Water Resources Development in North Dakota
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OF THE ARMY, MISSOURI RIVER DIVISION CORPS OF ENGINEERS OMAHA, NEBRASKA 1 "TWO CENTURIES OF RIVER TRANSPORTATION" July 21,1804 "At 7 pm., after covering 14 miles (on the Missouri) in the rain the parti; reached the great river Platte. The highlands which they had seen on the south for the last 8 or 10 miles stopped abruptly. Captains Lewis and Clark ascended the Platte for about 1 mile, reported the current very rapid and divided into a number of channels, none of which were deeper than 5 or 6 feet." From the Lewis & Clark Journals Since its discovery in 1673 by Pere Marquette, a Jesuit missionary, and by Louis Joliet, a fur trader, the Missouri River has played a vital role in the development of the great basin. No one knows when the white man first explored the length of the river, but in 1764 when St. Louis was founded, it is known that French trappers had already ventured far upstream. For many years prior to the advent of the steamboat, the river was used by canoes, keelboats, pirogues, rafts, bullboats, and other small craft engaged mainly in the transportation of furs and hides. The territory now a part of the Missouri River basin was acquired by the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. That same year, President Thomas Jefferson com missioned Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to head an expedition for the exploration of the Missouri River. Leaving St. Louis in May 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition traveled the river to its source, explored vast areas of land westward to the Pacific Ocean, and returned to St. Louis in September 1806. The largest of the three crafts used for the expedition was a 55-foot keelboat drawing 3 feet of water. It carried one large square sail and 22 oars. Larger keelboats of the early settlers soon appeared on the river. These were followed by the Govern ment's steamboats "Thomas Jefferson," "Independ ence," and "Western Engineer," which were used by the Longs Yellowstone Expedition in 1819 to demonstrate the practicability of steamboat transpor tation on the Misouri. The "Western Engineer" made the greatest distance, more than 600 river miles, reaching a point near the present city of Omaha, Nebraska. In 1856 the first boat docked at Sioux City, Iowa and was later followed by the "Spread Eagle" which, in the same year, went to Ft. Benton, Montana more than 2,200 miles upstream from the river's mouth. Steamboat transportation reached its peak in 1880 when wharfmaster's records at St. Louis showed 332 departures and arrivals to and from the Missouri River, with 46 arrivals at Ft. Benton. Missouri River traffic was heavy during that period, and steamboat disasters were numerous and costly in the loss of life and property. Shoals, snags, and sunken craft marked each mile of the river, and boat pilots had to feel their way along the treacherous channel which, in its meanderings, often changed overnight. With the uncertainties and dangers of river travel, it became easy for passengers and traders to abandon the river in favor of the faster and safer rail transportation then making its appearance in the basin. In the latter part of the nineteenth century, river navigation declined rapidly, and little evidence of its revival was noted until 1935 when, following the extensive program of channel improvement carried out by the Corps of Engineers, the Federal Barge Lines began operating towboats between St. Louis and Kansas City. Today the once wild, unpredictable Missouri is stabilized from its mouth to Sioux City, Iowa, a distance of more than 700 miles. Modern towboats with diesel engines, developing from 1,800 to 3,200 horsepower, push cargo-laden barges measuring 195 feet in length, or almost four times the length of the Lewis and Clark keelboat. T£ 43- Z >/nr BUILDING / vi TOMORROW MecP TODAY ec TO OUR READERS: Throughout history, water has played a dominant role in shaping the destinies of nations and entire civilizations. The early settlement and development of our country occurred along our coasts and water courses. The management of our land and water resources was the catalyst which enabled us to progress from a basically rural and agrarian economy to the urban and industrialized nation we are today. Since the General Survey Act of 1824, the US Army Corps of Engineers has played a vital role in the development and management of our national water resources. At the direction of Presidents and with Congressional authorization and funding, the Corps of Engineers has planned and executed major national programs for navigation, flood control, water supply, hydroelectric power, recreation and water conservation which have been responsive to the changing needs and demands of the American people for 152 years. These programs have contributed significantly to the economic growth of our country and to the well-being of the American people. Today, the activities of the Corps of Engineers in water resources management, under the direction of the Executive and Legislative branches of the Federal government, continue to support national goals and objectives. These include conservation of our water resources, protection of our wetlands, non-structural solutions to flood-damage control problems, total water manage ment in metropolitan areas, flood plain management, and the preservation and enhancement of the quality of our environment for future generations. This booklet describes the past, current, and proposed activities of the Corps of Engineers in your state. I trust that you will find it informative, interesting, and useful. S~\ J. W. MORRIS Lieutenant General, USA Chief of Engineers 1 z za O Ifi DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, MISSOURI RIVER DIVISION CORPS OF ENGINEERS OMAHA, NEBRASKA The address of each Corps of Engineers office involved in the State is given below, and the area of responsibility of each is indicated on the map in the back of this pamphlet. Inquiries regarding the work of the Corps should be addressed to the appropriate office. DIVISION ENGINEER DEPARTMENTOFTHE ARMY, MISSOURI RIVER DIVISION Corps of Engineers P.O. Box 103, Downtown Station Omaha, Nebraska 68101 DISTRICT ENGINEER DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY Omaha District, Corps df Engineers 6014 U.S. Post Office and Court House 215 North 17th Street Omaha, Nebraska 68102 DIVISION ENGINEER DEPARTMENT OFTHE ARMY, NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION Corps of Engineers 536 South Clark Street Chicago, Illinois 60605 DISTRICT ENGINEER DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY St. Paul District, Corps of Engineers 1217 U.S. Post Office and Custom House St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 INTRODUCTION 5 MISSOURI RIVER TRIBUTARIES 15 COMPLETED MULTIPLE-PURPOSE PROJECTS 19 Garrison Dam and Lake Sakakawea 19 Bowman-Haley Lake, North Dakota 21 COMPLETED FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS 22 Marmarth Local Flood Protection 22 Mandan Local Flood Protection 23 Lower Heart River Flood Control 23 ASSOCIATED PROJECTS OF OTHER AGENCIES 22 MULTIPLE-PURPOSE PROJECTS UNDER WAY 24 Comprehensive Plan, Missouri River Basin 24 Oahe Dam and Lake Oahe 25 Pipestem Lake, North Dakota 27 FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS UNDER WAY 26 Missouri River between Garrison Dam and Lake Oahe 26 STREAMBANK EROSION CONTROL 27 OTHER AUTHORIZED PROJECTS 27 Mott, Cannonball River 27 WORK UNDER SPECIAL CONTINUING AUTHORITIES 28 Small Flood Control Projects 28 Flood Fighting and Emergency Repairs 29 Flood Plain Information Reports 31 SURVEYS UNDER WAY 32 SOURIS-RED-RAINY RIVER BASIN 35 COMPLETED FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS 39 Lake Traverse-Bois de Sioux River 39 Lake Ashtabula and Baldhill Dam 40 Homme Dam and Lake 40 Red River of the North 41 FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS UNDER WAY 42 Channel Improvements, Souris River at Minot 42 Red River of The North at Pembina 43, 45 OTHER AUTHORIZED PROJECTS 42 Kindred Lake, Sheyenne River 42 Burlington Dam, Souris River, North Dakota 43 Grafton, North Dakota 45 URBAN STUDIES 44 Souris-Red-Rainy Region 44 WORK UNDER SPECIAL CONTINUING AUTHORITIES 44 Velva, North Dakota 44 Lower Branch Rush River 44 Red River of the North at Pemibina, North Dakota 43, 45 SURVEYS UNDER WAY 46 INDEX 47 STATE MAP Cover Illustrations: T. J. Hudson 4 When adverse conditions or problems arise in con nection with flooding or related conservation matters, local interests, if unable to cope with the situation, may petition their representatives in Congress for assistance. The representatives, after consideration of such petitions, may request the appropriate Con gressional Committee to direct the Corps of Engineers to investigate the feasibility and economics of reme dial measures. When the directive covers an entire river basin, the basin is studied as a unit, and every effort is made to develop a comprehensive plan. Flood control, hydroelectric power, navigation, irri gation, water supply, water quality control, recrea tion, and such other water uses as can be economi cally integrated into the plan are considered. Throughout the investigation and planning stages of a basin development, close coordination is maintained with local interests, the State, and other Federal agencies. As a result, the desires of local interests and the plans of other agencies receive full con sideration, and the project as finally recommended for construction by the Corps of Engineers becomes a properly designed unit in the ultimate comprehensive development of the stream basin. The entire program, from preliminary planning through construction and operation, is under the direction of the Secretary of the Army and the supervision of the Chief of Engi neers, U.S. Army. The decentralized organization of the Corps of En gineers, with its 11 major divisions based primarily on drainage boundaries, is particularly suited to the conduct of comprehensive studies leading to the most effective utilization of our water resources. Most of INTRODUCTION the major river basins are entirely within the boun daries of single divisions, and district boundaries are This booklet provides timely, concise information con usually established to include one or more principal cerning the water resources development program of tributary basins.