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- Lower Yellowstone Project
Lower Yellowstone Project
State: Montana and North Dakota
Region: Great Plains
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Lower Yellowstone Project History (46 KB)
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Yellowstone River near Sidney, Montana
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Mountain Snowpack Maps for Missouri River Basin (NRCS)
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Lower Yellowstone
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General
The Lower Yellowstone Project in east-central Montana and western North Dakota includes the Lower Yellowstone Diversion Dam, Thomas Point Pumping Plant, the Main Canal, 225 miles of laterals, and 118 miles of drains. The purpose of the project is to furnish a dependable supply of irrigation water for approximately 54,000 acres of fertile land along the west bank of the Yellowstone River. About one-third of the project lands are in North Dakota and two-thirds in Montana.
History
About 1883, following the completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad, cattlemen settled in the project area. Limited irrigation of meadowland was accomplished by a few of the settlers prior to the construction of the irrigation project.
Construction
Flooding damaged the driven wooden piles during high waters in the summer of 1908. An accumulation of trees and drift wood against the piles caused extensive erosion of the river bed. Many piles were uprooted and the remainder were left barely standing upright.(15) At this point the contractor became frustrated and refused to execute the contract. Reclamation assumed control of the contract on September 15, 1908, and completed the dam through use of force account.(16) The first task Reclamation forces faced was removing the remaining wooden piles and awaiting the next low water season. Most of the wooden piles were removed before high water delayed construction on the dam`s framework until August of 1909. A few of the placed wooden piles were left in the dam`s frame. Reclamation decided to abandon the ineffective wooden sheet piles in favor of 10x10 inch solid timbers made from Douglas Fir, successfully used on other dams. The timbers have strips of 3x4 inches spiked to serve for tongue and grove to provide greater rigidity and endurance. Driving by steam and drop hammers began August 13th. In a few cases the ground was too hard even for the timbers and steel sheet-pilings were driven instead.(17) The Lower Yellowstone Diversion Dam was fully completed in March of 1910. The dam is a rockfilled timber-crib weir with a structural height of 12 feet and crest length of 700 feet. The dam is capable of diverting 1,100 cubic feet per second of water into the Main Canal.(18) Main Canal and lateral system construction began in 1905. Reclamation let contracts for nine divisions of excavation and structure work. The contractors experienced labor difficulties and inclement weather leading to delays in target completion dates and inflated costs. Severe winters in 1905 to 1907 coupled with expensive material and labor costs forced the failure of many contractors to properly execute their responsibilities. Contractors found it difficult to secure reliable laborers during construction, resulting in high wages for those hired.(19) The remoteness of the area, the nearest railroad station being 40 miles away, increased material prices.(20) Completion of the canal to mile 62 was originally expected in 1908, but problems delayed completion until 1909. Delays and contractor difficulties increased construction costs to $2,291,933.(21) Steamshovels and dredges were used to excavate gravel, sandstone and blue shale. Trying to prevent problems, the canal was lined with stone and gravel in potential seepage sections. All structures; headworks, spillways, sluiceways, and conduits, are reinforced concrete. Thirteen creek crossings required concrete flumes and siphons. Originally, flumes and siphons were built from either wood or concrete, depending on the particulars of the crossing. At the diversion dam in the Yellowstone River, the headworks consist of 11 circular sluiceways 5 feet in diameter. The headworks stands 45 feet high and is built on a shale foundation.(22) Irrigation water was first available in 1909. 62 miles of canal and 74 miles of laterals capable of irrigating 40,535 acres and 424 farms were in place for operation.(23) The Main Canal was extended 4.7 miles to mile 66.7 in 1912. The contractor used dredge excavation machines to remove 6,000 cubic yards of earth. The extension services 2,100 acres of irrigable land.(24) Original plans included a pumping plant on the Main Canal for irrigating 2,300 acres of high land north of the town of Savage, Montana. Preliminary designs were prepared in 1908. A shortage of available funds in 1909 postponed construction of the plant indefinitely.(25) Further delays and the lack of proper funding shelved the building of the pump until 1922. Once Reclamation completed initial construction, production of the farms on the project determined whether additional expansion of the project would occur. Disputes between Reclamation and the water-users delayed possible extensions of the project to reclaim additional lands. A period of growth and prosperity followed once agreements were reached between Reclamation and the irrigation districts. Construction began on July 22, 1905. Water was available for irrigation during the season of 1909. The principal crops grown include small grains, alfalfa and other hay crops, pasture, silage, beans, and sugar beets. The town of Savage is supplied with Lower Yellowstone Project water. The Lower Yellowstone Project exemplifies Reclamation`s determination for irrigation to succeed in a semi-arid territory. Reclamation overcame initial opposition by dry-land farmers to construct an irrigation system in the Lower Yellowstone Valley, through a program of education and aid. Farmers ultimately realized the value of irrigation and its importance to the development of the valley. The purposeful resolve of Reclamation employees led to the project realizing its full capabilities. The Lower Yellowstone Project is located in eastern Montana and western North Dakota. The project currently provides irrigation water to 52,133 acres of fertile land lying along the west bank of the Yellowstone River. Two divisions, dependant on state location, are incorporated into the project. Division One encompasses 34,755 acres of Dawson and Richland Counties in east central Montana. Division Two includes an additional 17,378 acres in McKenzie County in western North Dakota.(1) Water is diverted from the Yellowstone River by the Lower Yellowstone Diversion Dam 18 miles below Glendive, Montana. The Main Canal receives the diverted water for distribution to the lateral system. The Canal is 71.6 miles long running northeasterly along the west bank of the Yellowstone River to its confluence with the Missouri River. Two hundred and twenty-five miles of laterals distribute water to Project lands. Seepage water is collected and disposed of by 118 miles of drains. The ample water level of the Yellowstone River eliminates storage requirements.(2) Irrigation waters are distributed primarily through a gravity flow system, but two pumping plants on the Main Canal supply water for a small area not reached by the gravity system. The Thomas Point Pumping Plant serves 2,300 acres of benchland north of Savage, Montana. A drop of 28 feet in the Main Canal, 19 miles below the headworks, is used for generating hydraulic power to lift irrigation water 31 feet to otherwise unirrigable land.(3) The Crane Pumping Plant is located 10 miles below the Thomas Point Pumping Plant. Two motor-driven units are used to pump 5 cubic feet per second of water from the Main Canal into Lateral BP-1.(4) A deep sandy loom characterizes the soil of the valley. The valley receives an average of 14 inches annual precipitation.(5) The semi-aridity of the valley led many early settlers to believe irrigation was a mistake. Reclamation undertook an concerted effort to convince the farmers otherwise. Cattlemen and ranchers moved onto the lands of the Lower Yellowstone Project beginning in 1883 upon completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad into the area. Then in 1900, an influx of settlers interested in dry-land farming lands adjacent to the river valley began. The dry farmers practiced limited irrigation. Flood irrigation from storm waters on meadow lands combined with small ditches from local streams to carry water to trees and gardens. A series of reservoirs and dams on Four-Mile Creek were in the construction phase immediately before Reclamation assumed control. Severe weather damaged portions of the system and no repairs were attempted nor substantial irrigation ventures tried.(6) Modest ditches provided irrigation water for small plots of land. Attempts to irrigate larger areas resulted in increased construction costs beyond the means of the individual farmers. Farmers formed small irrigation companies to combine resources, but costs exceeded available capital.(7) Reclamation became aware of the valleys potential prosperity. Successful private irrigation in western Montana precipitated irrigation studies in eastern Montana. The Lower Yellowstone Project was declared feasible based upon favorable soil surveys and the presence of an abundant water supply in the Yellowstone River. Preliminary surveys by Reclamation began in 1903. Reclamation began surveying possible irrigation sites on the west bank of the Yellowstone River in 1903. The first survey, undertaken in July, concentrated on the irrigable area near Terry, Montana, 40 miles north of Glendive. The high elevation of proposed lands and the shallow fall of the river resulted in the U.S. Reclamation Service determining this proposal impracticable for a gravity flow system.(8) A second survey investigated diversion into a canal two miles above Glendive to irrigate 70,000 acres. Examinations found construction costs excessive, and consideration of this site was also abandoned. However, data from these first two surveys revealed the possibility of a canal heading 18 miles below Glendive.(9) In March of 1904, estimates for a low line canal were compiled from topographical sheets. Calculations indicated a $25 to $30 irrigation construction cost per acre. A Board of Consulting Engineers consisting of A.P. Davis, J.H. Quinton, B.M. Hall and C.H. Fitch visited the project site the following month. The board left instructions for Reclamation engineers to conduct investigations determining canal system location, land coverage estimates and cost projections. Ultimately a $1,800,000 cost estimate was calculated for irrigating 64,144 acres of fertile land.(10) Secretary of the Interior Ethan A. Hitchcock authorized construction on May 10, 1904. Plans and specifications for the first 34 miles of canal were prepared in the Denver offices of Reclamation during the winter of 1904-1905. Initial plans included construction of a diversion dam, pumping plant, and a canal and lateral system.(11) Reclamation encountered contractor problems during construction of the Yellowstone River Diversion Dam. Borings during 1905 showed the riverbed near Intake, Montana, to be hard, stiff clay extending 50 feet in depth. Reclamation engineers determined the best type of construction for the site to be the driving of several piling rows across the river, fill in between them with large stones, and then use timbers to cover the face of the dam. A belief persisted the potential danger of ice flow would slide over this structure without difficulty.(12) With design completed, the contractor started preparatory construction in late fall of 1906. Quarrying and hauling of stone was completed in the summer of 1907. Flood waters caused delays in driving piles until the following spring. The contractor drove 473 round piles into the riverbed by May 19, 1908 when high water again forced the stoppage of work.(13) High water subsided by August and work resumed. Attempts to drive additional wooden sheet piles proved futile. Each wooden sheet pile was made from three 2x12 inch boards. The texture of the riverbed changed unexpectedly to coarse gravel underlain with hard pan, making driving of piles impossible. Attempts to drive wooden piles with steam and drop hammers tested unsuccessful.(14) Lower Yellowstone Project Efforts made by Reclamation to provide irrigation water for arid regions of the West sometimes met resistance from settled dry-land farmers. Reclamation strove to justify the need for irrigation water in semi-arid regions. After dry farmers in these areas realized the potential value of irrigation, rapid settlement and success followed.
Plan
Water is diverted from the Yellowstone River into the Main Canal by the Lower Yellowstone Diversion Dam near Intake, Mont. It is carried by gravity to the greater portion of the project lands. About 2,300 acres of bench-land are irrigated by water pumped from the canal by the Thomas Point Pumping Plant. The Lower Yellowstone Diversion Dam, on the Yellowstone River about 18 miles below Glendive, Montana, is a rockfilled timber crib weir about 12 feet high. The dam contains 23,000 cubic yards of material. There are three pumping plants on the project; one at Thomas Point on the Main Canal, one at Crane on the Main Canal, and one on Drain 27. The Thomas Point Pumping Plant is on the Main Canal about 19 miles below the headworks. The plant has two units directly connected to hydraulic turbines and one motor-driven unit. The energy derived from 80 cubic feet per second of water falling 28 feet from the Main Canal to Lateral KK is utilized by the two hydraulic turbine driven centrifugal pumps to lift 45 cubic feet per second of water 31 feet to Lateral LL for irrigation of 2,300 acres of benchland north of Savage, Mont. The motor driven unit pumps 20 cubic feet per second of water from the Main Canal into Lateral LL. The Crane Pumping Plant has two motor-driven units, each of which pumps 5 cubic feet per second of water from the Main Canal into Lateral BP-1. The pumping plant at Drain 27 has one motor-driven unit which pumps 15 cubic feet per second of water from the drain into Lateral N. The Main Canal diverts to the west side of the Yellowstone River at Intake and extends down the valley to the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers. The canal is 71.6 miles long and has an initial capacity of 1,200 cubic feet per second. A lateral system of 225 miles serves the project lands. A total of 118 miles of drains have been constructed. The project is operated by the Board of Control of the Lower Yellowstone Project.
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
Contact
Organization: Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District No. 1Address: Route 1, Box 2064
City: Sidney, MT 59270
Phone: 406-482-5260
Contact
Organization: Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District No. 2Address: Route 1, Box 2064
City: Sidney, MT 59270
Phone: 406-482-5260
Contact
Organization: Lower Yellowstone Project Board of ControlAddress: Route 1, Box 2064
City: Sidney, MT 59270
Phone: 406-482-5260
