoir of 10000
acres would include 10000 acres
in Glacier national park. Hence 1t
is bitterly contested by conserva-
tionists, garden clubs and persons
opposed to infringement OF ma
tional parks.
There is nothing to indicate that
Glacier View dam construction is
near authorization or construction
at this time.
The Flathead rivers Middle
Fork is the south boundary OF
Glacier, but the most feasible dams
for diverting a part of the river
do not border the park. There is
no known opposition to dlvertlng
a part of the flow.
Most feasible of the four dam
sites is at Spruce Park about five
miles above Bear creek, and near
Java just below the mouth OF Bear
creek. Information was obtained
from the Bureau of Reclamation
whose force has done preliminary
survey work and planning.
SPRUCE PARK DAM
Spruce Park dam would be an
earth fill $50 feet high, and would
store 100000 acre feet. A 3o,ooo
foot long tunnel diverting at ell
ovation 4100 feet above sea Level
would come out at a $50 foot pow
er drop on the north bank OF Dev-
IFS Corkscrew creek into Hungry
Horse reservoir. This power plant
would produce $4,000 to 15,OOU
kilowatts of firm power. In addl-
ton stream flow in the lower
Middle Fork would be maintained
for fishing purposes, and essenti-
ally the dam would hold back
food waters.
The Java site would be at ele-
vation 5000 feet. An earth dam
$40 feet high would store 350,000