A STEP FORWARD IN NATIONAL 



IRRIGATION. 



FIVE PROJECTS APPROVED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE 

 INTERIOR EFFORTS OF RECLAMATION SURVEY WILL 

 BE CONCENTRATED ON THESE OTHER IRRIGATION 

 VENTURES BEING WORKED UP IN ALL THE STATES AND 

 TERRITORIES AFFECTED BY THE IRRIGATION LAW 7 . 



ON March 14, Secretary Hitchcock, 

 of the Department of the Interior, 

 on the recommendation of the Director 

 of the Geological Survey, granted au- 

 thority for the acquisition of necessary 

 property and rights of way preliminary 

 to the construction of irrigation works 

 in five localities under authority of the 

 reclamation act approved June 17, 1902. 

 The construction remains subject to the 

 feasibility of obtaining the necessary 

 rights and the adjustment of private 

 :laims in such a manner as to comply 

 with the provisions of the act. The five 

 projects referred to are as follows: 



Wyoming Sweetwater dam. 



Montana Milk River project. 



Colorado Gunnison tunnel. 



Nevada Truckee project. 



Arizona Salt River reservoir. 



These projects are estimated to cost 

 $7,000,000, and will provide for the irri- 

 gation of 600,000 acres of arid land; and 

 in addition thereto the Gray Bull reser- 

 voir project in Wyoming is to be taken 

 up immediately. 



The authority granted relates to the 

 projects upon which examinations have 

 Deen made in sufficient detail to justify 

 estimates and cost of results. Several 

 Dthers in other states are well advanced 

 is regards investigation, and it is ex- 

 pected that further recommendations 

 :an be made after the close of the com- 

 ing field season. The efforts of the Rec- 

 lamation Survey will be concentrated 

 3n the above five projects as far as can 

 DC done without detriment to examina- 

 :ions of other proposed irrigation works. 



The Secretary has also authorized the 

 expenditure during the present calendar 

 y^ear of $450,000 upon surveys, borings 

 :or foundations, and other examinations, 

 which will be carried on in all of the 

 states and territories included w T ithin the 

 provisions of the national irrigation law. 



THE SWEETWATER DAM. 



This project provides for the building 

 of a dam on the Sweetwater River at a 

 place kno\vn as Devil's Gap, which is 

 about 60 miles west of the town of 

 Casper, at the terminus of the Fremont, 

 Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad. 

 The Sweetwater River receives the 

 drainage of the central portion of Wyo- 

 ming, and the waters stored in this 

 reservoir would be of great value in the 

 development of the lands of the North 

 Platte region. The accompanying il- 

 lustration shows the pass in the moun- 

 tains where the dam is to be constructed. 



The site of the proposed dam was 

 first examined by Capt. Hiram M. 

 Chittenden, w r ho reported favorably on 

 it. When it was found that the reser- 

 voir capacity was sufficient, river meas- 

 urements were begun and the questions 

 of water supply and the cost of a dam 

 are now under consideration. A care- 

 ful examination of the entire region in- 

 cluded in the project was begun last 

 summer under the direction of W. W. 

 Schlecht. The work will be pushed as 

 rapidly as possible, and it is hoped to 

 have a complete report on the site at an 

 early date. 



THE MILK RIVER PROJECT. 



One of the most interesting of the 

 projects sanctioned by the Secretary of 

 the Interior is that of the Milk River 

 scheme in northern Montana. 



This provides for the building of a 

 dam at the outlet of St. Mary's Lake 

 to hold back the flood waters. The 

 water will then be conducted by a canal 

 (shown in the accompanying illustra- 

 tion) across the gravel ridges which 

 divide the eastern and western drainage 

 basins to the south fork of Milk River. 

 From here the river goes into Canada 



(179) 



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