PROGRESS ON PUMPING PROJECTS 



Unique Irrigation Works Being 

 Constructed in Middle Northwest 



BY 

 F. H. NEWELL 



Chief Engineer U. S. Reclamation Service 



A FTER a recent visit to the Dakotas 

 ** and Montana I am able to say 

 that rapid progress has been made on 

 the several pumping projects in North 

 Dakota. 



These projects contemplate taking 

 water from the Missouri River for 

 use on adjacent lands. A thorough 

 reconnaissance of the state has been 

 made in co-operation with the State 

 Engineer, Mr. A. L. Fellows, and it 

 has been found that there are very few 

 localities where any considerable area 

 of land can be irrigated in the ordinary 

 way by gravity ditches. There are 

 tracts of from 5,000 acres to 10,000 

 acres and upwards scattered along the 

 stream in the western part of the state, 

 but in each locality it will be necessary 

 to store the water at considerable ex- 

 pense, more than can be considered at 

 present, owing to the distance from 

 lines of railroad. 



A general review of the situation in 

 North Dakota indicates that develop- 

 ment though irrigation must be along' 

 lines which are somewhat unique, 

 namely, by pumping water from the 

 river instead of taking it out by grav- 

 ity. It is fortunate that throughout 

 the part of the state where pumping is 

 feasible there are considerable beds of 

 lignite, thus affording a cheap fuel. 

 Taking advantage of this the Reclama- 

 tion Service is endeavoring to make a 

 demonstration of the feasibility of pro- 

 curing water in this way. 



One of the chief difficulties encoun- 

 tered in pumping from Missouri River 

 is the fact that the stream is continu- 

 ally cutting its banks, and thus it be- 

 comes almost impossible to locate any 

 structure like a pump on the banks un- 



less enormous expense is incurred in 

 protecting it from the scour of the 

 stream. This is particularly the case 

 where the banks are somewhat low as 

 they are along the irrigable areas. The 

 engineers of the Reclamation Service 

 have, however, attempted a solution of 

 this difficulty in a very ingenious man- 

 ner. They are building the power 

 house and placing the heavy machin- 

 ery for developing power at the coal 

 mines, and are conveying the power by 

 electric conduits to pumps which are 

 located, not in substantial buildings on 

 the banks, but upon barges moored to 

 the shore. 



It is the intention during the winter 

 season to draw these barges out of the 

 river and haul them to points where 

 they will be safe from ice gorges and 

 sudden freshets. After the spring 

 floods have subsided the barges can be 

 launched and suitable connections 

 made so that the pumps will deliver 

 the water into several basins located at 

 sufficient distance from the shore to be 

 safe from encroachment by the shift- 

 ing river. 



The work on construction of settling 

 basins, power houses, and distribution 

 system is well advanced, and it is ex- 

 pected that the machinery will be put 

 to the test in the spring. The difficul- 

 ty, however, of securing labor and of 

 getting machinery is such that it is im- 

 possible to make predictions with any 

 degree of assurance. 



There is a body of land of about 

 20,000 acres which will be placed un- 

 der irrigation by gravity. This tract 

 lies in the extreme western end of 

 North Dakota between the Yellow- 

 stone and Missouri rivers. This land 



