Total building and operation and maintenance cost as per debit 50, 452. 74 7,453. 80 2,771, 672. 15 186, 008. 74 2,957, 680.89 NEBRASKA-WYOMING, NORTH PLATTE PROJECT LOCATION AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS Counties: Sioux, Scotts Bluff, Banner, and Morrill, Nebr.; Natrona, Carbon, Converse, and Laramie, Wyo. Townships: 19 to 27 N., Rs. 48 to 67 W.; 26 to 30 N., Rs. 83 to 85 W., sixth principal meridian. Railroads: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Union Pacific; Chicago & Northwestern; Colorado & Southern. Railroad stations: Bridgeport, Bayard, Minatare, Scottsbluff, Mitchell Morrill, an Henry, Nebr.; Torrington, Vaughn, Lingle, Barnes, Fort Laramie, Whalen, Guernsey, and Caspar, Wyo. Average elevation of irrigable area: 4,100 feet above sea level. Average annual rainfall on irrigable area: 15 inches. Range of temperature on irrigable area: -25° to 104°. WATER SUPPLY Source of water supply: North Platte River. Area of drainage basin: 12,000 square miles. Annual run-off in acre-feet of North Platte River: At Pathfinder, Wyo., (12,000 square miles), 1905 to 1910-maximum, 2,420,000; minimum, 870,000; mean, 1,470,000. At Whalen, Wyo., (16,200 square miles), 1900 to 1910-maximum, 2,690,000; minimum, 985,000; mean, 1,690,000. DATA FOR COMPLETE PROJECT [Estimated for uncompleted features.] Reservoirs: Pathfinder-area, 21,774 acres; capacity, 1,025,000 acre-feet; length of spillway, 660 feet; elevation of spillway, 182 feet above stream bed. Reservoir No. 1-area, 900 acres; capacity, 14,200 acre-feet; length of spillway, 100 feet; elevation of spillway, 18 feet above stream bed. Reservoir No. 2-area, 1,005 acres; capacity, 28,000 acre-feet; length of spillway 100 feet; elevation of spillway, 51 feet above stream bed. Reservoir No. 3-area, 2,240 acres; capacity, 67,025 acre-feet; length of spillway, 100 feet; elevation of spillway, 55 feet above stream bed. Storage dams: Pathfinder-type, broken range cyclopean rubble-masonry arch; maximum height, 218 feet; length of crest, 432 feet; volume, 60,210 cubic yards. Dam No. 1-type, earth; maximum height, 28 feet; length of crest, 3,100 feet; volume, 167,000 cubic yards. Dam No. 1-type, earth; maximum height, 22 feet; length of crest, 2,250 feet; volume, 83,000 cubic yards. Dam No. 2-type, earth; maximum height, 65 feet; length of crest, 4,100 feet; volume, 700,000 cubic yards. Dam No. 3type, earth; maximum height, 65 feet; length of crest, 3,370 feet; volume, 570,000 cubic yards. Diversion dams: Whalen-type, concrete weir; maximum height, 29 feet; length of masonry, 300 feet; length of earth fill,2, 200 feet; volume, 80,740 cubic yards. Guernsey-not designed. Length of canals: 90 miles with capacities greater than 800 second-feet; 8 miles with capacities from 301 to 800 second-feet; 89 miles with capacities from 50 to 300 second-feet; 586 miles with capacities less than 50 second-feet. Tunnels: Aggregate length, 985 feet. Dikes: Aggregate length, 1,650 feet. Water power: None developed. Irrigable area (entire project): 129,270 acres (Nebraska 107,521 acres; Wyoming, 21,749 acres); North Platte Canal & Colonization Co., 17,874 acres; first lateral district, 36,760 acres; second lateral district, 34,100 acres; third lateral district, 38,000 acres; miscellaneous tracts, 2,536 acres. Present status of irrigable land: 77,628 acres entered subject to the reclamation act; 5,009 acres open to entry, 721 acres withdrawn from entry; 11,048 acres of State lands; 34,864 acres in private ownership. RESULTS TO JUNE 30, 1911 Canals: 90 miles with capacities more than 800 second-feet; 9 miles with capacities from 301 to 800 second-feet; 47 miles with capacities from 50 to 300 second-feet; 438 miles with capacities less than 50 second-feet. Tunnels: Number, 3; total length, 985 feet. Storage dams: Volume-Masonry, 60,210 cubic yards. (See also "Dikes.") Diversion dams: Volume-Masonry, 4,966 cubic yards; earth, 75,775 cubic yards. Dikes or levees for protection from overflow: Total length, 1,650 feet; volume, 136,162 cubic yards. (Including Pathfinder Dike.) Canal structures: 27, costing more than $2,000 each; 97 costing from $500 to $2,000 each; 4,054 costing less than $500 each. Bridges: Steel-11 with lengths of more than 50 feet; total length, 726 feet. Combination-11 with lengths of more than 50 feet; total length, 726 feet. Wood--2 with lengths of more than 50 feet, 78 with lengths less than 50 feet; total length, 1,816 feet. Buildings: Offices, 2; residences, 4; barns and storehouses, 5. Telephone lines: 1 mile built, 194 miles rented. Telephones in use, 33. Material excavated: Class 1, earth, 8,641,294 cubic yards; class 2, indurated material, 536,396 cubic yards; class 3, rock, 199,120 cubic yards. Riprap: 19,194 cubic yards. Paving: 15,880 square yards. Cement used: 111,822 barrels. Concrete placed: 90,794 cubic yards. AGRICULTURAL CONDITIONS INTERSTATE CANAL Area for which the service is prepared to supply water, season of 1911: 97,502 acres. Area irrigated, season of 1911: 74,302 acres. Length of irrigating season: From April 1 to September 30, 183 days. Character of soil of irrigable area: Sandy loam. Principal products: Alfalfa, cereals, corn, sugar beets, potatoes. Principal markets: Omaha, Nebr.; Kansas City and St. Joseph, Mo.; Denver, Colo.; central Wyoming. LANDS OPENED FOR IRRIGATION Dates of public notices and orders. July 29, 1907; May 29, 1908; June 16, 1908; November 12, 1908; March 3, 1909; March 27, 1909; June 2, 1909; March 12, 1910; April 4, 1910; June 6, 1910; July 2, 1910; September 10, 1910; March 7, 1911; March 24, 1911; and April 21, 1911. Location of lands opened: Ts. 22 to 26 N., Rs. 53 to 60 W., sixth principal meridian. Present status of irrigable lands opened: 53,205 acres entered subject to the reclamation act; 2,395 acres open to entry; 721 acres withdrawn from entry; 9,224 acres of State lands (including 2,179 acres of Carey Act lands); 31,994 acres in private ownership (including 12,326 acres of Carey Act lands). Limit of area of farm units; Public, 80 acres; private, 160 acres. Duty of water: 2 acre-feet per acre per annum at the farm. Charges per acre of irrigable land: Building $35; operation and maintenance $2 per annum; building $45, no charge for operation and maintenance for two years, $1.25 per annum thereafter. CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY Reconnaissance made and preliminary surveys begun in 1902. Contract with the North Platte Canal & Colonization Co. for right of way for first part of Interstate Canal, December 22, 1904. First irrigation by Reclamation Service, season of 1908. Pathfinder Dike completed May, 1911. Interstate Canal, 114 miles completed June 30, 1911. IRRIGATION PLAN The irrigation plan of the North Platte project provides for the storage of flood waters of North Platte River in a reservoir controlled by the Pathfinder Dam, about 3 miles below the junction of the North Platte and Sweetwater Rivers and 50 miles southwest of Casper, Wyo., and in smaller reservoirs along the canal lines; the diversion of water from North Platte River by a dam near Whalen, Wyo., into the Interstate Canal, supplying water for lands on the north side of the river, and into the Fort Laramie Canal, watering lands on the south side of the river; and the diversion of water from North Platte River by a dam a short distance above Guernsey, Wyo., into a canal system supplying water for lands in Goshen Park, south of the river. The features of the above irrigation plan which have been completed are: Pathfinder Dam and Dike; Whalen Diversion Dam; the first two divisions of the Interstate Canal; lateral systems of districts 1 and 2 of the Interstate Canal system. Construction is in progress upon supplementary reservoirs; the third division of the Interstate Canal, and the third lateral district. The features remaining for future construction are the Fort Laramie and Goshen Hole Canal systems. 15623-12-11 CONSTRUCTION DURING FISCAL YEAR Pathfinder Reservoir.-The damage done to the gate chambers in the sluicing tunnel of the Pathfinder Dam by the force of the water which was discharged through it during the season of 1909 was repaired by the placing of cast-iron lining, during January, February, and March, 1911. A low concrete spillway weir is being constructed in a curved form across the gap excavated in the granite rock forming the north abutment of the dam. The channel formed by this spillway discharges the flood water into the river about 600 feet below the dam. The excavation and concrete work were nearly completed in May, 1911, and the work is to be completed at the close of the present irrigation season. The south side outlet tunnel, recommended by the board of engineers who visited the dam in December, 1909, is being constructed by force account. Prior to the irrigation season of 1910, the upper half of this tunnel, 7 feet high by 14 feet in width, was excavated with the exception of a bulkhead of solid rock 21 feet thick. This bulkhead and the lower half of the tunnel were excavated during the winter of 1910-11, and the installation of the six circular cast-iron conduits which lead the water from the balanced valves into the tunnel was about half completed on March 15, 1911, at which time these conduits were bulkheaded in order to close the reservoir for storage. These conduits will be completed after the close of the present irrigation season, at which time the balanced valves and the grillage will also be installed. The construction of the Pathfinder Dike, which is described in detail in the ninth annual report, was begun in February, 1910, and completed in May, 1911. The concrete core wall and earth work were completed in October, 1910, and the paving in May, 1911. This work was done by Government forces, as authorized by the Secretary of the Interior on December 22, 1909. Interstate Canal.-Divisions 1 and 2 of the Interstate Canal, including the first 95 miles, were completed in May, 1908. Construction on the third division, known as the High Line, but in reality a continuation of the first two divisions, was started during the fall of 1910. This work is being done under small informal contracts and the structures are being built by Government forces. On June 30, 1911, 19 miles had been completed. Distributing system. The distributing system under the Interstate Canal consists of three districts. The lateral system of the first district was completed in the spring of 1908, and water was supplied to the farmers in this district during the same year. The second district was completed and water was furnished for irrigation in the spring of 1909. The excavation of the laterals in the third district, which embraces lands in the vicinity of and east of Winter Creek, was commenced in the winter of 1909-10, and is being continued by informal contracts. The structures are being built by force account. This third district includes 34 miles of canal of 500 secondfeet capacity, known as the Reservoir Supply Canal, 19 miles of canal of about 160 second-feet capacity, and 74 miles of canal of capacities of 50 second-feet and less and covers an irrigable area of about 38,000 acres, of which an area of 8,800 acres was opened for irriga tion at the beginning of the season of 1911. The construction of the high line canal and the third lateral district, so far as completed on June 30, 1911, involved the excavation of about 806,000 cubic yards of material, and the construction of 9 large structures and 341 miscellaneous small structures. Supplemental storage. In the development of the third lateral district, it is necessary to provide supplemental storage reservoirs. There are three possible reservoir sites, known as Nos. 1, 2, and 3. The capacities of these reservoirs are 14,000, 27,000, and 67,000 acre-feet, respectively. No. 1 Reservoir will feed lateral systems embracing an irrigable area of about 18,000 acres, No. 2 will supply an irrigable area of 9,000 acres, and No. 3 will feed the reservoir canal extending from Reservoir No. 3 to Red Willow Creek and covering an irrigable area of about 19,000 acres. At present, the building of Nos. 1 and 3 only is contemplated, and plans for their construction have been prepared. OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE During the season of 1910 the Pathfinder Reservoir, diversion works, the first and second divisions of the Interstate Canal, and the first and second lateral districts, including 487 miles of canals, were operated and 688 farms, aggregating 42,362 acres of land, were irrigated. In addition, water was delivered under rental contracts to the laterals of the North Platte Canal & Colonization Co. for the irrigation of more than 7,000 acres of land. The maximum diversion at the Whalen Dam into the Interstate Canal was 1,300 second-feet, and the total diversion during the season was 317,000 acre-feet. In July a system of rotation in delivery of water was instituted, which has proved generally satisfactory. Considerable difficulty was encountered in maintaining the main canal near milepost 26 in the Rawhide Loop, due to the condition of the soil. This difficulty was remedied by excavating a trench 2 feet wide and 6 to 13 feet deep under 1,000 feet of canal bank, filling it with selected material puddled into place, and widening and protecting the canal bank with a heavy coat of gravel on the water side. During the season of 1911 nearly 75,000 acres of land are being irrigated in the first, second, and third lateral districts. Water was diverted into the canals on March 28, and in June the main canal was carrying 1,300 second-feet of water. The system of rotation adopted the previous season is being continued, resulting in a more satisfactory irrigating head and greater economy in the use of water. On June 30, 1911, the Pathfinder Reservoir contained 390,000 acrefeet of water. SETTLEMENT AND IRRIGATION During the past season there has been little change on the North Platte project in the conditions of settlement. The population of the first, second, and third lateral districts is about 2,500. There has been little inquiry for irrigated or other lands, and the poor crop season of 1910 has doubtless accentuated this condition. During the year 1910, 81 farm units were filed upon. In 1910 the principal crops were alfalfa, wheat, oats, corn, and potatoes, but the yields were generally light, due to a variety of causes, including lack of rainfall, high winds, frosts, and lack of water at a critical period |