t KCrrNCI CAtCTTE
A
nswers ibwein
Following are 35 question
that have l-een ted by he
nubile cm the Willow Crwk
project anxunrs prepared
by the l. S- Army Owp
Kntrineer, the Bureau ol Kec
limniKm. n1 th Stat Wa
ler Resource Board. They re
Minted to etv the public
baekcround Information on
matters concerninit th project
hlrh are of Importance to
residents,
HOW MOCH rXOOD MOTTC
TION WILL THE WILLOW
CHECK FROJECT fROVlDEt
The project will provide pro
WILL THIS FROJECT BE ANY
teclion against lloou original. nsH EXPECTED AS SOME- "''''' " "''" . "" , WU. I BE cOARAWTitu
tng above the darmite It will TIMES OCCURS AT MeKAT "mrt o? Kl"leSll WHEN I WANT ITT
Kl?riVhlTI!lfTfl DAM IN UMATIUJ1 C0?NiTT! !en I" The IrllgMl.TdWrli';; with the vroject .
Vocation ?II ? forded to N McKay Dam was built In mpr;v,,nu.n, company then, as supply would normally be avail-
r -w n t . m 1 u bv n Burrau ot Rlama- the representative of the land- able on demand throughout the
LXT and acrKral ",n single Purpose project , Toniraeu with the red- rrlgatlon aeason. During e-
tKlih I iJ!'0' irrigation. Mot Moras re. . , t;inornmcnt for repayment tended perl.mU of llow average
along VUlUm nf" xrT rnolrs constructed these days, f f h o irrtgation emits, runoff, portages. If anv. wwild
er degree of protection for the Lr, ftlf mu, tlDUriHe use. Willow I V" 7rv ih- irrieatlon tils- H .ht hv all i.roU-ct land-..
----- -
ireeK J1"'
mouth to provide
mum ui x r -
lion to rural areas
I net on and lone
to be economically
this time. In most cases, I'roiec-
tion would require a large cap-
urttv rock revetted cnannei.
whose cost would far exceed
benefits. The development of a
channel tnrougn tieppner o
orovide caoacltv for a discharge
approaching the standard proj
rrt flood oeak of 29.000 cfs
would require a channel over
100 feet wide costing nearly
three million dollars. This cost
would not be Justdiea ana
would provide only a partial
solution to one of the basin
needs. A storage project, besides
being economically the test way
to meet this flood problem. Is
safer because the flood flow
can be contained and later re
leased at a non-destructive rate
which could be beneficially
used downstream.
WOULDN'T A SERIES OF
SMALL DAMS UP BOTH WIL
LOW CREEK AND RHEA
CREEK BE A BETTER AP
PROACH TO FLOOD CONTROL?
In studies of basin problems
and the means of meeting them,
a series of small dams was one
of the possible solutions stud
ied and found economically un
feasible. Because most of the
hocin area is treeless, relatively
barren of vegetation, impervious
to high intensity precipiiduuii,
and cut with steep-sided gulch
es, extreme flooding from cloud
burst may occur. To provide the
maximum feasible flood protec
tion, the teservoir was located
where the largest practical stor
age capacity could be found and
above the main potential flood
damage areas. A similar stor
age project on Rhea Creek is
under study by the Soil Conser
vation Service in cooperation
with the local people.
IF WILLOW CREEK DAM HAD
BEEN IN EXISTENCE. WHAT
WOULD THE 1964 WINTER
FLOODS HAVE BEEN LIKE?
Both the December 1964 and
the January 1965 floods were un
usual in that they were gener
ated largely In areas below 3.
000 and 4,000 feet elevation, re
spectively. Since most of the
area upstream of Heppner Is
above these elevations, little
flows originated here. Most of
the flow reaching the lower wu
iipaaI ovaq nrifjlrl a tort from t
the Knea creeK area, uetttuse
lime iiows oriKinaieu auuc
HeDDner. Willow Creek Dam's
ability to trap these flows would
have reduced downstream flood
ing only slightly. We must not
judge the potential for use of
Willow Creek Reservoir solely
on the basis of the two floods,
as indicated bv the 1903 flood.
For such a flood, Willow Creek
Reservoir would release less
than the bankfull capacity and
afford complete protection.
HAS A CORPS OF ENGINEERS'
DAM OF THE TYPE PLANNED
HERE, EVER FAILED?
No. Projects which are con
structed by the Corps of Engi
neers are only built after care
ful and complete exploration
and design studies. A high safe
ty factor is used to insure a safe
rjroiect. The HeDDner damsite is
among the best ever investigat
ed by the Corps.
HOW MANY YEARS OUT OF
EACH TEN WILL THE DAM
REACH ITS CAPACITY FOR
BOTH RECREATION AND IRRI
GATION? Six or seven years out of ten,
usually In the late spring, the
reservoir will fill and be avail
able for recreation and Irriga
tion. In most other years there
will be a substantial supply.
This estimate is based on. the
hypothetical regulation of the
last 32 years of streamflow da
ta. CAN THE RESERVOIR BE
MADE A SUCCESSFUL RECRE
ATION LOCATION?
Yes, because the basin has
very iimited facilities for recre
ation and sports fishing but con
siderable local and regional in
terest. Recreation plans will be
developed in conjunction with
local agencies to meet the needs
of the area. Existing water-related
recreation outlets nearest
to Heppner are McKay Reservoir,
55 miles distant; McNary Reser-;
INGTON. AND IONE THAI 110 nnrry. i.pu vo-i - ment contract is signea ao uie
JUST A GOOD CHANNEL , space would bo reserved In tne ianti4nvners bcome obligated to
CLEARANCE TO TAKE CARE , bottom of the rescnolr for the ,ncl, shjln. of prt)j,-t costs.
or MICH WATERf gradual aixumulatlon of scdi- j
OF HIGH WATtHT nd rnent to assure full effective use! WHAT ADVANTAGES MIGHT
Imovcmcnt by levee and, mfche,0aUve oraRC gpace for,AN IMPROVEMENT COM PANT
"TsTLrhani of VdloWl veara. An additional 500 OTFER OVER AN IRRIGATION
the 45 mile channel of W How . i . . storaKe wouu te DISTRICT?
TlMCS. Taunsdar. rbraarr 1 9d
voir, H7 mites; John Pay Reser
votr. W miles; nd Bull prairie
Reservoir 133 acres!. 4 J miles.
WILL THIS BE JUST A BREED
ING GROUND rOR MOSQUIT
OESf
The rubllc Health Service rec
ommend mosquito prevention
measure which will be inolud
ed bv the Cort of Knulneer
in the planning, design, con
ttrurtum. and oicratton of the
project. This provides assurance
ac-sinst the creation ol a mos
quito production problem.
WILL THE DAM BE DRAINED
AND A CONSEQUENT LOSS OT
j Creek Dam and Reservoir is to
ribe a multlpuriose reject with
. pool space stHH-lf tcally allotted
. . . . . v. 1 ... . . r u...i
' rt-sen el for fish survival andj
nmon mate name
Commission.
!WiLL I LOSE MT WATER
RICHTS AFTER THE DAM IS
CONSTRUCTED?
No! The Bureau of Reclama-
tion recognizes all water rights
In the development of the ir-'
j riration asoect of the project.
ThoM w no narticipate in the
nroiect would be expected to
agree to forego winter divers
ions as now practiced. This wa
ter would be stored for use la-t-
Murine tha irrigation season
when the natural flow is not
sufficient and It could be put to,
more beneticiai use. aier
rights held by those not partic
ipating in the project would be
administered by the State of
Oregon according to current pol
icy. HOW WILL THE WATER
flOXt prOlOC- ,. ,. ti,w i ,i.lit. i k-i roUtlvotv fast flfld CCO-
. 1 nv-ri.if inn anil uoulil lina h. nrmrlnHI BllvaninCl" 01
and to Lex- , . .. . uhlrh outwit the r.r.i,-l t.i form. The earlier the
w as not iouna ' ". " , i " " - thom.
n. anKiers, annual m'""" '! unuunnua .! ..
ieasioie ai ,.. K.. ..ririn. ..1.,- ih. .w-n..r ihtr desires
m in-ii'i'iiu'iii M uu iu . 1 v 111 j 1 7. 1 iil v -v . 1 ,..-. - - - i
RIGHTS ON LANDS TO BE meeting in Heppner on 30 Oct
FLOODED BY THE RESERVOIR ober iy63, the landowners' com
BE DISPOSED OF TO OTHER J mittce proposed to form a dis
LAND OWNERS? trlct improvement company.
There are two things which
might happen to the water
rights the affected owners now
have
(1) The owner might sell his
water right and it could be 1
transferred to some other " tract j
of land provided the transfer did
not injure others, ir ne did tnis,
the land would then in actual
ity be unirrigated and without
water rights and would be
worth less when purchased by
the Corps.
(2) If the land has water
rights at the time of purchase
bv ' the Corps, the water rights
would be extinguished with the
same effect as if they had never
existed. This would mean that
a little more water would be
available to existing water us
ers.
IF A SOIL CONSERVATION
SERVICE SPONSO RED DAM
SHOULD BE BUILT ON RHEA
CREEK. HOW WILL THIS AF
FECT THE DOWNSTREAM WA
TER RIGHTS ON WILLOW
CREEK?
No dam, whether built by the 1
Corps, the Bureau of Reclama
tion, or the Soil Conservation
Service would eliminate a per
son's water rights. All water
. i ' : i :
planning a Federal project.
ARE THE LANDOWNERS RE
QUIRED TO PAY ALL COSTS
ASSIGNED TO IRRIGATION?
No. The landowners would
pay according to their "payment
capacity" which is based on the
increased net farm income re
sulting from irrigation. Costs
beyond the landowners' pay
ment capacity would be return
ed to the Federal Treasury from
surplus Federal power revenues.
WHAT FACTORS ARE CONSID
ERED IN DETERMINING THE
LANDOWNERS "PAYMENT CA-
PACITY?"
The term "payment capacity"
is defined as the amount a larm
er can afford to pay for irriga
tion 'water. Basically, the pay
ment capacity represents the
difference between anticipated
general economic conditions of
the area with and without the
project In operation. Factors
considered in this determination
include types of soils, crops that
can be grown, transportation,
markets, etc. The type of serv
ice is also a factor in this de
termination. For example, where
storage water is released into
the stream and the irrigator has
the expense of getting the wa
ter to his land, his payment ca
pacity is less than if the proj
ect provided delivery of water
to the land.
WHAT IS THE LANDOWNERS'
PAYMENT CAPACITY IN THIS
AREA?
Based on very preliminary
studies, the irrigators could be
expected to pay approximately
$3 per acre-foot of project wa
ter diverted onto the land. A
part of this charge would be
used to pay operation and
maintenance costs, and the dif
ference would be paid to the
Federal Government on con
struction costs. Detailed studies
are required to establish a firm
estimate of payment capacity.
oin
HOW DOES THE
FEDERAL
...r.wwrwv r-nitrrr 1RR1-
CATION COSTS TROM THE
I AN DOWNERS r
. n,ninpti
i nr ai -i nil ' ' " - - :
with
ent
trlct
I
sessmcnis. coiicvi.
collects from the
landowners and mahe pay
ments annually to the lo em
inent. IS IT NECESSARY TO FORK
AN IRRIGATION DISTRICT OR
IMPROVEMENT COMFANY?
Since the Government cannot
,r,cl ,h antownecs do not ob-
,ltfate thomselves for any of the
,)tt,j,H.t ,4. only after a repay-
' . , . . .
An Improvement cmpany
mnwrnlnf irrieatlon will be es
tablished and the sooner the
Corps and the Bureau can com
plete further Irrigation studies
and development. There are
nearlv as many improvement
companies In Oregon as there
j ore irrigation districts. The
members of an improvement
company may later change to
- - - " 1
desire more power for easier
an irrigation aisinct. u mrj
worKanuuy.
WHAT WOULD BE THE COSTS
OF FORMING AN IMPROVE-
1 MENT COMPANY OR AN IRRI-
CATION district r
riYsts nf forming a district de
pend upon the size of the proj
ect, number of landowners and
type of district. A good Indica
tion of costs could be obtained
by contacting either the State
t'ndmw or the Oregon State
u'atr Resources Board. At a
;Thjs type of district is less ex
pensive to form, iney are 01 ten
formed for less than S600. Irri
oatlnn districts USUalW COSt
about twice as much to form
because of the additional cost
0f newspaper publications and
on oiortinn hut have certain ad
vantages over other forms of
districts.
WHEN MUST A REPATMENT
CONTRACT BE SIGNED?
A contract must be negotiat
ed before actual construction
can start on a project that in
cludes irrigation as a project
function. If an irrigation dis
trict or improvement company
were formed but did not ap
prove the repayment contract
with the Government, the proj
ect would not include irrigation
as a function and the district
would have no further financial
obligation toward the project.
WHEN DO PAYMENTS ON IR
RIGATION ACTUALLY START?
Pavment of operating costs
start the first year water is de-
Hvered. A development period
of 1 to 10 vears. to De deter
mined by detailed studies, will
be allowed and the irrigators
will pay only operating costs
during this period. The first as
sessment for the interest free
construction costs would be
made at the end of the devel
opment period.
DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR THE
WATER ALLOCATED TO MY
FARM EVEN IF I DONT USE
IT?
You must first participate in
the project before an allocation
of water can be made. Construc
tion costs incurred for irrigation
must he returned to the uov
ernent, generally over a 50-year
period. These costs prorated on
an annual basis, along wiin an
nual operation costs, must be
paid each year by the district.
What you pay will depend on
how the Board of Directors of
your irrigation district or im
provement company decides to
assess charges. Charges are us
ually assessed on an annual
basis.
IF I NEED A LOT OF WATER
ONE YEAR BUT NOT MUCH
THE NEXT. DO I ONLY PAY
FOR WHAT I USE?
This will also depend on how
the Board of Directors of your
irrigation district or improve
ment company decides to as
sess charges for water delivery.
In some cases, it is a flat rate
for an adequate supply. In oth
er cases, a rate is assessed for
a base quantity adequate for
the average farming operation
and additional charges are
made for excess water delivery
over this amount.
WILL I GET AS MUCH WATER
AS I HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY
USING?
It is not possible to give a
yes or no answer to this ques
tion because some water ap
plied under existing conditions,
especially during the winter
months, is not beneficially used.
The important point is that
those who participate in the
project will receive a supply ad
equate to raise any of the crops
l locally nrcamrcvi jrn. .",' winter diversion and
HV. such as an irruauon ". - -
Improvement company, in " ......
ral orcanlat on. inroucn lh ,,,..
I. .... nh .-! uitter user. ...
Willow Creek Project Questions
that can be succelully crown
In the area. Water will tie-
llvcred when most tW W
optimum plant Kroth. Ilit U
the real advantage ol
project
,Mmin, their
existing right. However, unless
a sufficient numter of Irrigators
participate in the project and
agree to forego winter divers
ion, there may not Ih adequate
water for storage to Justify a
protect.
n
n
r
it should also rw kept In mind
that the Irrigation part of the
project will be managed nv me
Irrigation district which will be
made up of local irrigators.
With this arrangement, water
would be delivered, as nearly
as humanly possible, to meet
the needs of those partlcliatlng
In the project.
WILL THE WATER USERS ON
BOTH RHEA AND WILLOW
CREEKS BE MADE TO BECOME
A PART OF THE IRRIGATION
DISTRICT TO BE FORMED?
The Bureau of Reclamation
does not force anyone to be
come a part of an irrigation dis
trlct. as that Is strictly a per
sonal decision. However, those
who will benefit from the proj
ect should become participating
members of a district organized
according to Oregon law. The
project as planned would not
benefit Rhea Creek water users,
so there would be no reason for
'((U I J i l tv "vuiu -
tnem to j0in an irrigation dis
trict.
HOW MUCH LAND WILL BE
REQUIRED FOR THE PROJECT?
The total project land require
ments of about 570 acres will
include the dam and spillway.
100 acres for recreation devel
opment, and 61 acres for reloca
tions. Lands needed for the res
ervoir include a minimum of 300 j
feet of freeboard (measured nor- j
izontally from full pool at ele-1
vatlon 2098) to allow for such ;
harkwater effects as wave ac-
tion. sloughing, bank erosion,
and saturation. Just over 12 ac
res will be required for con
struction of the improved chan
nel through Heppner. Public
meetings will be held by the
Corps as early as possible In
advance of construction to des
cribe the actual lands required
and answer those specific ques
tions that will vary from owner
ship to ownership.
IF MY PROPERTY IS REQUIRED
FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THIS
PROJECT. HOW MUCH WILL I
BE PAID?
The rights of a citizen are
nroteeted bv the Fifth Amend
ment of the Constitution of the
United States which permits
private property to be acquired
for public use provided that the
property owner is paid "just
compensation" for any of this
property taken. The Constltu
tion does not define "just com
pensation." Neither are there
general statutes which attempt
to establish criteria upon which
tn hnse navments to property
owners affected by public works
projects. The determination 01
"Just compensation," therefore,
is a Judicial question. The Fed
eral courts have defined Just
compensation" as "fair market
value." It Is the Corps of Lngl
neers' desire and duty to pay
the property owner "Just com
pensation."
WILL THE PRESENCE OF THE
DAM ADVERSELY AFFECT THE
PROPERTY VALUE OF Ml
HOME DOWNSTREAM FROM
THE DAM? '
Although there has been no
complete study on this, the con
sensus or opinion iaer iv
chlorine ihA manv. manv cit
ot that are on rivers and
ctronma How nstream irom
dams) is that property value
would not be adversely affect
ed. If anything, most people
would rather live downstream
from a riam that.WOUld protect
their lives and property than be
at the mercy of the river. .very
effort will be made to construct
a dam and related facilities that
harmonize with the adjoining
landscape.
HOW MANY WORKERS WILL
BE EMPLOYED FOR THE CON
STRUCTION OF THE DAM AND
HOW LONG WILL THEY BE
HERE?
Although it Is contingent up-
on allocation 01 coiisuuluuh
funds by Congress, it is estima
ted that construction of the
project will require two calen
dar years. Based upon experi
pnr from other dam projects, it
is estimated that approximately
50 workers will be employed ine
first year and 230 the second
year. This esumaie mtiuuca
both contractor and government
employees and represents a to
tal population, employees and
their families, of about 120 and
600 for the first and second
years, respectively. There is no
wav of knowing how many of
these employees will reside In
Heppner during the construction
period. This depends, naturally,
on the iacimies avauaDie m
Heppner and in nearby commu
nities. As a matter of interest, and as
a possible means of comparison,
many of th wtukcrs on the
Lower Snak KUer dams cur
rently under construction, com
mute from Walla WalU Hay
ton. Walthurg. and 1'asco. Com
muting distances arc. in some
liihtaiKv, nearly t0 mile one
way. The construction ihvUmU on
these projects arc, how ever, con
siderably longer than on tha
Heppner protect. Some of the
wkcr on the projects live
In trailer camp near the sites.
It may reasonably be cMectcd
that a constitcrabl number of
the workers, and their families,
will reside In Heppner If thev
can obtain adequate facilities at
reasonable cost. Sine the con
duction crlod Is short. It
would not be expected that
manv would buy homes, but
would. Instead, rent home In
Heppner and nearby communi
ties, such as lone and Lexing
ton. Because rental units would
be limited in availability, it
would I reasonable to assume
that manv of the workers would
live In trailer parks tn. or near.
Heppner.
WILL THE WORKERS SPEND
MUCH MONET HERE?
The total payroll for the Wil
low Creek project will amount
to approximately S2.000.0H0. The
amount of this money spent In
Heppner and Morrow County
will, of course. deend upon
how manv of the workers ehHe
to live there, and upon tne
availability and cost of the fa
cilities and services required.
IF THE DAM IS BUILT AND
THE RUNOrr CONTROLLED.
WONT MORE WILLOW TREES
GROW UP IN THE CREEK?
If the dam Is built and
streamflows regulated, some
additional growth of willow
trees may occur In the channel.
In such a case the regular re
moval of excess growth would
be desirable to maintain an ad
equate channel and keep trans
piration losses from vegetation
within reason. Maintenance of
the channel will become a re
sponsibility of the Irrigation dis
trlct and the expense would be
To All the People Of
Morrow County
YOU ARE
Pybfl
Willow Creek
IN HEPPNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
MULTIPURPOSE ROOM
Representatives Will Be Present From
The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
State Water Resources Board, and
Bureau of Reclamation
The District Watermaster Will Also
Be Present
An Attempt Will Be Made To Answer All Questions of
Potential Irrigators And Others In Regard to the For
mation Of The Willow Creek Dam. This Meeting is of
Utmost Importance And We Urge Attendance of All
Those Interested.
a part of the project's annual t-
eration and maintenance nwim
Maintenance .f th channel
through the City if Heppner
will be a responsibility i( the
city.
WHO WILL OPERATE THE
PROJECT?
The prelect will probably I
0crated under the supellon
of the staff at McNary lm Kh
an iiertor detailed a required
during the IUsmI season, puilnjt
the urtgatlon season It Is rt
ected the operation would In"
supervKM bv repremnlatlv
of the Irrigation district or com
pany. The management of the
recreation facilities would be a
reiHnsibllliy of the local Inter
ests. SMHtftc arrangements re
garding mte't nefallon will
le made during the construction
stages of the project.
AFTER THE FORMATION Or
AN IRRIGATION DISTRICT OR
IMPROVEMENT COMPANY.
HOW WILL THIS ArrECT MY
TAXES?
Since the productivity of th
land and the land values are
higher with Irrigation, most
counties assess Irrigated lands
at a higher rate than nonlrrt
gated lands. However, the tax
assessment are the resimnsibll
Hv of the county nfflit.ils and
are not established by the Fed
eral Government.
HOW MUCH MONEY IS IT
GOING TO COST THE CITY OF
HEPPNER AND MORROW
COUNTY?
Prior to construction of Wil
low Creek Darn and Reservoir
local Interests will need to:
(1) Make arrangement to re
pay costs allocated to Irrigation.
This will Involve water user
formed Into an Irrigation or wa
ter district, however. n4 the
City or County. That part of the
cost beyond the irrigator "pay
ment capacity" will be repaid
from revenues derived from ells
liositlon of turner mark e I e d
through the Bonneville Power
Administration.
(2) Provide without cost to
INVITED TO ATTEND A
iic llvleetoini
ON THE
Tuesday, February
At 1:30 P.M.
Morrow County Court
fulled Htste all lank
.-mriilv rU'tits of way. ni
relocation necessary for eon
sttutlon of the channel Im
provement thnuiifh th I'MV
Itrppn.-. Tl estimated tl I
muss).
131 Hold and save lh Untied
State Itee fiom all damage In
cident to eonsttuctlon, operation,
and maintenance of Ue Im
proved rhannrl through Hepp
ner. II) Make artaiigement for
payment ol the construction
cost, estimated t S72.UM. alio
rated tu municipal and Indus
trial water supply I'lus a nom
inal chats for ei-eiatlon, main
tenance, and replacrmenta. Thll
repayment would be by th ctiy
and mav spread over W
year with the first len ear
Intetest ftee.
t5 1 Admlntslrr project land
and water areas for fish and
wildlife enhancement.
(6) Make arrangements to re
pay with Interest one-half the
cost allocated to fish and wild
life enhancement which r es
timated at S-YI.Ull). Th sponsor
mav. with agreement of the
t ori, charge a reaonab! user
fee to help defray this cost Fish
stocking would be accomplished
by the State.
171 Hear all cost of oeratton.
maintenance. nd replacement
,f recreation and fish and wild
life lands and facilities. The
tlmated annual cost Is 1 ?.
Knitting Club Meets
Busy Needle 4 11 Knitting
club worked on proJetH at th
meeting January M at the horn
of Mr Herb FJutrorn. Jr. I'has
1 continued knitting their bats
and phase 3 worked on their
,,-ater. We meet again HI
day. February 4 M Mrs. t-Ks-truin's
borne.
DAnn Barnett. reporter
When you tatronlz Catett.
Time advertiser, yo1
make a bitter paper Tell them
you saw 11 in
1
Project
8
Ih