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- Huntley Project
Huntley Project
State: Montana
Region: Great Plains
Related Documents
Huntley Project History (54 KB)
Related Facilities
Related Links
Anita Reservoir
Weather Conditions (NOAA)
Precipitation
Yellowstone River at Billings, Montana
Spring and Summer (NRCS)
Mountain Snowpack Maps for Missouri River Basin (NRCS)
Palmer Drought Index Map
Upper Yellowstone - Pompeys Pillar
Explanation of Palmer Drought Severity Index (Text)
General
The Huntley Project is in south-central Montana. Project works include a rockfill and concrete diversion dam, 32 miles of main canal, 22 miles of carriage canals, 202 miles of laterals, 186.5 miles of drains, a hydraulic turbine-driven pumping plant and an auxiliary electric pumping plant, both in the main canal, and in an offstream storage reservoir. The project can furnish water to irrigate approximately 30,000 acres.
History
As the first representative of the United States in the Upper Missouri Valley, Captain Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition scratched his name and the date of July 25, 1806, on Pompeys Pillar, a large rock landmark overlooking the Yellowstone River. Later, the Yellowstone River became a route for traders, trappers, and pioneers. The earliest settlers in the district were the fur traders, then prospectors and other pioneers came to the area. Some of these people turned to agriculture, cattle raising, or other pursuits; some continued to mine. All contended with the difficulties common to western pioneer life. The Crow Indian Reservation, established under the ratified treaty of May 7, 1868, included an area much larger than the present reservation. The lands in the Huntley Project, being within the reservation, were not subject to homestead entry and consequently remained undeveloped long after other fertile tracts in the Yellowstone Valley were settled. The cession of lands to the United States by the Crow Indians in 1904 included those in the Huntley Project and opened the way for irrigation and settlement.
Construction
Construction began October 6, 1905. The first water was delivered in 1908. The Pryor Division was completed in 1908, the Eastern Division in 1914, and the Fly Creek Division in 1915. The High Line Canal was enlarged in 1917 from 60- to 100-cubic-foot-per-second capacity. Initial construction of the project did not require a diversion dam since the Main Canal intake on the Yellowstone River was level with the riverbed. Development of additional lands by local interests requiring increased diversion necessitated the construction of a small diversion dam which was completed by the Huntley Project Irrigation District in 1934. Anita Dam and Reservoir were constructed by CCC forces and completed in 1937. The principal crops are alfalfa and other hay crops, sugar beets, silage, irrigated pasture, and small grains. The project is a stabilizing influence on the livestock industry in the area, through the production of feed crops. The towns of Huntley, Pompeys Pillar, Ballantine, and Worden are served with Huntley Project water. Anita Dam and Reservoir are located 6 miles southeast of Ballantine, Montana near Billings. This offstream storage dam was completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937. Water is released from Anita Reservoir into the Reservoir Canal which flows across Fly Creek to the vicinity of Pompeys Pillar. As the first representative of the United States in the Upper Missouri Valley, Captain Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition scratched his name and the date of July 25, 1806 on Pompeys Pillar, a large rock landmark overlooking the Yellowstone River. The Crow Indian Reservation and the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument are nearby. The Anita Reservoir, with 32 surface acres and 2 miles of shoreline, offers seasonal opportunities for crappie, catfish, and largemouth bass. No facilities are available. For specific information about Anita Reservoir recreation click on the name below. http://www.recreation.gov/detail.cfm?ID=129 The Huntley Project Irrigation of western lands by Reclamation did not always occur in heavily settled areas. The Huntley Project exemplifies how a Reclamation project lead directly to the development, settlement and agricultural growth of a previously unfarmed area. Lands purchased by the United States from the Crow Indian Reservation were transformed from sage-covered range to farms blanketed with fields of sugar beets and alfalfa. Settlers homesteading on project lands endured periods of slow, steady growth coupled with financial hardships. Farmers able to negotiate the difficult times prospered and grew as the project developed. Success of the project can be attributed to the ambitions and determination of the settlers who overcame strife to become successful farmers. The Huntley Project is located in south central Montana`s Yellowstone County. Twenty-seven thousand acres of irrigable land lying south of the Yellowstone River between the towns of Huntley and Pompeys Pillar are included in the irrigation system. Water is diverted from the Yellowstone River Basin by a diversion dam two miles above Huntley. A 32 mile main canal carries water in a easterly direction to irrigate a strip of land ranging from one to four miles in width.(1) The first 13.77 miles of the main canal distributes irrigation water through a gravity flow system. A pumping plant at this point raises the water 44 feet to the High Line Canal servicing 5,000 acres of otherwise nonirrigable land. Next to this primary plant is a pumping auxiliary plant, installed in 1917-1918 for use when extra water is required. Three irrigation divisions are included in the Huntley Project. The Pryor Division contains 24,423 acres north of the Main Canal extending to Pompeys Pillar. The Eastern and Fly Creek Divisions combine 4,085 acres of irrigable land. The Eastern Division utilizes the Main Canal and lateral system east of Pompeys Pillar. Lands south of Pompeys Pillar are included in the Fly Creek Division. Water is supplied by the High Line Canal and Reservoir Line Canal. A storage reservoir was not required in the original project plans as the water supply at the canal headworks on the Yellowstone River was considered sufficient. Additional settlement and further development of project lands by local interests necessitated construction of a hold-over storage facility. The Anita Dam and Reservoir meets these demands. Water is supplied to the reservoir from the Yellowstone River by the High Line Canal. Stored water is used to supplement the supply from the hydraulic pump during times of heavy demand. Water is disbursed through the Reservoir Line Canal flowing across Fly Creek to Pompeys Pillar. The High Line Extension Canal diverts from the High Line Canal through a siphon crossing near the Anita Dam.(2) Irrigable lands in the project slope towards the Yellowstone River. Water is delivered to the highest point on the farms for easy irrigation. Twelve and one-half inches of annual precipitation falls on the project, primarily in the spring and fall. Long, dry sunny days are the norm during the 131 day growing season. The soil content of the valley ranges from light sandy to heavy clay, extending 10 to 15 inches deep. Approximately 5000 to 8000 acres near the lower end of the project are underlain with alkali as a result of the flatness of the area.(3) Alkali in the soil made it difficult to produce a paying crop in these sections causing some friction between Reclamation and the irrigation district in the 1920`s. The conflicts were resolved and a combined effort lead to further studies and irrigation on the alkali lands. Before development of the Huntley Project, there was no extensive settlement or private irrigation in the area. The earliest non-indians were fur traders and prospectors who flocked to the mountain streams in search of wealth.(4) Hostility of the Sioux and Cheyenne prevented the development of private settlements and railroad construction. In January of 1874 President Grant signed a bill establishing the Crow Indian Reservation. The reservation included the future site of the Huntley Project. Indian lands were not subject to the Homestead Act and could not be settled by white homesteaders and potential developers. While open lands along the Yellowstone River were cultivated, the lands on the reservation remained underdeveloped.(5) Hunting was the main source of food for the Crow. Government efforts to teach the Crow farming techniques went for naught as the tribe preferred traditional ways. Agriculture was only practiced once the abundant buffalo population vanished in 1880. By 1895 the Crow became effective farmers and learned minor irrigation techniques. Farming was prevalent on the fertile lands of the reservation, but the dry lands along the river stayed unproductive.(6) Successful farming in adjoining areas lead to considerable interest in the United States acquiring this arid area. Congress entered into an agreement with the Crow Tribe for acquisition of part of their reservation in early 1904. Under the terms of the contract the Crow would cede a strip of land in the northern part of the reservation for a payment of $1,150,000.(7) This legislation opened the ceded lands for homesteading and development. Surveys were undertaken to determine the feasibility of irrigation in the valley. On April 27, 1904 Congress approved surveys and investigations for reclamation of irrigable lands within the relinquished portion of the Crow Indian Reservation. Assistant Chief Reclamation Engineer Arthur P. Davis arrived in Billings in May to consider preliminary reports compiled by a team of engineers. Favorable results suggested it would be feasible to organize a government irrigation project and further surveys were ordered.(8) Relying on the positive soil and environmental surveys compiled the previous year, on February 26, 1905, Reclamation`s Board of Engineers declared the project workable. Investigations estimated the cost to construct a canal and distribution system at $30 per acre, whereas improved lands across the river from the Huntley Project sold for $100 per acre. An abundance of water, good climate and a local market area for produce were also in Huntleys favor.(9) Secretary of the Interior E.A. Hitchcock authorized the construction of the Huntley Project on April 18, 1905.(10) Reclamation planned to convert 35,000 acres of sagebrush lands into productive agricultural lands at a cost of $900,000. Huntley became the fifth project undertaken by Reclamation to reclaim arid western lands.(11) During early construction, the Huntley Project experienced problems common to Reclamation projects of the time. These were: contractor defaults; irrigation of lands with poor drainage capabilities; labor difficulties; and a pressing urgency to complete the project quickly as possible. These factors led to increased cost estimates and delays in completion of the work. Despite these problems, in 1907 the Huntley Project became the second Reclamation undertaking completed for water delivery. Plans and specifications for the project were developed in the Denver offices of Reclamation with very limited data. Reclamation actually made final location decisions after completion of initial plans. Reclamation changed field locations on the basis of careful studies on soil conditions.(12) Location of the Main Canal lead to adjustments to a Northern Pacific Railroad right of way. Reclamation planned the first two miles of the canal along the Huntley Bluffs adjacent to the Northern Pacific Railroad tracks. To avoid the railroad, Reclamation originally planned three tunnels with an aggregated length of 1,515 feet. Then the railroad`s future plans for another track at this location forced Reclamation to move further away from the tracks. These alterations resulted in lengthening the tunnels to a total of 2,650 feet.(13) Reclamation set completion of the project for the 1907 irrigation season as a target date. Advertisements for contract work were rushed out in April of 1905. Bids were actually received and contracts let in advance of completion of engineering investigations. This proved unwise as most of the contracts were not executed and work had to be readvertised.(14) Original plans for the Huntley Project called for the diversion of water from the Yellowstone River into a Main Canal three miles west of Huntley on the Yellowstone River. Diversion would be accomplished by the headworks of the canal. Sluiceways 2 miles below the headgates would regulate water in the canal. A channel from Pryor Creek, two miles downstream from the headworks, also supplied water to the Main Canal. The Yellowstone River Basin was 12,000 square miles. Water supply at the canal headworks on the Yellowstone River was deemed adequate for the project. Reclamation did not think a diversion dam or reservoir was necessary.(15) Construction of the headworks, driving of the three tunnels and excavation of the Main Canal began in 1906. The headworks, completed in 1907, are made of reinforced concrete with two steel gates serving as the portal to Tunnel One. Tunnel One is 700 feet long, Tunnel Two 1,550 feet, and Tunnel Three 400 feet. All tunnels are lined with concrete, 9.2 feet wide, 9 feet high with arch roofs.(16) Excavation of the Main Canal was divided into three divisions and completed by contract. Excavation tools, such as fresnos, slip scrapers, and wheel scrapers, were pulled by teams of horses to remove the coarse sand and gravel. A small deep cut just south of Huntley required excavation by a steam shovel.(17) The canal is lined with reinforced concrete at creek crossings and other raised sections and earth lined in the remainder. Work on the Main Canal was targeted for completion by March 1, 1907.(18) Division One excavation proved to be the most difficult. Construction of this section extended from the headworks for two miles to the Pryor Creek overpass, and it included driving the three tunnels. The contractors, Hughes and Olsen, sub-contracted the excavation and concrete lining of the tunnels. This proved costly to the contractors as all the sub-contractors experienced financial difficulty and defaulted on their contracts. Replacement of these contracts required extra time and resulted in delays. Work was finally completed in January of 1908.(19) Standing water encountered during tunnel driving caused further delays for Hughes and Olsen. By June of 1906 very little work was accomplished on account of flooding from high waters. The contractors ill-prepared to deal with the excess waters and lining work was delayed until winter. Work on the tunnels continued until May of 1907.(20) Excavation of the Second and Third divisions was completed fairly easily. A contract was awarded to W.D. Lovell for open cut excavation of this work in 1906. The 6 1/2 mile Second Division was completed in November of 1907.(21) Included in the Third Division excavation was the remainder of the Main Canal and the High Line Canal. Work on this unit was completed on October 1, 1907. The Main Canal crossed the original channel of Pryor Creek eight times. A concrete lined channel 1500 feet long was built through force account by April of 1907 to avoid potential trouble with the stream. The concrete lined channel carries the water over the main canal directly into the Yellowstone River, thereby cutting off between two and three miles of old channel.(22) The original hydraulic pumping plant was located at a reinforced concrete drop at mile thirteen of the main canal. A 35 foot drop in the canal was utilized to lift water 45 feet into the High Line Canal to irrigate 5,000 acres. Two-thirds of the 300 cubic-foot-per-second water capacity of the Main Canal at the pumps dropped through the turbines and developed sufficient hydraulic energy to lift the remaining one-third water to the High Line Canal. The pumps were two direct-connected vertical turbine-driven actuating 20 inch centrifugal pumps. After passing through the pumps, the water continued through the Main Canal. Construction of the plant was completed by force account. The plant structures contained concrete inlet and outlet pipes. The pumps were furnished and installed by the Camden Iron Works in 1907. First testing was done in May of 1908 for the irrigation season.(23) About three and one-half miles east of the pumping plant there is a drop of 40.5 feet in the Main Canal. The structure consists of a reinforced concrete pipe 617.5 feet long with an inside diameter of 3 feet 3 inches. The pipe is designed to give a capacity allowing for sudden floods and possible future increases in demand for water. An inadequate amount of water is passed to generate a power supply. The velocity of the water is broken by a diffusion chamber at the outlet. Water is passed either to the canal or through a wasteway.(24) Construction was completed in 1908. A siphon located at the crossing of the main canal at Fly Creek was built during this period. The siphon is buried and built of reinforced concrete. It is 119 feet long with an inside diameter of five inches.(25) The lateral and drainage system construction caused the most concerns in the early period of the project. Problems with wooden structures and unforeseen water-logging of land made the initial designs of Reclamation engineers obsolete. Original concepts for the laterals system took into account the flatness of the land and the alkali content of the area. Reclamation decided to construct a lateral system to deliver water to the high point of each farm unit and to lay out a system of waste water ditches to prevent the lands from being water logged. To accomplish this, Reclamation estimated 165 miles of lateral ditches and 65 miles of waste-water ditches were necessary.(26) What Reclamation plans did not foresee was poor maintenance by the water users which prevented proper operation of the system. A bid from Piper Brothers Company was accepted for the construction of 268 miles of laterals and ditches on January 2, 1906. The contractor experienced labor difficulties. There was a shortage of labor in the area, and wages were high as a result. The failure of sub-contractors to execute their agreements coupled with labor strife to cause severe economic hardship on Piper Brothers. Reclamation assumed control of the contract in November of 1906 and completed the work by force account before October of 1907. Delays caused by severe winter weather also contributed to the increased cost of the project.(27) Excavation on laterals was done primarily with horses with slip scrapers and an elevated grading machine. Eighty miles of waste ditches had to be excavated in compact gravel, making excavation difficult. Most lateral structures were built of wood, and it soon became obvious these would eventually be replaced with more permanent structures. The alkali in the soil caused the wood to deteriorate faster than expected.(28) Water for irrigation was delivered to the three sections as the canal and lateral systems were extended and completed. Construction on the Pryor Division began in 1905 and was completed in 1908. The Eastern and Fly Creek Divisions were started in 1906. Water was available for irrigating the Eastern Division in 1914 and the Fly Creek Division in 1915. The original estimate of construction costs for the project was $900,000. Due to the problems and delays costs for the Huntley Project rose to $1,600,000.(29) Increased costs led to larger repayment expenses for the farmers. Problems with repayment schedules hindered growth and development in the valley. Once the main features of the Huntley Project were in place, a period of adjustment commenced. As the years went by: old structures wore out; inadequacies of the drainage system surfaced; and the need for a diversion dam and storage reservoir became apparent. The success of the Huntley Project depended on practical solutions to these problems. Cooperation between Reclamation and the irrigation district would provide the answers.
Plan
Anita Dam was not required in the original project plan. Subsequent development of additional lands by local interests necessitated its construction for hold-over storage of water lifted by the turbine-driven pumps during slack periods to reduce the extensive operating time of the pumps. This offstream storage dam was completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1937. The dam is an earth structure, 42 feet high with a volume of 143,000 cubic yards, located 1 mile southeast of the Anita Railroad Station. The combination spillway wasteway adjoining the High Line Canal on the north abutment is a concrete-lined chute 40 feet wide with a capacity of 1,500 cubic feet per second. The dam impounds a reservoir with a capacity of 400 acre-feet. An inspection of the Yellowstone River Diversion Dam in 1956 revealed a crack in the dam due to settlement. Extensive erosion of the streambed had resulted in undercutting of the dam foundation. On January 4, 1957, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Huntley Project Irrigation District signed a repayment contract to repair the dam. The repairs were completed in the fall of 1957. Water is released from Anita Reservoir into the Reservoir Canal, which flows across Fly Creek to the vicinity of Pompeys Pillar. The High Line Extension Canal diverts from the High Line Canal through a siphon crossing at the downstream toe of Anita Dam to irrigate lands above the Reservoir Canal as far as Fly Creek. The inlet to the Main Canal of the Huntley Project is located near a 10.5-foot-high diversion dam in the Yellowstone River about 2.5 miles west of Huntley. The Main Canal is about 32 miles long with an operating capacity of 730 cubic feet per second. Three diversion points supply the canal. The Main Canal headworks and auxiliary headworks are located near the Yellowstone River Diversion Dam and a diversion from Pryor Creek is located on the Main Canal 1.8 miles downstream from the dam. This canal extends in a northeasterly direction and passes through several deep rock cuts and three tunnels. The distribution system includes 202 miles of laterals an 186.5 miles of drains. About 1 mile east of Ballantine, a 35-foot drop in the Main Canal develops energy to lift water 42 feet for the irrigation of approximately 5,000 acres of otherwise nonirrigable land. There are two direct-connected turbines and pumps, each capable of delivering about 50 cubic feet second. The pumping plant is semiautomatic in operation, requiring only occasional checking by a ditchrider. The project diverts water from the Yellowstone River to irrigate lands on the south side of the river between Huntley and Pompeys Pillar, Montana. The gravity distribution system extends from the intake of the Main Canal at the diversion dam on the Yellowstone River, in a northeasterly direction for about 32 miles. At mile 13.77, a 35-foot drop in the Main Canal is utilized to lift water into the High Line Canal, which originates at this point. Two-thirds of the 300-cubic-foot-per-second capacity of the Main Canal at the pumps drops through the turbines and develops sufficient power to lift the remaining 100 cubic feet per second to the High Line Canal. An auxiliary 150-horsepower electric pump was installed in 1975 to lift approximately 25 cubic feet per second to the High Line Canal. Anita Reservoir is filled during slack periods with water delivered through the High Line Canal to supplement the supply from the hydraulic pumps during periods of heavy demand.
Contact
Contact
Title: Area ManagerOrganization: Montana Area Office
Address: P.O. Box 30137
City: Billings, MT 59107-0137
Fax: 406-247-7338
Phone: 406-247-7300
Contact
Title: Public Affairs OfficerOrganization: Great Plains Region
Address: 2021 4th Avenue North
City: Billings, MT 59101
Fax: 406-247-7604
Phone: 406-247-7610