THE IKRIGATION AGE. 



89 



pensive to justify further investigation. From Septem- 

 ber to December a double plane table party was kept in 

 the field. A good reservoir site has been developed in 

 townships '? north, 25 and 20 cast. Topography on a 

 scale of 1,000 feet to 1 inch. 



About twenty-five miles of canal line, with topog- 

 raphy on scale of 400 feet to 1 inch lias been run from 

 this site to Umatilla Biver, and also about twenty miles 

 of main lateral, with topography on same scale. No 

 estimates have yet been made. More than half the land 

 is unpatentcd, and most of the remainder is unimproved 

 Northern Pacific grant land. 



THE MALHEUR PROJECT. 



Between the vicinity of Vale and Snake River, both 

 on the north and the south side of the Mallicur Hivrr. 

 is some 40,000 acres of best bench land. It is mostly 

 unpatentcd or road grant land and unimproved in any 

 wav. Jn addition, there are from 10,000 to 15,000 acres 



THE IIARNEY PROJECT. 



Harney Valley is -a circular basin, 'more or less ir- 

 regular, of about 700 square miles. It has an altitude 

 of about 4,200. Harney and Malheur Lakes are in 

 the lowest part of the valley and have no outlet. Much 

 of the bordering lands are tule swamps. The valley 

 slopes generally from north to south. Most of the lands 

 of the valley have been patented in one way or another, 

 and there are at present but about 100,000 acres un- 

 patented. Practically all of this has been selected by the 

 State under the Carey Act, but has not 'yet been ap- 

 proved by the Department. Silvies River enters the val- 

 ley from the north.. No measurements have been made 

 prior to this summer, and very little is known regard- 

 ing either the run-off or the precipitation in the Silvies 

 basin. It seems hardly probable that more than 50,000 

 iicres can be irrigated from it. A great deal of hay land 

 is at present dependent on the flood wafers for crops, 



A.T. AMES M'F'R. GAIVTCAL 



T1IK AMKS ro\VKK HEAD NO. 4. SHOWING HEARING. 



of bottom lands which are very productive, where not 

 alkali. The summer flow of the Malheur River and all 

 its tributaries in this region is now appropriated. Meas- 

 urements of the Malheur River by the Geological Sur- 

 vey, covering a period of about eighteen months, indi- 

 cate that there is abundant water to irrigate this land 

 if it can be held till needed. Two reservoir sites of suf- 

 ficient capacity to retain all the flood waters have been 

 developed on the Malheur River. Two have been de- 

 veloped on Bully Creek and one on Willow Creek in 

 order to estimate on covering lands found to lie above 

 the reservoir sites on the Malheur. Topography of these 

 sites has been shown on a scale of 1,000 feet to 1 inch. 

 Over fifty miles of canal line have been run and topog- 

 raphy developed on a scale of 400 feet to 1 inch. Also 

 about forty miles of preliminary lines without topog- 

 raphy. A double plane table party has been in the field 

 from May 1 to December 1. Gaging stations for con- 

 tinuing discharge measurements of streams connected 

 with this project have been established on the- Malheur 

 River at Ontario, Vale and Harper Ranch, on Bully 

 Creek at Warm Springs and on Willow Creek at reser- 

 voir site in township 14 south 41 east. 



and adjustment of water rights will unquestionably be 

 attended with many difficulties. It is thought that the 

 water from Emigrant Creek, which carries almost if 

 not as much water as Silvies Riw;r proper, may satisfy 

 these bottom lands. An excellent reservoir site has been 

 developed in Silvies Valley, some twenty miles north 

 of Harney Valley. A double plane table party has been 

 in the field from May 1 to November 10. The reservoir 

 about twelve miles long was developed on a scale of 

 1,000 feet to 1 inch. 



Most of the irrigable land in Harney Valley about 

 350 square miles has been mapped and topography 

 shown on a scale of 2,000 feet to 1 inch, with 2^/2 f ee t 

 contour intervals. 



No estimates have been made on any of the projects 

 considered. Preliminary investigations have been made 

 in Wallowa, Lake and Klamath Counties. Gaging sta- 

 tions have been established on the Wallowa River, 

 Grande Ronde River and the Owyhce River, looking to 

 future investigations. Stations are also being estab- 

 lished on Klamath River and other streams of Klamath 

 Countv. B. J. I). 



