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TOTAL AMOUNT OF WATER TO BE RECOVERED.

The entire pumping plant is designed to recover an average of 100 second-feet of ground water for a period of one hundred and fifty days, which is equivalent to a total of 30,000 acre-feet for the irrigation season. The amount of ground water available for this purpose

is estimated as follows:

Actual determinations of the rate of flow of the underground waters at this point show an average velocity of 8 feet per twenty-four hours. The total amount of water that passes a cross section 24,000 feet in length and 100 feet deep in these water-bearing gravels will average 6,400,000 cubic feet per twenty-four hours. If we allow for a porosity of onethird in the water-bearing gravels, this is equivalent under normal conditions to a continuous flow of 74 second-feet, or 54,000 acre-feet in a year. It is contemplated, therefore, to utilize a little more than one-half of the ground water that annually passes the cross section intercepted by the proposed line of wells.

The margin of safety provided for above is deemed to be large. In the first place the lowering of the water 10 feet in each of the wells will more than double the natural velocity of the ground waters toward the proposed line of wells; in the second place, in case of a season of light rainfall the amount of storage water which will be drawn upon by the pumping plants will not be excessive, as the 30,000 acre-feet of water whose withdrawal is proposed is equivalent to the average annual contribution of the rainfall to the ground waters on 1.3 townships of these bottom lands. Measurements on these lands during 1904 showed that 60 per cent of the precipitation during moderate rains actually reached the water plane, leaving only 40 per cent to supply the loss and evaporations from the surface. Since the annual rainfall approximates 20 inches, it is contemplated that the normal level of ground water in the contributary area will not be lowered more than 5 feet at the close of an irrigation season. In a dry year an average lowering of the ground water 3 feet for a distance of 5 miles each side of the line of wells would furnish all of the water removed in a season, even if the rainfall and the motion of the underground waters did not furnish a renewed supply.

The bottom lands of the river at this point are very wide and constitute an excellent catchment area for rainfall, and the gravels beneath the bottom lands form an underground drainage for a tributary watershed extending both north and south of the river valley. As has been shown in the writer's report on The Underflow of the Arkansas Valley,a there is practically no surface run-off from this portion of the plains. Most of the rainfall occurs during the summer months, and the ground being level and porous, the ample gravels beneath the surface act like tile drains in removing all of the rainfall that is not taken by vegetation and evaporation.

The location selected for the proposed pumping plant is well adapted to catch and conserve a considerable portion of the annual rainfall. This is especially true of the land south of Arkansas River. At this place large areas of flat land lie between the steeper sand hills, which catch the rainfall and naturally drain it toward the region from which it will be drawn by the pumping plant. This fact is well illustrated by the topographic map of the Lakin quadrangle, which shows that the sand hills at the head of the line representing the line of wells form an unusually favorable catchment area.

CENTRAL POWER STATION.

The central power station is designed to develop 600 brake horsepower from gas engines using producer gas as fuel or from steam engines using Kansas crude oil or Colorado bituminous coal as fuel. Colorado lignite suitable for producer gas can be laid down at the proposed location for less than $3.50 per ton. It is proposed to erect a gas-producer plant in two or three units, as it is probable that two units would run the plant for a considerable portion of the time. It is planned to divide the engines into three units of 200 horsepower each, directly connected to electrical generators.

a Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 153, U. S. Geol. Survey.

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The following table gives the lift required at each station and the power required to run the plant.

Lift at various pumping stations and power required.

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An analysis of Colorado lignite believed to be suitable for producer fuel is given herewith:

Analysis of lignite from mine of Curtis Coal Mining Company, Colorado Springs, Colo. [Analysis made at fuel laboratory, University of Wisconsin, February 10, 1905.]

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The ash is free from slag. After combustion it is left in a fine powder similar to hardwood ashes.

The British thermal units in two determinations amounted to 11,700 in the first and 12,000 in the second per pound of dry sample.

INVERTED SIPHON.

A portion of the water recovered must be carried under Arkansas River by means, it is proposed, of a 42-inch stave pipe held in place beneath the bed of the river by 40-foot piling. This conduit is provided with north and south penstock approaches of concrete. The total length of the siphon is 800 feet, and its capacity, under the proposed head of 5 feet in 800, is 100 cubic feet of water per second.

CONCRETE CONDUIT.

The topography of the land near the proposed plant is such that the conduit to receive the water from the various pumping plants can be constructed with very little grading or excavation. At the point where the conduit discharges into the Farmers' ditch it will have a maximum capacity of 120 second-feet. It is proposed to construct the conduit of trapezoidal cross section and line it with 4 inches of concrete. Three of the pumping plants will discharge directly into the Farmers' ditch, so that the total maximum capacity of the entire plant will be about 135 second-feet. The Farmers' ditch has been in use for several years, and its bottom has been so thoroughly puddled with mud from the river that it is not necessary to line it in order to avoid excessive loss of water by seepage. The conduit will decrease in size gradually toward the end of the line, so as to reduce the total cost. South of station 16 the grade permits the conduit to be placed beneath the surface, and its design is accordingly changed to a rectangular section.

CONCRETE.

Concrete for all purposes will be made from sand and gravel found in the vicinity of the conduit line on the south side of the river. The voids in the natural gravels run as low as 20 per cent, so that the amount of cement required for good concrete will be low. Cement for concrete can be put down at Deerfield at a low price. The current quotation for Iola cement, best quality, satisfying the Government specifications, is $1.57 per barrel.

PUMP HOUSES.

The motor and centrifugal pump will be housed in a suitable structure built over the central rectangular pit of each pumping station. The construction contemplated is of concrete reenforced with steel rods.

On account of occasional flooding of the lands on which the pumping stations are located a vertical type of pump and motor is required for the proper protection of the motor. The motor will either be supported by a cast-iron frame connected to the pump, so that pump and motor will stand on the same base, or will be suspended in steel channels.

A 7-inch I beam, extending just below the roof line, will serve as an overhead rail to carry the trolley of differential chain hoist, by means of which the pump or motor can readily be removed from the building.

On account of the large amount of sand and dust carried by the wind in a semiarid country it becomes especially important to protect all machinery with the greatest care. For this reason the pump house is designed to be built so that it can be kept tight, the necessary ventilation being provided by two round windows placed at a considerable distance from the ground, and provided with gauze screens and louver boarding.

The estimate of cost includes 4-ply tar or paroid covering on flat roof and removable sectional floor of 2-inch yellow pine.

LAND RECLAIMED.

The Farmers' ditch covers portions of the uplands and second bottoms of excellent and proved quality. At least 15,000 and possibly 20,000 acres of land can be reached from the present canal. The canal and laterals are in good condition and are worth about $40,000. The water to be recovered by the pumping plant is designed to irrigate the 8,600 acres of land entitled to water under the existing ditch. The semiarid region of western Kansas requires but a small amount of water per acre of irrigated land, as the natural rainfall and the quality of the upland soils render possible a high duty of water. If more water is available than is counted upon above, there is ample acreage that can be included in the project at a later date.

COST PER ACRE RECLAIMED.

According to the detailed estimates the cost of the proposed project will be about $30 per acre of land reclaimed, and the running expense of the plant need not exceed 77 cents for each acre-foot of water delivered. The estimated cost of the project is based upon the use of a producer-gas plant and gas engines for prime movers, and a distributing system consisting of direct-current generators and motors. The estimated cost for steam engines and alternating-current machinery would be less than the amount included in the estimate given herewith. It will be observed from the detailed statement of operating expense that the annual expense has been divided into two portions-first, fixed charges, including depreciation, maintenance, and repairs, which must be met irrespective of the quantity of water pumped; second, operating expenses, such as labor, coal, supplies, and cost of distribution, which will depend primarily upon the amount of water pumped. It is proposed to charge cach of these classes to the land reclaimed as separate items. The first will be a fixed charge of approximately 75 cents for each acre of land under the project, whether the owner uses water or not. The second charge will be for distributed water, the cost of which, based upon a total of 25,000 acre-feet delivered to the users, will be 77 cents per acre-foot. This charge will be in proportion to the amount of water used.

The lands to be reclaimed are known to be excellent for the growing of sugar beets, and considerable quantities are grown at the present time and shipped to Colorado factories. This crop will probably become one of the staples grown on the reclaimed land. A market and knowledge of the requirements already exist in the community, and will not have to be developed by experience. A sugar factory will be completed at Garden City before the autumn of 1906. One or two irrigations at the right time assure a crop of wheat, and the estimated cost of water will by no means render such a crop unremunerative.

PRESENT STATUS OF PROJECT.

Preliminary plans and estimates for the Garden City project were submitted to a project board, consisting of A. P. Davis, H. A. Storrs, and Charles S. Slichter, which met at Denver on March 24, 1905. This board recommended that the surveys and investigations be continued and that alternative estimates of several possible designs and limiting sizes bẹ prepared for future consideration. These further plans and estimates were considered by a project board on September 5, 1905, at Garden City, Kans. The board consisted of Morris Bien, W. H. Sanders, O. H. Ensign, H. A. Storrs, and Charles S. Slichter. This board recommended, first, that the project be constructed as soon as the water users' association had been organized in satisfactory form and practically the entire area of the land under the project had been subscribed to the water users' association; second, that the preparation of plans and specifications for construction be undertaken at once, so that there should be no delay in beginning construction after the organization of the water users' association had proceeded to the proper stage. Under date of October 5, 1905, the Secretary of the Interior approved the project and ordered its construction as soon as practicable after the complete subscription in the usual manner of all the lands to be benefited in order to insure the return of the fund, in accordance with the reclamation act.

OPERATIONS IN MONTANA.

By H. N. SAVAGE.

MILK RIVER PROJECT.a

GENERAL FEATURES.

The location and extent of the Milk River project were described in the First Annual Report of the Reclamation Service, pages 203 to 214; in the Second Annual Report, pages 332 to 350, and in the Third Annual Report, second edition, pages 291 to 307. A general map of the project was published in the Third Annual Report, second edition, as Pl. XXVIII. In northern Montana and southern Alberta are two rivers, Milk and St. Mary rivers, that are international in character, their drainage basins being partly in the United States and partly in Canda. Canals have been diverting water from each river for several years past, and certain vested water rights have thus been acquired.

St. Mary River rises on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains in Montana and flows northward into Canada, where it empties into Saskatchewan River, its waters being eventually lost in Hudson Bay. Milk River has its source in the United States, in the rolling country lying immediately east of the St. Mary basin. Its two forks, North and South forks, flow northward into Canada, where they unite, thence continuing as Milk River proper in an easterly direction for about 100 miles, and then reentering the United States. Milk River finally empties into the Missouri.

The valley of lower Milk River ranges in elevation from 2,100 to 2,500 feet, and is well adapted to irrigation if the water supply were sufficient. Milk River is deficient in this particular, and the Reclamation Service proposes to reinforce it with an additional supply from St. Mary River.

Plans are now maturing in both countries for larger irrigation works, whereby ultimately the water supply of both rivers will be utilized, and it will probably be necessary for the United States and Canada to make an agreement relative to a division of the waters of both streams.

The general scheme of the Reclamation Service is divided into two parts: (1) Storage of the flood waters of St. Mary River and their diversion into the headwaters of Milk River; and (2) the utilization of this water on the irrigable lands of lower Milk River in Montana. The investigation has brought out three methods of utilizing the waters of St. Mary basin: (1) By diverting St. Mary River to North Fork of Milk River and allowing it to run through Canada to lower Milk River Valley in Montana. (2) By utilizing the waters on the eastern section of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and on the lands immediately adjacent to the east. (3) By carrying the St. Mary water across both the North and South forks of Milk River to Cutbank drainage, allowing it to flow down this and Marias River, 100 miles or more, then taking it out of the Marias by a canal to Big Sandy Creek, a tributary of Milk River.

The most feasible project is the one first mentioned. The second scheme can also be carried out. The third method has been considered in previous reports as a possible connecting link between the St. Mary basin and lower Milk River, but from the detailed inves

a From report by Cyrus C. Babb,

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