The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-13
SAVE THE WATERi

The popular impression hereabouts IS
that we are going to have "a hard winter"
That is to say, the general belief, so far as
it has been expressed, is that the snow IAN
will be heavy and the temperature low.
Our recollection is that the same thing mas
been said of every winter lately, and OLD
inhabitants, mountaineers and the weather
wise have pointed out signs and indications
of deep SHOWS and excessively cold
weather. Last fall the beavers began early
to lay in their supply of provender, and
the rodents and animals which burrow
made preparations for an unusually long
period of withdrawal from the surface.
How the beavers and other animals were
fooled. and what lot of food must have
spoiled on their handsi If they had been
as wise as they are popularity supposed to
be in the matter of weather predictions
they might have saved themselves lots OF
work and rustling for food last fall, for
they could have gotten their meals as they
REQUIRED them all winter long, and without
serious inconvenience.
The past three winters have been de-
cidedly of the ''open" variety, and no man
can say that the coming one will not be as
dry and open as its immediate predecessors.
In this event there is no denying the fact
that next summer will be the reverse Of
pleasant and profitable for the jewellers
hereabouts. We know of the season just
past. and next will be as much worse, II
there shall be light fall of snow, as that
OF 1889 was worse than that OF 1883. 1t is
suggested that we pay no attention to the
weather prophets, and 60 ahead as II we
expected the coming winter to be ike the
last in the matter of snowfall. BY this we
mean that preparation be made for another
season of water scarcity. Now is the time
to do the work required. The irrigation
season is at an end, and the water which
enters the valley hereafter will flow away
TO the lake unless arrangements shall
be made to hold it back for next sum
mer's use What is in the way OF
constructing dam which will retain the
waters of Jordan in Utah lake until they
shall be required for irrigation next year!
The entire stream might be damned at the
head until next June so far as any de-
mand on the river is concerned. Left tt
its natural flow more water will run tc
waite luEOuBu Jllt JULIAN bS-OAC YIN
opening of another irrigation season thar
would be required to water the entire
valley generously. A dam should not cos
intellectually not 1.-THE of the cost o.
another summer of drought. 1t seems II
US that it would also be in order to do tn
necessary cleaning and repairs OF tn
canal Il Is autumn, and not delay until tn
dit,h is in demand for conveying water anC
then start in TO do three or four weeks worl
on it. Bad management or lack of foresigh
is responsible for some Of last summer
water scarcity.
It is also probable that water from som
of the mountain streams can be saved a
small expense, and if this can be done
should be. .-t
II we will rely more upon ourselves, an
trust less TO the uncertain elements, and
we will be ar-seeing in our Judgment an
timely in our acts, we will have less caus
to complain of water scarcity. The tim
to save water is when there is water to b
saved, and that time will be from tn
present until June.