OVERFLOW OF RED 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 
