The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-20


of night 1t is true that Superintendent
Game and the city council committee on
wate- works have used every effort to
minimize the violations OF the ordinance
respecting the misuse of water. ana &c
command obedience 10 the allotted time
for use of sprinkiers. BuI while these
weak preventive measures are in force,
persons living cut OF town, up the cam
yons and along the streams supplying the
city have been permitted. without any
color OF title or shcw of authority, TO APP
propriate TO their own use and let run TO
waste hundreds of thousands of gallons
daily. Outside of the city the theft, loss
and waste of water belonging to the in
habitants OF Salt Lake amounts at the
present time to not less than 100000 gal
Ions daily, or nearly one-fcurth of the
supply through the pipe system.
SOME RELIEF AT HAND.
PROFESSIONALLY. some city official is to
blame for such an appalling waste and
misuse OF water before it reaches the city.
Watermaster Seldom has been accused of
neglect of duty in the premises, but he
repudiateS any blame attaching to him.
City Engineer Kelsey has taken up the
Id3tJer. and his recommendations for con-
serving. and at small cost, imm ediately
increasing the water supply to the
amount lost and stolen. are under consid
GRAFTON by the committees on waterworks
and irrigation. 1t Is probable that one or
more OF the engineers suggestions will
! be adopted, at Tuesday evenings council
Reeting.
=
The immediate relief proposed by the
city engineer is to make the Parley's con-
duit carry the water flowing through the
Pariey's canal and also all the water from
Emigration canyon. This plan would pre-
vent the waste from Seep2ge, eVapora-
ton and stealing from the open ditch. AT
the present time the city takes 100000
gallons Of water daily from Parley's can
yon, but for the reasons stated, only
about one-half of this quantity reaches
the pipe system. However. the public
VIII soon derive additional relief from
the completion OF the 1,5o0-foot pipe line
which will tap the Emigration stump, thus
releasing daily supply of an extra half
million gallons.
RESERVOIRS NEEDED.
Before another season arrives it will be
imperative for the municipal government
to complete the reservoir in City Creek
canyon and that at the head of First
South street, for which excavations have
been made. With these completed, the
storage capacity would be increased TO-
O00.000 gallons.
THE FURTHER INCREASED SUPPLY.
Another and more important matter re-
quiring early attention is the procure
nlent of new sources of supply, either by
constructing large reservoirs in the can
yons to hold back the spring flood water,
or acquiring an interest in the Mill creek
and Big Cottonwood streams and extend
ing the conduit hereto. City creek, Emf
grafton and Parley's are, under present
thy of water, hut what the city needs
most Is Il right TO tap Big CottonE God
creek. This rlgnt could be acquired by
bringing the canal water from Utah lake
in a pipe line and trading with the farm
ers for canyon water, the same as is
done with respect TO Parley's creek.
VALUABLE RIGHTS UNPROTECTED.
/ However, as long as the city govern
klent sleeps on its water rights and per-
ulits tresDassers and schening specuiat-
mr. to oft r.
ship in what the city has bought. at great
cost, but only carelessly maintains, the
problem of securing adequate water sup
ply will become more and more difficult
of solution.
Despite repeated warnings from wise
city officials ana the public press. the
citY's water rights are not protected, eX-
ceIt in City creek canyon, and no effort
has been made to heed the admonition 10
establish permanent measuring weirs, !
which are so necessary at the Utah lake
dam. where the city canal takes or should
take a sixth of the Jordan river flow. in
all probability the dereliction of public !
officials has enabled Allan q. Lamson to
get such a foothold at the narrows for
the operation of his power plant that il
will be the cause for deep regret when |
ever the city desires to take water higher
up for delivery at greater elevations on !
the east SIDE Of the valley and in this |
city.
The success of the measuring weir in
Pariey's creek. where 50 per cent of the |
flow is turned to the city, the balance 60 |
ing to the Kennedy ditch, demonstrates
that accurate measurements OF partner
ship streams are most desirable in times
Of scarcity.
EXTENT AND COST OF THE SYSTEM
There are at this date about 127 miles of
mains in the city's pipe system. The sys-
tenn is faulty constructed, there being |
lack of settling tanks, many dead ends |
and several sections of small pipe con- |
meeting mains OF larger diameter. To |
modernize The system would cost prob !
ably half a million dollars. Salt Lake |
City's water system would then have |
cost nearly $1,000 900, but it would be |
worth incaiculably more. By the time
another million or two million dollars are |
spent, the city Will have a supply of 1
water sufficient for 25O000 inhabitants.
AMOUNT OF WATER SUPPLIED.
At the present time the pipe system re-
ceives about 3.C00.0 900 gallons daily from /
CITY creek. an equal quantity from Par |
ley's and about 100000 gallons from Emil |
grafton This amount of water is less
than half what would be available in |
seasons of plenty at this time of the |
year with little trouble and expense, as
suggested by Citx Engineer Kelsey, the |
supply could be even now increased near
iy 100000 gallons daily.
THE CANAL NUISANCE.
The figures have no reference to the
sOo0 Ooc gallons coming into the city
through the Jordan irrigation canal. |