288 MONTIILT WEATHER REVIEW. FEBRUARY, 1911
160,000 acre-feet of water is to be hpoundecl in reservoirs for use on this project. Water waa h t turned into the canals on this project during the season of 1909, and figures as to the acreage under cultivation are not yet avalable. Like the South Side Project, the original landholdings averaged about
120 acres, but the average present size of fnilns is not in excess of 80 acres. rincipal towns on the project are Jerome and Wendel , each having a opulation of between tl thousand and fifteen hundred. ach of these towns has hotels costing from $60,000 to $70,000, electric lights, water- works, and telephone service. They have railroacl con-
nection over tlie Idaho Southern Railroad with the Oregon Short Line a t Gooding, a t~hriving t.own of 1,500
eople 'ust a t the edge of the project, and the Oregon [hort J h e is now building an atlditional line of r o d through the tract extending from Bliss to Rupert. The towns of Bliss and Hagerriian, with a population of 500
each, were already established before the building of the irrigation works. The company construct.ing this project has a corn letely equipped agricultural department in charge o P experts whose business it is to study the local conditions and advise tlie fnrniers as to the best methods to be used in the cultivation of cro s. Obser- vations as to weather conditions a.re also tagen in con- nection with this department.
The
E P
SALMON RIVER PROJECT.
The main feature of this project is the great Salnion River Dam, a concrete masonry structure rising to a
height of 220 feet above the rock fouiidrttion upon whicli it stands. Ita upstream face is curved in plan to R ra.dius of 225 feet, thus forming a horizontal arch with abut- ments in the solid rock sides of the canyon. It is so
constructed that an aniple factor of safety is obtained. The site is partic.darly adapted to this type of clam. A dike of especially hard lava crosses tlie canyon a t this point. The Salmon Falls River, from wliich the water
IS taken, flows through a bos canyon with lava sides. Above the dam there IS a widening o f this canyon so tlirtt the reservoir will have a superficitd area of 3,500 acres when the water level in it is a t the mrt-simuni flow linc. The outlet from the reservoir is a concrete-lined tunnel having a sectiona.1 area of 110 square feet and n cnpncity of 1,250 cubic feet per second. The mouth of the tminel is so located that 1S0,OOO acre-feet of the waters ini- pounded in the reservoir can be utilized when the reser- voiris flled. The outlet tunnel turns immediately beyond the portal and extends approximately 1,300 feet parallel with the canyon. Beyond tlis tunnel is 2,243 feet of open canal that terminates in the second tunnel 2,258 feet long.
Tlie main canal lias a camcity of 1,350 cubic feet per
acres of this jr0jec.t. Seventsy per cent of the dam at Water WRS furnished for the use of settlers during tlie mst season. Eighty
settlers. This iiiost interesting work lias been in charge of F. C. Horn, constructing engineer, and A. J. Wiley, consulting engineer, both of whoin have heretofore been employed in similar capacities by the United States Reclamation Service.
second. The canals alreac I y conutructed cover 100,000
this time is a f ready constructed.
tliousand acres of tlie land have a. I ready been taken by
TWIN FALLS OARLEY PROJECT.
The const.ruct,ion of this project calls for the building of a clam across Goose Creek at a point about 3 miles above the town of Oakley. There is an unusually fine body of land in this locality, and the building of irrigation works to cover this tract has been under consideration by various persons at different times for the last 30 ycnrs. The clam now under construction is of the earth type with a concrete core wall. Its tot,al length along the top is a little over 1,100 feet. The da.m litis n total height at the highest point of 149 feet, being the highest daiii of t,liis type in this country. The canals in connection with this work mill cover an area of 60,000 acres. With tlie esception of probably 5,000 acres, the land is already taken. The plans for this project call for one of the most effective and up-to-date irrigation plants yet constructed in tlie State. Tlie worlrs are particularly designed to procure a high duty of water. The general character of the soil on all of the projects nanieil above is what is common1 known as volcanic nsh,
for alfalfa which when planted acts as a fertdizer and atlds the necessary humus. The water right on tliese projects to which tlie settler is entitled varies from one-hundred th to one-eightieth of a second-foot per acre, but this is a masimum only, the sett.ler being entitIec1 to so much water only as his crops require under a rotation system. An economical and efficient use of water is provided for. The duty of water varies with tlie nature of tlie crop and the c.liaracter of the. soil. An escellent crop of oats has been raised with one irrigat-ion, but in a iiinjority of years probably two irrigations would be required for grain crops. Alfalfa ancl other grass crops require more mater. On most of the area included in these irojects tliree crops of alfalfa are annually obtained. Tke Oakley Project lias been found specially valuable for sugar beets. All of the tracts are suitable for general farming. rojects are notable for speedy construction,
a pa.rtkmlnrly fert,ile and vduab f e soil especially suitable
These rapid sett P enient, and quick and efficient reclamation. .