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About The Evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 1940)
Weekend mi - ii rnflflr wiai TULE LAKE was ones a watered basin, receiving vhe flow . ef Lost river. It was a lake without an outlet. ' , ' A' feature of the development of the Klamath reclame flon project was the unwatering of a portion of this basin and opening of this land for homesteading. This was done by constructing dams to hold the waters back, by diverting Lost ' river . water through e diversion canal into Klamath fiver, end by confining within dikes the water that did reach Tula lake through drainage or runoff. ' As originally planned, the portion set aside for holding the water In Tule lake consisted of 37,000 acres. Through long dry cycle, the water was confined to 1 1 ,000 or . 12,000 acres and the remaining land was leased for farm ing purposes. As wet years have come on, the water has broken dikes end spread, until today it covers about 25,000 acres end threatens to re-take more. There is even un easiness over the safety of the permanently reclaimed land above the dike. A solution to this problem has been evolved through elvie effort" and the investigations of competent govern ment engineers. ; 1 These pictures end maps show what has been happen frig In the tump area on Tule lake, and one shows a site of a major feature of the solution. Tm , V$v : j 6ffox . : - Letts r IfiNO . k h 'rv7! " 1932 This map shows the Tule lake basin as it was in 1932, when the flooded area was at its lowest point, and the other land within the sump area was at its maximum of cul tivation.. For years returns from this cultivated land have contributed substantially to the agricultural income of the Klamath basin, and fees from the leases have accrued to the , credit of the Tule lake division of the Klamath project. As a wet cycle has come in recent years, sump lands have been re-taken by the water, with consequent losses in revenue both from farming and fees. The total of these potential losses is conservatively estlmat- , ed in excess of $750,000. .What has happened to the land within the tump area it shown in the adioinino mao. 1940 How the water hat' spread over the land it plainly illustrated in the shaded area on this map, which should be carefully compared with the map on ill left. Since 1932, the year of conditions pictured in the first map, approiimately 1200 acres within the sump area at the upper left hand corner of the map, has gone into private hands. Note that in 1940 the newly flooded area (cross-hatched on the above map) includes this privately 'owned land at well as tome land that it currently leased. Thus the encroachment by the water it ttill going on, and today it it feared that another 2500 acret mutt toon be flooded within the tump erea, while there it concern lost excessively wet yean will endanger the privately owned homestead lands above the mam dike. . v ! ( c t 4 1 - -" '.'TJTr Tr 1 "3 UJLS DANGER POINT This is a view of the main reclamation service dike, with the biological survey headquarters in the immediate foreground. To the right of the dike it newly flooded .land, thowing the water approaching the main itructure which protects the homestead lands of Tule lake. .Here it danger, for the water it open and subject to wind action, and the dike, although a rugged itructure, is dry and new in this section to the job of holding off the pressure of the flood. . . . .'. . l... . .... , . ...." ! ..- , - -j - i - I l---rJ ATTACK AND DEFENSE CCC boys from Tulelake camp strengthening a dike, The open water teen In the picture It ' highly dangerous to such protective ttructuret, tor there it nothing to break the wind and wave action. ::reWII.iy I 1 . i J .tv. ."A ..lata r i ,1 ''Mb:- It fed -8 CP (Sri ON ITS WAY Thit picture thowt water gushing through the tluice gatet on the Lower Lost river diversion dam at the old ttone bridge. Thit water is on itt way to the Jule lake tump. INVASION River, ttay 'way from my door. Flood wetert ere here encroaching upon a chicken yard at the head quarters of the Steele Land and Livestock company on ' the west tide ot lule lake, the company moved out iti permanent buildings to tave them from the 'flood. chicken yard was within a few feet of the house. The SOLUTlON-Solution to the problem of excess water In the Tule lake basin it a proposed : tunnel, through which water would be pumped to the thirsty Lower Klamath lake basin. Lower Klamath it separated .from Tule lake by a narrow range of hills. Thit picture thowt the hill and the test holet (indicated by arrowt) which were made by government engineer! I laying out the plan for reclaiming the tump area and developing a great bird nesting area on the other tide in Lower Klamath, Whether thit tolution can be made a reality de pendt upon action of congress at thit session on a $600,000 appropriation to start the ' work. The $1,000,000 project it self-liquidating, to be paid off from revenuet of the land reclaimed.
