The people's voice., 1958-06-06

Montanans in Congress have pre-
liminary report from Army Engineers
on a review of flood control projects
in the Clark Fork Basin.
In a letter to Senator Murray
Brigadier General J. L. Person, as
sistant chief of engineers for Civil
Works, presented two alternative de-
velopment plans. One consists OF
Knowles, Ninemile Prairie and Quartz
Greek Dams and Improvements of the
Flathead Lake Outlet. The other con-
sists of Paradise and the Flathead
Lake Outlet improvement.
The Flathead Lake Outlet improve
ment would alter the outlet to i'm
prove the effectiveness of the lake
for flood control by making possible
faster release of stored water. 1t
would not change the operating level
of the lake from the present 10-foot
drawdown. Most recent cost estimate
of the work is $6.9 million.
Knowles would be a 265-foot high
dam, 2,100 feet long about 2.7 miles
above the mouth of the Flathead and
would back up water over 45,600
acres to the foot of Kerr Dam. 1t
would have an ultimate capacity of
$4,000 kilowatts of hydroelectric
power. Most recent cost estimate is
1926 million.
Ninemile Prairie, % miles above
the mouth of the Blackfoot, would
be 302 feet high and 1,700 feet
long. 1t woud back UP a reservoir
of 11,450 acres and would reduce
flood crests at Missoula 80 to 500
according to Army Engineers. It's
generators would produce 10000 kilo-
watts of power. The project would
cost an estimated $53 million.
Ninemile Prairie's storage would
make Quartz Greek feasible. Quartz
Greek would be run-of-the-river hy-
droelectric power project, costing an
estimated $50 million, near where
Quartz Greek flows into the Clark
Fork about IA miles above Superior.
It's ultimate installed capacity would
be $4,000 kilowatts.
Paradise would rise 270 feet high
about four miles below the confluence
of the Flathead and the Clark Fork.
1t would be $3.50 feet long, cover
66,132 acres, have an ultimate in
stalled generating capacity of 1,008,-
900 kilowatts. The most recent esti-
mate of the cost of Paradise is $481
million.
General Person explained that Nine
mile and Quartz Greek projects were
not included in the second plan Hbe-
cause of their questionable economics
with the degree of control afforded
by Paradise.
projects at Superior, Quinn
Springs and Eddy (between Thomp- !
son Falls and Paradise) have also
been omitted because of questionable
economics in either case", he con-
tinued.
"The first plan has a total of A.
10000 acres feet of usable storage
and the second plan has 4,770,000 |
acre feet of usable storage, assuming
each plan to be part of a system which
would control the 1894 flood to a
maximum flow of about 100000 cubic !
feet per second at The Dalles".
Person emphasized that this is
report, that "studies are
not complete and the final figures
in the review report may differ some
what from these preliminary esti-
mates" Congress told the Engineers
to review their master plan for con-
troll of the Columbia River after
significant loss of flood control stor-
age, including Hells Canyon, from
he original plan. The review is ex-
1ected to be finished within a few
months.
<EEP OFF THE GRASS {
Sign on a new lawn at the National /,
Institutes of Health: "Your Feet Are
Killing Me-.
FOREST ACCESS ROADS {
The Montana congressional dele v
alton have the assurance of Agricul-
ure Secretary Benson that work is S
4 i L II l.