The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1957-03-22
Continued from Page One)


err" he said.
BY building upstream storage
and power dams it is possible Gas
in the case of Hungry Horse) to
hold back part of the Columbia's
heavy run-off during the summer
months-for release from October
through March, thus helping to al
leviate flooding downstream during
those summer months, and to
'firm-up" power production not
only upstream but at downstream
dams throughout the year.
The Importance of developing ev-
cry available good dam site along the
Columbia and its tributaries to the
fullest extent, Norwood emphasized,
rests in the fact the Columbia. unlike
the Missouri, Colorado and other ma
jor rivers, lacks good dam and stor-
age reservoir sites. Whereas, Boulder
Dam, if empty, could hold all the run
off of the Colorado over two-year
period, and dams such as Fort Peck,
Garrison and Oahe, along with others
to be built across the Missouri, can
hold back five years run-off of that
stream, in the case of the Columbia
engineers figure they'll be lucky if
they can develop enough storage to
hold up Is per cent of the annual
run-off.
To further emphasize, the speaker
pointed out that the Columbia has
a run-off nine times as great as the
Colorado, and five times that of the
Missouri, yet, in all of the Columbia
Basin there is feasible storage capac-
ity, constructed and potential, of less
than 80 million acre feet. Compare
this with Boulder's 27.5 million: Fort
Peck's 10 million, or the % million
acre feet each of Garrison and Oahe.
Paradise, developed with its A.
OS0,OOO acre feet of disable storage,
would constitute 16 per cent of all
storage in the Columbia Basin, and
would be second only to the pro-
posed Nez Perez Dam with 4,sOO,-
900 acre feet of useable storage.
This important storage factor, in
addition to Paradise's potential l.
008,O00 kilowatts of power produc-
ton, lie behind the Corps of Army
Engineers recent decision to "dust |
off" the Paradise project for re-
as an important link in
Harvesting the water resources of the
Columbia.
HORSE, AN EXAMPLE
Celebrating on the Importance of
upstream storage for stream regula-
ton as we'll as increased power pro-
duction throughout the region, Nor
wood cited the example of Hungry
Horse. Hungry Horse, he said, skins
off three million acre feet of run-off
during the spring and summer
months when it is definitely not
needed downstream. Then, as the
-un-off from the basin slackens with
The approach of the winter months,
Hungry Horse storage is gradually
released.
In the first instance it helps to re-
luce flood problems downstream. In
he second, because of indignation of
of power throughout the ;
basin, Hungry Horse, instead of pro-
lucing only its installed capacity of
285,0O0 XIV of firm power, actually
brings about the production of 1885,
700 XIV of firm power. Once all po-
,ential downstream projects
public and private-are completed,
he total firm power production
brought about by construction of
Hungry Horse will amount to LIS
million XIV.
I'm connection with Hungry Horse +
power, Norwood stated that the act =
that dam contains a res >
.rvation of so per cent of it's power +
production for use in Montana. A y
inilar reservation, he said, must and r
will be written into the Paradise Dam r
ill which is currently being drafted y
n Washington, D. CO. e
Paradise, in light of what Hungry y
Horse has done to increase power =,
PRODUCTION and flood control in the h
asin, would have even greater i'm h
because of it's greater u.s. !;
BILE storage thus fostering even ',
reater regulation-hydralic integra- ~