| Show Federal Plan to Tame Missouri River After War Will Benefit 1 11 1 Million MilIon People Living in Its Basin Darns Dams Curb Erosion Provide Irrigation Electric Service By V WALTER ALTER SHEAD Washington Correspondent Harnessing the nations nation's second second second sec sec- ond mightiest river J the turbulent turbulent turbulent lent muddy Missouri which annually roars its flood crests along its twisting course for 2460 miles through seven states will become one of the major postwar projects More than 11 million people live in this great basin of a half billion acres comprising sixth one-sixth of the area of the United States For more than 30 years feeble attempts attempts attempts at at- tempts have been made to shackle the destructive power of the Mis Mis- Millions of dollars have been expended in levees and dams in attempts attempts attempts at at- tempts to prevent the costly floods which annually destroy vast sums in crops and property Damage of the 1943 1043 floods alone was placed at Army engineers and the bureau of reclamation of the interior department department department depart depart- ment have been for some time at purposes cross-purposes in the development of Df a comprehensive plan The army approached the job from the standpoint standpoint stand stand- point of navigation and flood con con- The reclamation engineers I were interested also in irrigation erosion control and power projects On November 27 1944 a reconciliation reconciliation recon recon- report was filed in which the two agencies were in complete accord and the congress in its flood control bill accepted the entire program program pro pro- I gram and also authorized pro pro-I each ch to the army and the S. S S S S S S 3 5 L tt I TOO MUCH WATER WATER The The rampaging rampaging rampaging ram ram- paging Missouri river is eroding millions of tons of good soil away every year Here the flood waters carved car into the bank washing out outa a road and lea leaving ing a pillar of earth to to indicate the earlier line bureau of reclamation to get the program underway President Roosevelt signed the bi bill billon billon on December 23 but put a hiatus in the proceedings by recommending recommend recommend- ing the creation of a Missouri Valley Valley Val Val- ley Icy authority to handle the project and asserting th that t his approval of the bill was with the distinct understanding understanding understanding under under- standing that it would in no way jeopardize the creation of such an agency He appealed for early consideration consideration consideration con con- of the new authority by bythe bythe bythe the congress The President further asserted I uI consider the projects authorized by the bill to be primarily for postwar postwar postwar post post- war construction Only Print Blue-Print Now Hence the project ct is now merely in the print blue-print stage and it is possible possible possible pos pos- sible that a fight may develop in the new congress over whether there shall be divided responsibility as to the army and the reclamation bureau or whether a new Missouri valley authority shall shaH be created Proponents of single regional control control control con con- point to the Tennessee Valley authority and its successful operation operation operation opera opera- tion as a yardstick for future federal federal federal fed fed- eral policy in developing and controlling controlling controlling con con- trolling all the nations nation's waterways However there are powerful interests interests inter inter- ests which oppose the creation of I these regional authorities such as I Ithe the power utility interests the railroads railroads rail rail- roads the national rivers and harbors harbors harbors har har- bors congress the Mississippi Valley Valley Valley Val Val- I ley association and even divided public opinion along the waterway The rule of thumb for instance of the TV TVA A is that regional authority will produce the largest possible benefits at the least possible costs and each task must be carried out in such a way as to contribute to the total result to salvage every r 41 N I c v t I if ONE OF MANY dams and reservoirs already constructed in the Missouri Valley basin is the Gibson darn dam on the Sun river in Montana The top of the great wall is about feet above the river bed Eighty Eighty- nine more such projects are arc planned possible benefit and the ultimate goal should be the greatest procurable procura procura- ble economic returns and human benefits for the entire region Ar Arguments ments on Rule Even agricultural cultural interests are divided divided divided di di- vided on the pros and cons of regional regional regional re re- re- re gional authorities as opposed to operation operation operation op op- op- op by established federal agen agen- cies For instance in agricultural sections where there is plentiful rainfall along the lower Missouri and water resources are adequate opposition is voiced as subsidized competition by the extension of ir ir- ir Public opinion is joined in industrial areas with the railroads in opposing the development of new competing waterways One basic objection to operation by the reclamation bureau has come from large land owners and ranchers of the west and north north- west Under the law governing the bureau of reclamation this agency cannot propose irrigation for more than acres of land for any anyone one person Another objection is that all aU reclamation projects must be self-liquidating self over a period of approximately approximately approximately ap ap- ap- ap proximately 40 years In contrast the statutes governing TV TVA A give 60 years or more for liquidation and anda a regional authority likely would not be hamstrung by the limitation of acreage proviso In a recent pronouncement however however however how how- ever Harry W. W Bashore commissioner commissioner commissioner commis commis- of the reclamation bureau said We continue to stand on the basic policy that the bureau will support the principle of relatively small family farms as one of the foundations of American agriculture and rural social life On new land which is brought under irrigation for the first time we shall insist that the undeveloped property be parcelled in lots of not more than Forms Shrink i in Size During the past 20 years the average average average aver aver- age size farm or ranch in the states of the Missouri basin have increased increased increased in in- creased rather than diminished in size due largely to the decrease in population For instance in 1920 the average size farm in Montana was acres in Wyoming was acres and in Nebraska it was acres By 1940 the farms had increased to acres 1866 acres and acres respectively Dust bowls droughts floods have driven farmers and ranchers from the plains states during the past decade Net loss of population in inthe inthe inthe the period from 1930 to 1940 in the seven plains states was In Inthe Inthe Inthe the Souris Missouri-Souris area of North Dakota a strictly rural farm area per cent of the population moved out equal to 1000 families of five each The financial loss entailed entailed entailed en en- tailed by this shift of population in at least four of these states is reflected in abandoned farms abandoned abandoned abandoned aban aban- towns and unused proper proper- ties It is further reflected in increase increase increase in in- crease of size and congestion in the three larger cities of the basin Den Den- ver Omaha and Kansas City These Benefits pe Ex-pe- Expected t d. d The agreed plan of the reclamation reclamation tion bureau and the army engineers is intended to do these things 1 Provide I-Provide navigation and flood control on the thc river from its mouth to Sioux City a distance of about miles by construction of levees am and revetments to provide a channel channel chan chan- nel 6 feet deep and feet wide 2 Construct 2 89 reservoirs and dams with a combined capacity of acre feet of water An foot acre is water a foot font deep over one acre This is more than the annual average flow of the river at its mouth These reservoirs are arc to tobe tobe tobe be constructed to withhold water along the main tributaries in including eluding the Yellowstone the Big Horn the Belle BelIe Fourche the Cheyenne the North Platte the Republican the Smoky Hill Dill and along the main stream 3 Irrigation 3 of acres of new land and furnishing supplemental supplemental supplemental supple supple- mental water to additional acres t to increase crop values approximately approximately approximately ap ap- ap- ap proximately annually on farms of about 90 00 acres each cacho 4 To 4 To increase the population of the Basin by about from irrigation irrigation irrigation gation development alone 5 To 5 To increase the assessed valuation valuation vaIn vaIn- of properties approximately approximate approximate- ly Iy 6 To 6 To furnish adequate and safe water supply and sewage facilities for 19 cities and towns along the river 7 To 7 To construct 17 hydroelectric plants which will provide kilowatt hours of electricity to tobe tobe tobe be sold at an annual value of 17 8 To 8 To create additional recreational recreational recreational facilities through formation of new lakes and parks and the protection protection protection pro pro- of fish and and wild life 9 To 9 To introduce proper land use so soil i I e erosion rosi on cons conservation e ti on contour i treatment and reforestation I States in the Missouri Basin watershed watershed water water- shed hed include approximately two- two thirds of Montana from Crom the source of the Missouri in the southwest corner of the state North Dakota South Dakota Nebraska Wyoming including roughly the northeast half from a line bisecting the state from the northwest to the southeast corner corner corner cor cor- ner approximately the northeast I quarter of Colorado the north half of Kansas a tip of the southwest I corner of ot Minnesota a strip along the west boundary of Iowa and i ithe the northern part of Missouri from froma a line reaching from the Ozarks in inthe inthe inthe the southwest in a northeasterly direction to St. St Louis Needs of the people in these Widely widely widely wide Wide- ly scattered areas of long distances are divergent Those living along the lower river want flood protection at one season and supplemental water water wa wa- vater va- va ter for navigation at others In the western and northwestern section the people want protection from local lo local lo- lo 10 1 cal floods water for irrigation water wa vater va- va ter for sanitary and domestic uses and power for various purposes I The comprehensive plan which has been agreed upon is intended to store water to prevent floods and water the land in time of drought The great river will be made to serve the people to live within its basin and thus decrease its destructive destructive destructive I tive power Will Pay for Itself I Construction cost of ot the plan is I estimated at approximately 1325 I which is to be self sell ing from the sale of ot water and power over a period to be deter deter- mined Only of this cost has been authorized The entire nation has a stake in maintaining the agricultural productivity prod of the plains states for even evenin evenin evenin in the drought period of 1939 1930 these seven states states Montana Montana the Dakotas Wyoming Colorado Kansas Kan sas and Nebraska produced I per cent of the nations nation's wheat per cent of the rye per cent of our barley per cent of our OUI oats and 10 per cent of our corn I Droughts the and the thelo lo lowering lovering ering of the ground water level by the rampaging river has permitted permitted permitted per per- I wheat yields to reach 20 bushels to the acre only 5 times times- I 1879 1882 1883 1895 and not again I until 1942 In many of those intervening intervening intervening inter- inter j years the yield has been below below below be- be low 10 bushels to the acre and thousands of acres of seeded land have been abandoned year in and year out But at last the government has developed a comprehensive plan aimed at the relief of this agricultural tural arsenal of the nation From FromI I Cut Bank Mont in the northwest to St. St Louis in the southeast from Denver in the southwest to Devils Lake N. N D. D in the northeast the northeast the harnessed Missouri will extend its benefits but benefits but not until after the war E f 7 v Y JJ r N f. f V V JW r t f i E f f M w Af W f q- q w.- w. 09 y 15 r Wn m y oW 7 z r t J 4 A r w Y j- j A r fr ft 1 lj I W e 07 mN r rAl x 1 y y tr JK ft M n GOOD LAND now ow laying waste f.-A f. wC z P w and overgrown wn with sagebrush X A sagebrush can V M j 7 be into S J brought productivity by adequate ade doi I f fL T D' D 1 qua quate t e irrigation t. t Ion This s picture t SOW show h bf J r 7 i A pIC ure rf x f M 1 a tract a re few thousand ou aDd feet feci awa w i from productive irrigated land t |
