OVERFLOW OF EED RIVER OF THE NORTH. 77 



RESERVOIRS. 



A study of the map of the valley and the profile of the river makes 

 it apparent that the employment of reservoirs is not feasible along 

 any part of Red River Channel and that this method of improvement 

 may at once be eliminated. The flat, almost level topography ex- 

 tending from 10 to 30 miles back from the channel on both sides 

 along its entire length offers no opportunity for the creation of a 

 storage or detention basin at any point. To secure sufficient storage 

 to affect flood stages appreciably it would be necessary during wet 

 periods to inundate great areas of the most fertile land in the valley 

 as well as farm homes and urban districts. This fact alone, without 

 consideration of the practicability and expense of dams and other 

 features necessary, precludes the pursuance of this plan in connec- 

 tion with the Red River proper. 



On some streams it is possible to control floods by the use of reser- 

 voirs on tributary streams. The possibility of so controlling the 

 floods on the Red River of the North was investigated. It 

 was found possible completely to control the run-off from the Lake 

 Traverse watershed of 1,335 square miles and from the Red Lake 

 watershed of 1,950 square miles. The Otter Tail River above 

 Fergus Falls, Minn., is now quite closely controlled by storage in 

 natural lakes which act as reservoirs, and as the demand for power 

 increases the run-off from this stream will no doubt be more closely 

 controlled than it now is by the power companies. 



The possibility of constructing storage reservoirs on other tribu- 

 taries was investigated. It would no doubt be possible to construct 

 reservoirs on some of the streams and completely control the floods 

 on the watershed above the reservoirs, but the benefit from such con- 

 trol at this time was not found to be sufficient to warrant the expense. 

 On the Sheyenne River, for instance, there are several locations where 

 it appeared that dams might be constructed that would impound the 

 run-off from the watershed above. Because of the light precipita- 

 tion on the Sheyenne watershed the amount of run-off is seldom large 

 when compared with that of the Red, and the effect on flood stages 

 in the Red from cutting off the flood discharge from the Sheyenne 

 would apparently be relatively small. The data in regard to run- 

 off from the Sheyenne are meager and more are necessary to deter- 

 mine with some certainty the probable run-off. On other streams 

 which have relatively high run-off from small watersheds, such as 

 the Buffalo River, Wild Rice River, Snake River, and Two Rivers in 

 Minnesota, no sites suitable for reservoirs which would impound a 

 large quantity of water at a small cost were found. On the tribu- 

 taries of the Red, coming in from the North Dakota side, somewhat 

 similar conditions exist and in addition the rainfall is considerably 



