THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



1059 



On the Boise River storage unit diamond drill borings at 

 the Arrowrock dam site were completed. The manufacture 

 and hauling of lumber and the erection of the camp buildings 

 were continued with satisfactory progress. The wagon road 

 around the reservoir was nearly completed as far as Cotton- 

 wood Creek. The relocation of the Bell telephone line around 

 the reservoir was continued with satisfactory progress. Good 

 progress was made in the grading of the first nine miles of 

 the railroad to the dam site, and the contract was awarded 

 for the remainder of the work. Ties, rails and track mate- 

 rials were received and hauled to the work, and the laying 

 of track was commenced. The construction of the diversion 

 works at the site of the dam was begun. Preparations for the 

 construction of the power house and movable crest at the 

 Boise diversion dam were commenced, and work on designs 

 and estimates was continued. 



Idaho, Minidoka Project (gravity unit completed; south 

 side pumping unit 94 per cent completed). At the power 

 house, power unit No. 4 was completed during the month, and 

 five power units were in operation at the end of the month. 

 There was considerably greater demand for water on the 

 pumping unit, and water was supplied to approximately 20,00(1 

 acres of land. The delivery of water throughout the month, 

 with but few exceptions, was constant on both the gravity 

 and pumping units of the project. 



Montana, Blackfeet Project (Two Medicine unit 47 per 

 cent completed). Weather conditions were favorable. An 

 average force of 77 Indian laborers and 178 Indian teams was 

 employed on the project during the month. Excavation of 

 the main canal on the Two Medicine unit between mile posts 

 26 and 27 was finished, thereby nearly completing the main 

 canal excavation. Approximately 15 miles of laterals were 

 completed on the distributing system of this unit. An opera- 

 tion force was organized and water was turned into the first 

 three miles of the canal. Preparations were continued for 

 the construction of the lower Two Medicine Lake dam. 

 Approximately 75,000 cubic yards of material were removed 

 from about three miles of the feeder canal for the Badger- 

 'Fisher unit. 



Montana, Flathead Project (Jocko division 67 per cent 

 completed; Mission division 8 per cent completed; Pablo 

 division 17.4 per cent completed; Poison division 8.6 per cent 

 completed; Post division 24 per cent completed). In Jocko 

 division a force of about 40 men, employing 40 head of 

 stock, continued excavation on the Finley Creek canal. In 

 Pablo division the excavation on the feeder canal was con- 

 tinued with the Atlantic steam shovel until the 18th, when the 

 shovel was laid up for general repairs, including a new car 

 body and new boiler. It is now 7.7 miles from Post Creek, 

 its objective point, 15.2 miles of progress having been made 

 since July 1, 1910. At the Pablo dam site the outlet culvert 

 of the controlling works was completed and progress was 

 made on the gate tower. A drop into the middle of the Pablo 

 reservoir and excavation for three other drops were com- 

 pleted. The government forces working with teams on the 

 Pablo feeder canal completed the excavation to within 1J4 

 miles of north Pablo reservoir, where it is proposed to begin 

 contract work. In Poison division 50 linear feet of Newell 

 tunnel were driven through very hard quartzite, progress 

 being impeded somewhat by the presence of water. In Post 

 division the Bucyrus steam shovel made \ l /z miles progress on 

 the Kicking Horse feeder canal, casting most of the material 

 over the bank. About three-eighths of a mile remains to be 

 excavated in order to reach Post Creek. Some wagon haul- 

 ing was done in the larger fills after passing Marsh Creek. 

 The Ninepipe dam was practically completed up to the height 

 proposed for present construction, giving a reservoir capacity 

 of about 5,000 acre-feet. Some finishing and a small amount 

 of riprapping remains to be done. Two concrete drops with 

 a capacity of 80 second-feet each on Post D canal and a 

 number of minor bridges, turnouts, etc., were built. Excava- 

 tion was completed for a drop of 400 second-feet capacity on 

 the Kicking Horse feeder canal. The precipitation up to the 

 24th of the month amounted to 3.24 inches. Water was high 

 in all streams, and about 1,000 acre-feet were stored in Nine- 

 pipe reservoir. Thirteen farmers have begun irrigation and 

 twenty-three have applied for water on 8,539 acres. The chief 

 duties of the canal rider were the installation of weirs and 

 gages and getting ready for the irrigation season. 



Montana, Fort Peck Project. A maximum of 230 Indian 

 teams and 200 Indian laborers were employed on excavation, 

 the number being reduced during the latter part of the 



month to about 100 teams and 100 men. The excavation of 

 the laterals for the B unit was continued with a Reclamation 

 ditcher, nine miles of laterals being constructed during the 

 month. The diversion dam was completed on June 10. The 

 flume over the coulee at station B-268 was completed and 

 the flume at station B-347 was 80 per cent completed. About 

 one-half of the farm turnouts for the B unit were completed. 



Montana, Huntley Project (96 per cent completed). The 

 weather throughout the month was moderately warm, with a 

 total precipitation of 3.05 inches. Only a small quantity of 

 water was used for irrigation. The crop outlook for the sea- 

 son is good. The first crop of alfalfa was cut and most of 

 it stacked. Notwithstanding the very dry spring, there was 

 an exceptionally good stand of sugar beets and small grains 

 on the project. 



Montana, Milk River Project (12 per cent completed). 

 Work under the last of the contracts for excavation of laterals 

 on the first unit under the Dodson south canal was com- 

 pleted June 22. Plans and specifications for construction work 

 on the first unit under the Dodson north canal and extension 

 of the Dodson south canal were prepared. The flow in Milk 

 River was very low the early part of the month, but begin- 

 ning on June 28 increased rapidly until the end of the month 

 about 1,500 second-feet were flowing over Dodson dam. Dur- 

 ing the early part of the month little water was delivered, but 

 beginning about the 20th requests for water were received 

 and deliveries made for irrigating grain. Water was supplied 

 to 2,000 acres of land covered by water rental contracts on 

 the first unit under the Dodson south canal. Crops under 

 irrigation were in excellent condition, and in most cases the 

 lirst crop of alfalfa was harvested. No progress was made 

 in settlement, as public notice announcing the opening of the 

 first unit of the project has not yet been issued. 



In the vicinity of Saint Alary Lakes the precipitation dur- 

 ing the month amounted to 2.6 inches and the temperature 

 ranged from 38 to 80 F. The discharge from the lake 

 ranged from 2,000 to 2,500 second-feet. Topographic surveys 

 were continued on the west side alternative location of the 

 main canal and studies of the canal and structures were car- 

 ried on. A board of engineers visited the unit on June 24 to 

 consider the advisability of changing the location of the first 

 six miles of the canal to the west side of the Saint Mary 

 River, but no report has been received. 



Montana, Sun River Project (8 per cent completed; Fort 

 Shan' unit completed). At Willow Creek dam the steam 

 shovel was under repairs until the 16th, when it was again 

 placed in operation. The use of donkey engines and cars on 

 this work was discontinued, the material being placed in the 

 dam by means of teams and dump wagons. The earthwork 

 i;i the dam is 62 per cent completed. One thousand one hun- 

 dred acre-feet of water were stored in Willow Creek reservoir 

 at the end of the month. At Sun River Canyon dam site a 

 diamond drill was in operation throughout the month. Sur- 

 veys were begun for a wagon road from Sun River Canyon 

 to Warm Springs. On the Teton unit topographic surveys of 

 irrigable lands were continued. On the Fort Shaw unit the 

 weather conditions were suitable for crops, and the indica- 

 tions were that a good yield would be forthcoming. The pre- 

 cipitation during the month amounted to 2.5 inches. Water 

 was furnished to 99 public farm units and 5 farm units in 

 j>rivate ownership. 



Montana-North Dakota, Lower Yelloivstone Project (95 

 per cent completed). Construction and repair work carried 

 on during the month consisted mainly in building necessary 

 laterals, installing turnouts and checks, repairing and placing 

 culverts, and repairing the banks of numerous laterals. Ap- 

 proximately 30 head ditches were laid out for land owners 

 who will irrigate this season ; 1,050 linear feet of laterals 

 were constructed, necessitating the removal of about 3,425 

 cubic yards of earth; and the banks of laterals were raised 

 from 8 to 12 inches for a total length of 5,600 feet, 550 cubic 

 yards of earth and gravel being required. At the end of the 

 . month requests for water had been received covering 15,422 

 acres under the first unit. No difficulty was experienced in 

 supplying all demands. Weather conditions were favorable 

 during the month, the temperature ranging from 34 to 102" 

 F., and the precipitation amounted to 2.8 inches. 



Nebraska-Wyoming, North Platte Project (Pathfinder 

 and Interstate units, taken together, 78 per cent completed). 

 Weather conditions were favorable for construction work and 

 farming operations throughout the month. Rain fell generally 

 over the entire project on the 15th and 16th, varying in depth 

 from .5 to 3 inches. The canal system was successfully 



