Awarding of a $40,880 contract to Erhardt Dahl Andersen of Pocatello, Idaho, for preliminary construction work on the Michaud Unit of the Fort Hall (Idaho) Indian Irrigation Project was announced today by the Department of the Interior.
The contract covers construction of a concrete block warehouse, approximately 40 by 80 feet, and the drilling and installation of a domestic well at the Portneuf River Pumping Station about eight miles northwest of Pocatello. The warehouse will be used to house equipment and personnel during the construction phase of the project and will be available, after construction, for operation and maintenance purposes.
The Michaud Unit, designed to provide irrigation for about 21,000 acres on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, was first authorized by Congress in 1931 and reauthorized in 1954. Funds were provided in 1956 for beginning construction work in the present fiscal year. Estimated cost of the total project is $5,500,000 to be spent over a period of five years.
Seven bids were received for the warehouse construction and well drilling contract ranging from the Andersen bid of $40,880 to a high of $56,671.54.
