[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 112 (Friday, July 13, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1514]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1514]]
                   75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OWYHEE DAM

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                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 12, 2007

  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 
75th anniversary of the construction of the Bureau of Reclamation's 
Owyhee Project in Malheur County, Oregon, located in the district I 
represent. This momentous occasion will be celebrated at a major 
community event at the dam this weekend. At the time of its 
construction, the Owyhee Dam was the highest in the world. The dam 
rises 417 feet above the river with nearly another 100 feet below the 
river surface. The arch section of the dam spans the distance of 2 
football fields. The dam created the Owyhee Reservoir, which is 52 
miles long and holds enough water to cover 13,900 acres with 1 foot of 
water.
  You may be wondering how it came to be that one of the largest 
concrete structures in the world was built in a true American frontier. 
In the early 19th century, scouts, trappers, and traders began to 
explore all parts of the Northwest; the high-desert region of what 
would become the Oregon Territory was no exception. This area was and 
currently is home to bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, golden eagles, 
coyotes, and mule deer. The settlers in the area also discovered that 
the ground, provided with adequate water, could grow just about any 
crop including barley, oats, sorghum, wheat, alfalfa, beans, 
peppermint, spearmint, sugar beets, sweet corn, and more.
  At the turn of the 20th century the need for more water became 
apparent and the Reclamation Service (now the Bureau of Reclamation) 
investigated several dam sites and irrigation plans. It finally issued 
a proposal in 1925 to construct the dam. The following year, Interior 
Secretary Hubert Work and President Calvin Coolidge approved the plans 
and in 1928 contracts were awarded and construction began.
  However, as with any significant construction project, challenges 
arose. John Terry, a retired copy editor for The Oregonian and a member 
of the Oregon Geographic Names Board, recently highlighted a few of 
those challenges.
  ``The Bureau of Reclamation built a construction camp with housing, 
administrative buildings, water and sewer facilities,'' Terry wrote. 
``Crews labored around the clock, although the winter of 1930-31 
produced subfreezing temperatures and a 53-day work stoppage.''
  In 1935, the first water was delivered to ranchers, farmers and 
communities in Oregon and Idaho. And while the dam continues to provide 
irrigation water, it also provides numerous other benefits, including 
flood control, recreational fishing, and excellent habitat for bighorn 
sheep, mule deer, pelicans, and cormorants.
  At the dedication ceremony, President Herbert Hoover sent along his 
congratulation in a written statement ``commemorating the completion of 
the highest dam in the world.''
  ``The sympathy of the administration and the Congress and the 
wholehearted and fine spirit of the people of this community have 
cooperated to make the completion of this dam possible,'' President 
Hoover said.
  We should emulate the cooperative work of those who raised this dam 
when demanding it meet the needs of today's farmers, ranchers, 
communities, and wildlife. I congratulate Owyhee Irrigation District 
Manger Jay Chamberlin and his staff on commemorating the completion of 
the dam. And I thank the local elected officials and Bureau of 
Reclamation Commissioner Robert Johnson for their efforts to steward 
the water resources provided by the Owyhee Dam. May the next 75 years 
for the Owyhee Project be as successful and prosperous as the first 75.

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