The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-06-01
A WORLD OF WATER!
Salt Lake Enjoys The Finest Nat
ural Water Supply.
FROM SIX GREAT SOURCES.
Enough Water TO Deluge the City to be Had
at Very Small Expense
Mr.. Smiths Ideas.

The eagerness of private corporations to
control the water rights of this city and
supply the citizens with water is the best
evidence in the world that there is plenty
of water to be had at very small expense.
There are six great sources of supply,
either one of which would be deemed for
tune if accessible to many Of the cities on
the plains.
These great sources of supply are Utah
lake, by the Salt Lake and Jordan canal;
City Creek canon, Red Butte and Fmigra-
= ton ca1lons, Parley's creek. natural springs
and artesian wells. Not only is every
crevice in these mountains filled with
water, but their feet are set in living
springs, while the quicksands underlying
the plain are buried in submerged ocean
OF water. From the snow top cliffs to the
deepest point which the drill has struck
water exists in almost prodigal abundance.
The entire water question is sinpliiied to
that OF storage and distribution, though ma
ture has supplied the former in Utah lake
and in numerous lakes in the CottonwoodS
and other rivers
As storage is the most expensive item in
the construction of waterworks, nature
has done everything for Salt Lake except
guiding 1t into i mans house.
The best posted man in this city on the
) water question is j. Fewson Smith, and
nus views are extremely valuable at this
time when the city council is beSieged by
propositions to turn over the water supply
OF this city to private corporations.
Seventy-hve per cent. of the water
coming from L tab Lake canal .seeps away
through the quicllsands through which it
passes said Mr.. Smith. ''This," he said,
''can be easily remedied by making it imper-
4 h.-
making 1t veritably water tight, which
would not cost S2e,0GG a mile At
the time this canal was built a
favorable arrangement could have
been made with the Draper people
by which the water drawn from Utah lake
could be brought to this city at one hun
dred feet higher altitude than the present
canal. Last year the maximum supply
during the dryest time of TIE year was from
eight millions to nine millions of gallons
daily, all drawn from City creek. Emigra-
ton, aud some from Parley's canon, though
during the very dryest tine Par!ey's canon
was cut off. Last year was very exceD-
tionable year. City creek is now furnish
ing more tnan we had from all sources last
year. Now, / do not know whether any ar
rangenlent could be made with the Diapers,
but bringing the city's water that way
would save considerable evaporation. 1t, Of
course, would require an independent new
-lhC rum o0lNy. Ioy uGklD3 certain
Improvements III the aliznments and
grades OF the Salt Lake and jordan. canal
which WE'RE given in detail in my
report to the city council in January, that
canal would deliver 90 100000 gallons Ct
water TO the city daily. After this canal
was put in proper order an exchange could
be made with the Cottonwood people for
fully 30 per cent. of il. The tab lake
water is much superior 10 Cottonwood
water for irrigation purposes, the LATER
being colder and chills the crops. In the
1al Of last year the Cottonwood Gid not
exceed more than eight million gallons a
day"
HIr Smith said that the city could with
the present revenues make all the improve
ments necessary to supply the city with
all the water 1t needs. He insisted that
the corporation should control its pater
!. supply and distribution. In many cases IN
the east where the water was turned
over TO private parties the service
was very unsatisfactory. It would be
great mistake for the city to surrender any
Of its water privileges to a private COM
pany. All il needs is g couepatenL en-
gineer, and the city is as able to have one
as private company. If a private com
pany can make money out CT it, the city
can handle it as economically and save
this to the people. l fully endorse the DO
sition taken by THE HERALD that the
] water belongs to the people and cannot be
disposed of to private concern to make
money out Of it. | think if any attempt is
made to give or sell the vested rights of
any citizen, he should get out an injuuc-
ton.
The water rates are already greatly in
excess of what they should be, and as the
city grows in population there should he a
CORRESPONDING reduction