M J Testifies bffire Cocigiress m Wihw mdi Pojjestf
See Also Page 1, Section 1
By JUDGE ?AUL JONES
Monday morning, with Quen
tin Bowman, we interviewed
Congressman Ullman regarding
the Willow Creek dam and oth
er projects In Oregon. Following
this Interview, we met with Rob
ert Packwood and his adminis
trative assistant. Mr. Crosbv.
Again, we stressed the need for
Willow creek.
I was Impressed by Senator
Packwood s questions regarding
many or tne problems Involving
reclamation projects In Oregon.
i came away with the impres
sion that a person should know
his subject when talking to the
Senators. If he did not know
some ol the questions and ans
wers to Oregon's reclamation
situation he would say so and
state that he would do research.
I think he has a great capacity
ior worK. lie was in shirt sleeves
and wet with perspiration. Mr.
Crosbv and his office made the
initial provisions tor me to ap
pear before the Senate Sub
committee on appropriations.
Senator Hatfield was not at
his office but Sam Mallicoat
was most obliging and stated
that he would assist in helping
to get me an appearance before
the committee on Tuesday. At
least I did appear and did tes
tify.
we then went to the Con
giessional Committee Room in
the Cannon building where the
House Committee was receiving
resumony.
Quentin was called first and
gave a short but very thorough
summation of the needed Bur
eau and Corps projects in Ore
gon. He stressed Willow Creek
very strongly and stated it was
among the top priority items in
tne Mate or Oregon.
congressman uiman was
then called. He took only about
a minute and a half in which
time he stated that Willow Creek
was a top priority item and must
be included in the appropria
tions. He then Introduced me.
My prepared talk was about four
minutes in duration. At the con
clusion I asked if there were
any questions. I was asked a
few but the full committee
seemed very interested.
Facts Well Received
The written statement and
facts concerning the dam were
well received and I was compli
mented very highly on them
and the reproduction of the 1903
Gazette-Times on the flood. In
cidentally, Wendall Wyatt, with
whom I talked also, stated he
would give every assistance
possible.
Tuesday morning when the
Senate Committee convened,
Senators Hatfield and Packwood
were present and spoke for the
Willow Creek Dam. -
THE)
GAZETTE-TIMES
Heppner, Oregon 97836, Thursday, June 12, 1969
Sec. 2
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.... . .' , ' i 3
OMMY HOWELL looks weary and worn from digging muck from behind
a house they own on Cannon Street. Basement apartment was flooded and
filled with silt. The Howells do not live in this place but on the other side
of town.
"There were many witnesses
that morning and at 5 minutes
of 12. Magnuson, who was chair
ing the committee, announced
adjournment. Senator Hatfield
intervened and requested that I
be given a chance to make a
short statement. I repeated in
essence what I had said before
the House committee. Later, in
the hallway, Senator Magnuson
told me, that the project seemed
to be quite interesting and he
would see what help could be
given it. -
Had Hatfield not Intervened
when he did I probably would
not have had a chance to speak
at all.
Hatfield had mentioned five
other projects in the State. He
then said:
We have another flood con
trol project In Oregon that is
somewhat unique and it has not
yet had a planning start. Wil
low Creek Reservoir in Heppner
was authorized in 1965 after
,more than half a century of
on again off again studies. In
1903, 66 years ago a flood took
247 lives at Heppner in what
was then the worst natural dis
aster of its kind in the United
States. Sixty-six years later we
still plead for a planning start
on this reservoir project."
Packwood Gives Support
Following Senator Hatfield,
Senator Packwood endorsed the
statement of Senator Hatfield
and urged that Willow Creek,
among others, be included in the
authorization.
In summary, I feel very grat
ified by the attitude and inter
est shown In the Willow Creek
project by both sub-committees
and their membership. I must
conclude by saying that I have
reached the opinion that person
al appearances must be contin
uea by local people If we are
going: to get this and other proj
ects.
It is my firm belief that Con
gressman Ullman who has
worked long and hard for this
project, will continue to help us,
but he cannot do it alone. Lo
cal interest will either "make
or break" this dam. We must
have support at the county level
by our own citizens.
My verbal statement before
both committees follows:
I am here to make a state
ment in support of Willow Creek
Dam which was authorized by
Congress in 1965.
The prepared bulletins which
I nave Just handed you contain
many facts and figures relative
to this project: many of these
figures prepared by the Corps of
Engineers. I will attempt to
avoid duplicating what you have
in the folder.
The Willow Creek Dam is not
large project as such. But. it
is tailor-made to do the lob
needed. The location, Just south
of Heppner but below the con
fluence of Willow and Balm
Creeks, makes it ideally located
to serve as a flood control, rec
reation. and reclamation project.
May I refer you to the front of
the folder which shows the dam
in reference to these two creeks
and the City of Heppner.
In 1903 Heppner suffered a
disastrous flood and a terrific
loss of lifer some 247 persons
died that Sunday afternoon In
a period of minutes when, fol
lowing a severe lightning and
thunder storm, a wall of water
swept through the citv taking
everything before It. The back
cover of the folder illustrates a
small part of the property damage.
May I make It very clear that
the identical conditions still ex
ist today even as they did in
1903.
There have been damaging
storms since that time and in
1934 much of the town was
gain damaged by a severe
Memorial Day storm, fortunate
ly without loss of life.
Multi-purpose Uses Given
rhe Reclamation feature of
this project would place some
3000 acres under irrigation from
the dam. Part of this land now
gets water from the creek when
there is any. Last year, with on
ly 14 of a normal flow, the
downstream area suffered so
severely from drought, as did
all of the county. Some cattle
men hauled hay last winter
from as far as 300 miles to pro
vide feed for stock. Fortunately,
the stream flow Is above normal
Una apring and could be filling
the dam if it were not built
The impact on downstream irri
gators of a guaranteed water
supply would be a tremendous
boon to them and would have
a great effect on the economy
of the Willow Creek Valley.
Last year some 25 wells were
drilled in the valley to provide
supplemental water when Wil
low Creek dried up. Geologists
who have tested this water In
dicate it is 27,000 years old, thus
indicating there is no flow into
or out of some of the under
ground oools. The probability is
that some wells will thus so dry
in a short time. When the dam
is built much of the pumping
from these wells will be discon
tinued, thus saving our under
ground water.
According to the Corps of En
gineers, the total expenditure to
date on the Willow Creek Res
ervoir Project for the prepara
tion of the survey report is
$57,000. (Bureau of Reclamation
$35,000).
mere is no lake. dam. or
impoundment presently in the
Interior of Morrow county.
cannot emphasize too strongly
the Impact on the county and
communities, from a recreation
al standpoint, of a reservoir so
near the center of our county
and at the very edge of the city
limits of Heppner. Having an
artificial lake so close to town
would be a marvelous thing for
not only our youth but our
oldsters as well.
The City of Heppner has al
ready Included an Item In their
Tibbies fo Get
Doctor's Degree
Larry Lyman Tibbies, son of
Dr. and Mrs. L. D. Tibbies, will
receive his Doctor of Medicine
Degree from the University of
Oregon Medical School at grad
uation exercises Friday evening,
June 13. His parents will attend
the ceremonies, to be held In
the Medical School Student Ac
tivities Building in Portland, at
8:00 p.m.
Tibbies has been accepted for
Intern practice at the Orange
County General Hospital In Or
ange, Calif. He and his wife,
Judy, will move to California
soon after graduation to begin
work there July 1.
After graduating from Hepp
ner High school in 1961, Tibbies
enrolled in medicine at the Uni
versity of Oregon, where he re
ceived his bachelor of science
degree in 1965, prior to entering
the U of O Medical School.
10G9 1970 budget for payment of
richts of ways on the channel
through the City of Heppner.
"Finally, In conclusion, may
I again emphasize that the ac
tual threat to another loss of
life still exists. I urge you to
include an appropriation suffic
ient to initiate preconstructlon
on this project. The actual
amounts needed are to be found
in the folder I gave you a few
minutes ago.
"I appreciate your time and
the privilege you have given me
to appear here. The chance to
come to the nation's capltol is
one not given to many from our
area.
HOLDEN S ART SCHOOL
ANNUAL
Oil Color
Workshops
ON LANDSCAPE AND
PORTRAIT
, BY THE WORLD'S
LEADING COLOR
AUTHORITT IN THE ARTS
June 16 thru 27
9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
AT THE NORTHSHORE
ART STUDIO
By the John Dot Dam
20 Miles South of
Goldendale, Wash.
S75 (or 2 Weeks
$40 for 1 Week
See and Work With
MERLIN ENABNIT
With His Amazn?
Control of Color
Information and
Registration
Nancy Holden
Northshore Art School
John Day Dam Star Rte. 677
Goldendale. Wash.
Telephone 723-5703
or call
676-5372 (Heppner)
Evenings
YOUR ATTENDANCE IS CORDIALLY INVITED AT THE
KI
Honoring The Peterson Bros. (Bob and Herb)
STATE CONSERVATIONISTS OF THE YEAR
At The Peterson Ranch Just North of the Valby Church
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18
Come and Join Those From All Over
Oregon, Interested in Conservation, in
Commending the Petersons on Their
Fine Work!
The Petersons' Conservation Practices:
OVER ALL CONSERVATION PRACTICES
Diversion ditches 17 miles
Sod Waterways 10 acres
Subsoiling (1967) 400 acres
Rotation Grazing 307 acres
Deferred Grazing 2,349 acres
Improved Pasture 90 acres
Deep Wells 7
Channel straightening
& shaping lYn miles
Strip cropping 600 acres
Sagebrush & Rabbitbrush
spraying 300 acres
Bird Guzzlers 1
Spring Development 1
Fence Row Weed Control 3 miles
Straw incorporation in
sandblow areas
All cropland is planted and tilled on the contour.
- 8 t M
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PROGRAM
J
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Herb Peterson
V- , ' .. - - .. '';:
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Bob Peterson
10.00 A.Mr Assemble at Peterson Ranch which is located 16
miles from lone, near the Valby Church.
10:15 A.M. Introductions by Tad Miller, president Morrow
County Wheat Growers League.
10:20 A.M. Welcome by Bob Peterson.
10:25 A.M. Tour Eight-Mile Place.
12:30 Noon Free Lunch, Peterson Ranch. Sponsored by Paul
& Helen Pettyjohn, Shell Oil & Chemical Jobbers,
lone.
Remarks by Louis Carlson, 19G9 chairman of the
selection committee.
Remarks by Tom Vaughan, president, Oregon
Wheat Growers League.
Remarks by Don Robinson, one of the sponsors
of Conservation Man of Year Contest.
1:15 P.M. Tour remainder of ranch.
4:00 P.M. Tour Ends.
Cold drinks furnished by Paul & Helen Pettyjohn
THIS MESSAGE SPONSORED BY THE FOLLOWING IN TRIBUTE TO THE PETERSONS AND IN THE INTERESTS OF CONSERVATION:
Heppner Branch
First National Bank of Oregon
Columbia Basin Electric Cooperative
Bank of Eastern Oregon
Morrow County Grain Growers