The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-08-14

J. NJ. Thomas and associates have
just launched one of the most practi-
cable irrigation and reservoir enter
prises which has been called to the
attention of the people of this terri
tory for many years. The gentlemen
have filed on the eight small lakes in
Red and White Pine canyons of the
Little Cottonwood canyon, under the
government reservoir act of 1892, and
are now working away with the view
of making one general water storage
proposition from the entire string of
lakes in order that they may conduct
the water down the canyon to a, low
reservoir site in the mouth of the
canyon, there to store it for the irri-
cation season. Mr.. Thomas came down
from the lakes the other day, after
some time spent there in company
with corps of workmen, Who have
been engaged in making the cOnnec-
tionS between the natural reservoirs
and putting in gates and waterways.
Three of the lakes are now emptying
their SURPRISES into the Little Cotton
wood creek, from which Mr.. Thomas
and his associates take the flow when
it reaches their land at the mouth of
the canyon. During the past week
the water commissioners who have
charge of the creek named visited the
scene of the operations and the flow
of the stream was measured in order
that the increase from the lakes might
be noted and registered.
In their prospectus the gentlemen at
the head of the enterprise set out that
they are the owners of $40 acres of
good land at the mouth of the Little
Cottonwood canyon, in addition to the
low reservoir site and the eight lakes,
the latter having an area of 1O5 acres
and being capable of holding back
sufficient water to irrigate over 1000
acres of land. The lower reservoir is
so situated that it can be used for
irrigation in the months of May and
June, and refilled in the latter part of
June, making the available water sup
ply ample for the irrigation of in the
neighborhood of 10000 acres of land.
Through the purchase of what is
known as the Beaver Dam tract at
the mouth of the canyon. the inter
ested parties have come into possess
sion of a natural general storage ba-
sin, and ali that is necessary to make
it capable of holding back the flow
from the lakes is the construction of
a dam 900 feet in length at the top,
eighty feet at the bottom and sew
enty feet high. II is their intention to
dam in the very near future.
There seems to be a disposition on
the part of certain of the claimants to
the flow of Little Cottonwood creek to
make trouble for Mr.. Thomas and his
people by refusing them peaceable
permission to turn the flow from the
lakes into the creek and take it out
at the reservoir, allowance to be made
for all evaporation and percolation.
The gentlemen some days ago accom-
panied the water commissioners on a
tour of inspection and explained to
the officials the workings of the pro-
ject. 1t is the intention of the projec-
tors to incorporate and furnish the
farmers in the valley below with
water for their arid lands. This would
prove a great benefit to the county.
This enterprise also contemplates
the erection of ice houses on the banks
of the lower reservoir and also the
placing Of power plant where the
fall of the overflow may be utilized.
The Rio Grande Western now has
branch line right to the reservoir site
and this would give all of the ship
ping facilities necessary.