' I l ' BASIC DATA ON -RANFORD ENGINEER WORKS PASCO WASHINGTON 'c -- - j 0 Q1 I 6 1 Offio of the Chief t Eu ineeFs - ' ' We shington D C ' May 19 1943 1' n f r- --- -··r 0 BASIC DATA ON HANFORD ENG NEER WORKS PASCO WASHINGTON Otfioe ef the Chief of EJ lgineera Washington D May 19 1943 -· -DECLASSIFiEli-- ----- I _ Cl 'J tli I 1 c ·• BASIC DATA ON HANFORD ENGINEER WORKS Pasco Washington CONTENTS I SUMMARY II· DESCRIPTION III APPEN'DICES BASIC DATA ON LAND ACQUISITION HANFORD ENGINEER WORKS Pasco Washington • I SUMMARY l Authorized by the Act of March 27 1942 Public Law 507 77th Congress and the Act of July 2 1942 Public Law 649 77th Cong- ress 0 2 ·consists of land located in parts of Grant Franklin Adams Benton and Yakima Counties in the south central pa rt of the State of Washington comprises approximately 436 000 acres 3 4 Acquisition was approved February 8 • 1943 • and commenced immediately 193 833 acres will be acquired in fee and 237 937 acres will be leased 6 Ownerships are as follows Federally-owned - 67 182 acres atat owned - 36 010 aores privately-owned - 327 808 acres townsites rights-of-way etc - 770 acres 6 Population oonsi_sts of inhabitants of White Bluff - 2001 Richland - 208J Hanford - 100 and not more than 1 000 farmers and r8 llchera within the project bom1daries 7 Agriculture is confined to an area ccmprising roughly 6 000 acres or about 8 3% of the total area Irrigation Districts w1thin the proj eot are the Priest Rapids District _ 1 100 acres receiving water and the Richland District - • 4 705 aores reoei'Ving water -1- f P 9 Crops produced within the Irrigation District aggregate· not more than $1 500 000 mainly fleshy fruits cherries peaches apri• cots etc asparagus and mint Three-fourths of this year's crop will be unaffected by the acquisition and can be harvested 10 Roads utilities schools and railroads 11 be acquired and closed wherever necessary for adequate con rol over the project 11 Cost or the land acquisition as originally estimated in the directive is approximately $5 153 700 00 I • BASIC DATA ON LA ND ACQUISITION HANFORD ENGINEER WORKS Pasco Washington • II DESCRIPTION 1 AUTHORIZATION The Act of March 27 1942 Public Law 507 77th Congress known as the Second War Powers Act authorizes the Secretary of War to acquire by purchase donation transfer or condemnation any real property temporary use thereof or other interest therein together with any personal property· located thereon that shall be deemed·neces- sary for military or other war purposes The Act of July 2 1942 Pub Law 649 77th Congress appropriated certain funds for the Engineer Service Army to be expended in part upon he acquisition of lands · rights-of-way temporary use thereof and interests therein Authoriza- tion tor the acquisition is contained in the first act and funds have been m de available under the second 2 - SITE The project is located in south central Washington at the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia Rivers and includes part of Benton Yakima Gr r t Adams and Franklin Counties as well as the towns of White Bluffs Richland and Hanford or The most westerly boundary· the site is twenty airline miles east of Yakima a city of 23 ooo population The principal part of the area may be described as an un- dula ting plain sloping from 3 600 feet to about 400 fe t • Temperatures range from a maximum of 114 degrees to a minimum of 27 degrees below ' z·ero The average annual precipitation is 6 93 inches at Hanford The soil in general is low in organic matter and the bulk of the area --· --DECLASSIFIED Authority may be characterized as very low grade sage brush grazing land the • rainfall being sufficient only for desert growth Farming is practicable only in those portions of the area which are irrigable Even here the tillable topsoil ranging depth from six inches to two feet is underlaid by gravel The porous nature of the land makes it necessary to conduct irrigation water in concrete ditches and pipes The balance of the site is suitable only for grazing there being no timber and very little vegetati 3 ARFA There have been a number of revisions in the original proposed acreage but as of the present time the site comprises approximately 436 000 acres It is irregular in shape and is roughly 26 miles by 37 miles at its widest point 4 ACQUISITION On February ·a 1943 a directive was issued by the Secre- tary of War authorizing acquisition of the necessary land The site has been divided into five areas designated A B C D and E The · first to be acquired was area A which is situated in the center of the project · A petition in oondenmaticm was filed in the U s District · Court tor the Eastern District of Washington under the Second War Powers ' Act of March 27 1942 Public Law 607 77th Congress on February 23 1943 covering 193 833 acres of land and possession was awarded as •• of that date • The method of acquisition used - filing of a petition in condemnati - was decided upon 1n order to obtain immediate possession ot the entire 193 833 acres with a minimum of delay and inconvenience 1 DECLASSiFIED Authority- to all concerned • It does not indicate that the OWDers were in disagree- ment as to value nor does it mean that the titles were in bad state • The u s District Court merely awarded the Government the right to occupy immediately the area within the perimeter description and the · War Department then proceeded to appraise negotiate and obtain options_ on the component tracts As each tract was closed and paid tor the condemnation proceeding was dismissed as to that parcel Areas A · D and E comprising approximately 176 000 17 500 and 6 1 400 a ores respectively are to be acquired fee Area B which includes about 197 000 acres will be le sed for a term of one year with an annual right of renewal for a period of 26 years Area C totalling 40 500 acres will be leased under a form ot agreement which will enable the owners to remain in possession subject to certain rules and regulations promulgated by the Government 5 OWNERSHIP There are 67 182 acres of federally-owned land within the· P oject boundaries 36 010 a ores are held by the State of Washington and 332 308 acres are in private ownership The latter figure is composed of 301 046 acres ot grazing land 13 487 acres of dry farm land and 17 776 acres of irrigable land In addition there are 770 acres within various townsites railroad rights-of-way etc 6• POPUIATION Three towns are encompassed by the site • White Blutt with a_ population ot 200J Riehl and wi'th a population of 208 and Hanford with a population ot 100 The villages of White Bluff and Hanford --· ---D-ECLASSIFIEl L - Authority are situated entirely within the A area and ocm sequently are being •· vacated imn1ediately Residents of Richland will be given until November 15 to relocate save for that portion of the town which had to be vacated immediately Both Hanford and White Bluff have supported a substantially larger population in past years than at present At Hanford particularly there has been considerable abandonment of business buildings The occupied buildings while of modest type and caistruction are generally in fair condition Farm buildings vary materially in type and condition but average a rather nominal value per set There a_re some fairly substantial buildings in the town of Richland which are in fair condition but of modest construction Few improvements have been built recently Nearly all of the residents o£ these three towns are engaged in farming or ranching In addition to the residents of the three towns there are probably a thousand -others li ng within the project boundaries also depending on farming or grazing for a livelihood 7• AGRICULTURE Of nearly 18 000 acres of irrigable land within the pro- ject not more than 6 000 acres or tied as farm land 3% ot the total area may be classi- The balance is tit only tor grazing The Depart- ment of Agriculture estimates that 120 acres of this land are required to support one animal unit 5 sheep per year This is indicative of the· inferior grazing character of the area Due to the fact that the soil in this vicinity is predominantly voloanio ash and underlaid • by gravel a high percentage ot the water is absorbed -6- -- -·-l ECLASSIFIEfi Authority The range land is used primarily for sheep in the • spring and winter seasons From 18 000 to 2-0 000 head of sheep may be found in the area from December to May During this period the site·supplies full feed for sheep for about two months' time one and a half months• of partial feed and for the balance or the period feed is supplied from outside sources since the two irrigation projects produce no feed for sheep or cattle Approximately 10 000 sheep cross the area from April to May on the way to the summer range Not more than three hundred head of cattle and a minimum of other stock nay be found within the project 8 IRRIGATION DISTRICTS Land in the vicinity of this project was first irri- gated in 1908 At the present time there are two Districts within the area - the Priest Rapids District and the Richland District Both have been greatly reduced in size since their creation The Priest Rapids District is situated in the north central part o f the project -on the south bank of the Columbia River and obtains water by means of a power plant situated at ·Priest Rapids The District was first developed in 1907 by the Hanford Irrigation and Power Company and comprised over 15 000 a ores at land Most of this land is not irrigated at the present time 7 000 a ores being non-irrigable and only 1 100 acres having a otuaily received water in 1942 • The facilities originally delivered 32 inches of water on·eaoh irrigable acre under irrigation whioh has been increased to 96 inches This high requirement is due primarily to transmission losses of from 50-60% of the water pumped through the -7- i -- • -DECLASSIFIEtr AuthorityJML9 canals to the farms over sandy soils The District has had considerable financial difficulties over the years At present 60% of' the land within • the original boundaries fs owned by the District having reverted from private ownership The Richland Irrigation District lies approximately ten miles northwest of Pasco in the southeastern part of the site water is diverted from the Yakima River with the aid of four booster pumps Developed at the same time t ta t the Priest Rapids District was created it was operated under private ownership from 1909 to 1919 when it was organized into the present District There were approximately 15 000 acres of land within the original project of which only 10 600 are irrigable As Actually but 4 700 acres are presently receiving water in the case of the Priest Rapids District considerable financial difficulties have been encountered and at present 4 200 acres of the irrigable land are owned by the District 9 CROPS Within the 6 000 acres of irrigated lands a variety of specialized crops are grown particularly the fleshy fruits suoh as apricots peaches cherries peaches and grapes A conssiderable amount ot mint ha a been recently introduced and has given substantial returns Grapes and asparagus have -been increasing · and some potatoes oorn and melons are grown A limited amount of grain and alfalfa is produced but in general yields of irrigated wheat crops and'ra nge • feed are all low compared with neighboring areas The total value of all crops presently being raised within -a- r- --·oECLASSIFIEfi Authority the Richland Irrigation District has been estimated at approximately $1 200 000 by qualified local representatives of the Federal Land Bank • No figures are available an the Priest Rapids District but it is beiiev d that the yield is less than a quarter of that derived from the Richland area Whenever possible orchards will be left in place under the control of the owners and where control of the area renders it essential to acquire title to the orchl rds it is proposed to lease· them to the original owners or nearti y farmers in order that culti -vati on may be continued Except in the -construction area where immediate evacuation of all residents is imperative owners will be allONed to remain in possession until November 1 It is estimated that these arrangements for harvesting will result in a saving ot more than threefourths ot the crops in the entire area The details of this plan are being worked out by the War Department Department of Agriculture and representatives of the state of Washington 10 a ROADS UTILITIES SCHOOLS AND RAillVAYS Roads There are a number of roads within the area being taken• u s -- Washington No 410 passes through the southeast corner of the project for a distance or five miles An oil-surfaced secondary state highway leads from u s No 410_ in the southeast oorner ot the site •• and run a as far north as the town of White Bluff This highway inter- sects a graded graveled secondary road at Hanford which travels in a due east-west direction through the central part of the site and is -9- 1·- --DicLASSIFIEfi Authority NNb 924l o - the principal outlet for traffic to Yakima • The central portion of the area south and east of the Columbia River is adequately served with a network of graded and graveled roads and trails The outlying areas are featured by rugged terrain and have a minimum of road development All roads within areas A B and D will be condemned and closed Roads within the C area will be left open but the Government will retain the right to control maintain and improve the two State Highways through this area No restrictions whatsoever are to be imposed on the use of the roads in the C area east of the Columbia River b Utilities With regard to utilities electric service is available to all towns and a substantial part of the farms in the irrigated sections of the site 66 K v The Pacific Power and Light Company maintains a transmission line from the southwest corner of the site at Richland north to Hanford and White Bluffs and west to the power plant ot the Priest Rapids Irrigation District The same company ·also has a line connecting with this system which runs west to Yakima and an interconnection with the Bonneville 110 K V• Walla Wall a line west of the town ot Hanford A small substation is maintained at Richland The Bonneville Power Administration's 110 K v line ia to t emain in place and an agreement is being worked out with the Adm1niatrati011 whereunder that agenoy will maintain the line subjeot • -to 811¥ necessary prateotive measures whioh may be adopted by the prc- j-eot Th Pacific Power Light Company lines within the area are to DECLASSIFIEDAuthority NN 9 Ll tj Q_ be acquired together with all switching stations and related properties • Representati11 es of_ the War Department and the Company are at present negotiating the location of a new line outside the project boundaries The Company will prepare estimates of the cost of' installing the new line and this factor will be taken into consideration in compensating the Company for its existing lines and oth r properties within the area which will be acquired by condemnation Arrangements will be made for continuance of' service by the Pacific Power Light Company until the new lines are in full operation at which time· the facilities within the project will be placed under the plant operator There are two private telephone franchises operating within the area - the Columbia River 'Ie lephone Company which serves - White Bluff and Hant'ord and the Kennewick Valley Telephone Company whioh includes the Richland area The War Department proposed to ao- q re the entire holdings of the Columbia River Telephone Company and t portion ot the Kennewick system serving the Riohland area in order that the telephone system will be Government-operated With regard to water supply the town of Richland is served by a small privately-owned system while the towns of White Bluff and Hanford each are served by nm-profit companies All three will be acquired by condemnation proceedings • There is a tree ferry maintained by the State of waah- ingtOD wbioh transports trattio aoroas the Columbia River at Hanford All of the ferry equipment inoluding boa ts will be acquired b7 the war Department c Schools 11 11 All scho'ols within a eas A • B and D will be ac- quired but those within area C will not be ta ken The schools in all areas will be continued until the close of the present term d Railroads The electrified section of the Chicago Milwaukee and st Paul Railway rlllls north of the subject site and will remain undisturbed A branch line of the Milwaukee system leaves the main line at he station of Beverly on the Columbia River and follows the river to the town of Hanford Approximately thirty-five miles of this line are within the project area The Government will acquire the right-0£- way switches and other·property of the rail oad commencing at the ·station of Vernita and eµding at the town of Ha n£ord 11 COSTS The cost or land acquisition as estimated in the directive is as follows Approximately $3 281 300 for the fee in Area A • approximately $1 522 400 for _the fee in Area D J approximately $65 000 per annum for a leasehold interest in Area 11 B11 J approximately $60 000 · for the aoquisi tion of all improvements on Area B J approximately $50 000 per annum £or a leasehold interest in Area C and an additional $100 000 for the land acquisition in fee simple within Areas_ B and C and improvements in Area C if necessary Area E will require approximately·$75 000 £or a leasehold interest in both land and improve- •· ments The total cost estimating the leaseholds for one year only is approxµna tely $5 153 700 -12- • - • APPENDICES • 1 PHOTOGRAPHS II MAPS • • 7 1 Grape v ineyard south of Richland looking east towards Rattlesnake Mountain This vineyard is in good oondition and adjoins the area in which early construction is planned The 1943 harvest oan be completed - 2 Orchard north of Richland in area to be purchased The foreground shows stumps of orchard destroyed in the fal l 1942 DECLASSIFIED Authority I tJ1 9 d l lj 0 3 Qne of the main trunk irri gati on ditches in north edge of Richland This ditch is partially concrete lined and is of comparatively high quality Wi thin area to be puroha sed -- -- DECLASSIFIEir j utbority Nt-lt 9 2 l Yl _ - 4 The dam at the Horn'' of the Yakima whioh diverts water to the Richland District from the outlet gates in the f'oreground and to the Columbia Irrigation District on the far side of the river 0 -- J --DEcLASSIFIED Authority- I -· 5 'R VO views of a Monnon settlement in White Bluffs Note destroyed orohard near row of poplars In purchased area _ r -- DECLASSIFrnir p uthority NN ' 9 L Y D_ I - - 6 View of destroyed orchard referred to on preceding page 1·- · ---DECLASSIFIED I Authorily N@ 9 '2_YtjD_ - J 7• Village of Vihite Bluffs looking northeast • • - · - DECLASSlFJE ir Authority- - I I l 8 Irrigation ditch about l l 2 miles southwest from White Bluffs This is a typical ditch of the irrigati on system serving Hanf ord-White Bluffs area • • - 9 Looking north from a point about five miles southwest of White Bluffs The white strip in the baokground is the bluff on the north side of the Columbia River and is about six miles away -- -- I ECLASSlFIED _J j u t h o d t y - J 10 Looking we st from the common corner Sections 3 4 9 and lO T 13 N R 26 E The of the pole line is visible about three miles The nearest point on the blu f'f is about seven a way • • of end away miles • - • 11 Looking southeast towards Hanford which is about ten miles away and is in line with the foot of Gable Mountain to the left center of the picture This picture was taken fran the same point a s the two pteoeding photos -- the typical natural vegetation in -the area • - · -- DECLASSIFIEJJ Authority NNb 91 YL Q_ - 12 The s outhwest side of Gabl e Mountain __ a volcanic rock outcrop in the central part of the area • • ' --· -- DECLASSIFIED IAuthority N@ 9 2 t tffi_ I - I j l 1 3 • Looking southeast along the south slope of Gable Mountain• • I DECLASSU l E o- 1 Authority· JJ® 9 1_ l J __ f • • I • ' 14 water hole south of northeast peak of Gable Mountain The water is dirty and the surface is apparently at the general water table elevation in the vicinity ThiS is the l°' est point in the interior of the area White deposits of slightly alkaline salts surround the hole• • 15 The 115 k v Midway-Walla Walla transmission line of the Bonneville Power dminist ation where it dips down into the Cold Creek Valley -- ---DECLASSl FiED j uthority hhl't 9 1 Y lJ 16 Irrigation flume and house in the Hanford area Th i s is one of the best houses in the area a 1-· - DECLASSI FIEIJ j Authority t • 17 • Abandoned orchard in vicinity of Hanford • a - -- DECLASS F1ElJ Authority 1 N® 91 '-Jt D_ 18 orchard in the area west of Richland in good condition and fairly well kept and outside of the area to be purchased r-· --DECLASS F Eff j Authority_ 19 Asparagus field and orchard on west edge of Richland This a r ea mll be purchased but orchard will nat be permitted to die • •• • r- l j 20 Main ditch supplying water to Richland area • • --· -- DECLASSIFIED Authority- 1