112 '/' HE JR R IG A 7 10 X A G E. 



of them and the acreage of crops which can b3 brought to maturity is 

 not measured by the flood discharge on any stream but by the July 

 flow of Piney Creek alone. Taking the combined flow of all these 

 streams it is probable that four or five times as much water runs to 

 waste in June as is beneficially used. The June discharge on Piney 

 Creek alone is about three times that of the July flow, while the de- 

 mand in June is not one-third that of the latter month. The benefits 

 to be derived from the storage of the early flood waters are therefore 

 so apparent that the construction of reservoirs is an essential requisite 

 to the further extension of the cultivated area in this section and this 

 fact is now generally recognized. 



Our trip was to determine to what extent the topography of this 

 country would permit the desire for storage being realized. Prelim- 

 inary surveys filed in the State Engineer's office had led to the belief 

 that the conditions were very favorable and the more careful surveys 

 instituted by Captain Chittenden fully confirmed this impression. 



The largest of these basins is Lake De Smet, which lies just out- 

 side the mountains. It is over three miles long and one mile wide. 

 It is at present partly filled with water but has no outlet. Its utiliza- 

 tion, therefore, will require the construction of a canal to fill it and of 

 an outlet tunnel to empty it after it is filled. The making of these 

 two improvements will permit of the impounding of 67,000 acre feet, 

 or about three times as much water as is now used in the growing of 

 cultivated crops in the entire district. 



The other lakes lie far back in the mountains at elevations rang- 

 ing from 9,000 to 11,000 feet above sea level. The highest lie almost 

 at timber line. The others in the canon of this stream are basins of 

 solid granite and bordered by dense and extensive forests of pine and 

 spruce. The ones surveyed are the largest and lowest of the series, 

 but in addition to those there are at least a score of others of smaller 

 size which could be improved if the larger ones do not afford capacity 

 to store all the waste water. These lakes lie in the channel of the 

 main stream and are connected by a series of water-falls and cascades 

 which form a landscape of such beauty as to be worthy of a visit even 

 if the lakes would serve no other purpose. The four surveyed 

 can, however, be made to store about 30,000 acre feet of water, mak- 

 ing a total combined storage in the five reservoirs of over 90,000 acre 

 feet. 



The influence of this improvement on the productiveness and 

 value of the lands in the valley below can scarcely be realized. While 

 ditches have been built to water about 40,000 acres of land the aatural 

 flow of these streams only permits of the cultivation of about 10,000 

 acres. The storage of this water would reclaim from aridity and add 

 to the productive lands of this section more than four times that now 

 in use. The following table gives the capacity and estimated cost of 

 these works: 



