The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-01-28
THE PUBLIC PULSE.
Communications under this head are published
on all proper subjects at the responsibility of
the writer.
streams.

streams.
To the Editor of THE HERALD:
Please allow me to suggest a question,
through your valuable paper, which ought
to be ventilated by our lawmakers now in
session. There are in this county alone, to
my positive knowledge, at least thirty
small streams that rise in the head of cgil-
ons branching off from our main mountain
streams These small rills flow quite pro-
1usely into the creeks during high water.
and with the main creek into Jordan and
on to the lake, and are d detriment rather
rather than benefit.
But as soon as old Sol gets in his work
in good shape and water is scarce these
streams rise, run for short dis
lance, and sink in a bed of gravel.
During the month of August l meas
ured nine of these streams above
the sink and found that they contained 81
per cent as much water as City creek.
Then the question arose in my mind, who
owned said streams! | seal ched the re-
cords and found that each creek with all of
Its feeders was appropriated. But are
such streams feeders. True, they are
curing high water when not used, but
when they might be Of use the hot sun and
graz ell beds dry the water up. Now a
small outlay would either puddle or iume
most OF these streams into the main creek,
and there are poor men ready to attempt
the work if only they felt sure that they
would own the water afterward and with
out molestation could conduct the same
onto their thirsty farms.
Again, the work that has been done de-
veloping springs here at Brigham City,
Nephi Dixie and other places show
what may be done 1t is not un-
common for spring that yields one
hundred gallons per Gay to be made to flow
two, three and in some cases five hundred
gallons, and often with very small outlay
of labor. Still, for thirty years. there has
been a scarcity of water when our noun
tain streams might nave been increased
more or less, and whys Because there has
been no encouragement. II l develop the
water supply in Parley's canon, Big Cot
tonwoOd, or any of the other cailons then
Will have TO either give up all the fruits OF
my labors or fight a rich corporation, for
there is not one word of law covering these
vital questions.
TIE question has been sprung before but
owners Of creeks have invariably put their
foot on it with the argument that if these
streams sink they rise again and join the
main creek. Where does the Sewer river
rise! Where does Dry Canon rise! Spring
Hollow, and hundreds OF others. Again,
they claim that springs flow out OF the
ground III many places, and digging in only
concentrates many small ones into one
large one. If that be the case, how is il
that City creek has been enlarged consid
eraOly by development work! Such argu-
ment is all rot. The earth is great reser
voir, and IN opening up springs yon only
release a few Of the millions of gallons Of
water that is held therein year after yeal
without chance of escaIe, and every gal
Ion of water that is kept from sinking int
this great reservoir is that much watel
saved, and rightly belongs to the man wht
saves il.
Let some man frame bill giving to the
producer the product of his labor and en-
ergy, and let that bill be made law, anC
the result will be many streams of water
utilized and many springs furnishing water
TO the hungry crop of the farmer that is
and win be, entirely lost until such legisla
ton, which must come sooner or later i:
enacted. JOEL WATERMAN.
SALT LAKE. Jan. &c, 1892