General
The Intake Project includes a pumping plant and an irrigation distribution system serving 823 acres in Dawson County, Montana, adjacent to the Lower Yellowstone Project. The pumping plant is located on the Main Canal of the Lower Yellowstone Project about 1.5 miles downstream from Intake, Montana.
History
The early settlers of the area depended on raising stock for their livelihood. During years of sufficient rainfall, abundant crops were produced, but those years were infrequent and the need for irrigation soon became apparent. The Reclamation Service began investigations of the Lower Yellowstone Valley in 1903 and constructed the adjacent Lower Yellowstone Project in 1905 to 1909. Upon its completion, about 260 acres, in what is now the Intake Project, were irrigated by privately operated pumps which lifted water from the Lower Yellowstone Main Canal to the land.
Construction
Construction began in July 1945 and was completed in time for delivery of water during the 1946 irrigation season. The principal crops grown in the Intake Project include oats, alfalfa and other hay crops, pasture, silage, and sugar beets. The Intake Project Very often Reclamation becomes involved in relatively minor projects requiring little construction work. The Intake Project falls into this category. A two-pump pumping plant, Intake took a matter of months to construct. Because of its small size, Intake made virtually no impression on Reclamation`s written record. In many ways the lack of documentation regarding the project signifies that it was a success-no major problems occurred requiring repairs, construction activities proceeded without a hitch, and water users benefitted. The Intake Project consists of a pumping plant and a privately constructed irrigation distribution system. The project is located in Dawson County, Montana, adjacent to the Lower Yellowstone Project. The pumping plant sits on the Main Canal of the Lower Yellowstone Project about a mile and a half downstream of the town of Intake, Montana. President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the Intake Project on January 20, 1944, under terms of the Water Conservation and Utilization Act of August 11, 1939. Congress reauthorized the project as part of the Missouri River Basin Project, later renamed the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program (PSMBP), under the Flood Control Act of 1944. The project was included as part of the Yellowstone River Pumping Unit in the PSMBP authorization. Construction proceeded under the original authorization so the project does not fall under Pick-Sloan`s jurisdiction. Reclamation constructed the Intake Project by force account beginning in July of 1945. All work was completed prior to the start of the 1946 irrigation season. The Lower Yellowstone Project provides the project water for the Intake Project. From the Main Canal of the Lower Yellowstone project, the Intake Project pumps water through two electric pumps into Laterals A-2 and A-3, one-mile and almost three miles long respectively. These laterals supply water to the irrigated lands on either side of the Lower Yellowstone Project Main Canal. The nearby Fort Peck Project, part of the PSMBP, supplies the needed electricity to run the pumping units. Reclamation began investigations on the Lower Yellowstone River soon after its inception in 1902. In 1904, the Secretary of the Interior, Ethan Allen Hitchcock authorized construction of the Lower Yellowstone Project. Reclamation began construction of the Lower Yellowstone Project in 1905. Construction activities continued until 1909. After completion of the Lower Yellowstone Project land owners on what became the Intake Project began irrigating their lands using gas powered pumps to lift water from the Lower Yellowstone Main Canal to their project lands which were not served by the Lower Yellowstone Project. These pumps proved rather costly to maintain and operate. In 1942, Reclamation investigated the general Intake Project area and submitted its findings in a report dated April of 1942. This report provided the basis for project authorization in 1944.
Plan
The project facilities include a pumphouse, two electric motors, and two pumps. One pump lifts 3 cubic feet per second of water 10 feet and discharges into Lateral A-2, which is 1 mile long. The other pump lifts 15 cubic feet per second of water 16 feet to supply Lateral A-3, which is 2.9 miles long. The pumping power requirements are supplied by the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program from the Fort Peck Project by wheeling over facilities of the Montana-Dakota Utilities Company. The Board of Control of the Lower Yellowstone Project operates and maintains the Intake Project.
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