The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-10-05
C0NFERONCITYS PLAN
Canal People and Power Com:
pany Meet City's Agents.
MANY IDEAS STATED
SCHEME TO RESERVOIR UTAH
LAKE IN EMBRYO.

1 line long anticipated conference be-
/ tween the municipal administration,
the presidents Of the canal companies
and the representatives of the Jordan
/ Narrows Power Plant company on the
proposition for united action in ex-
ecuting the plans to make Utah lake
do its fullest duty in dry seasons as q
I reservoir for all of the needs of Salt
Lake valley. was held yesterday after
! noon in the office of Mayor Thomson.
; Beyond discussing the question in all
/ Of its bearings for a couple of hours
there was little ACCOMPLISHED.
Those participating in the conference
we're President Angus NJ. Cannon of
/ the South Jordan Canal company, w.
/ n Hath of the North Jordan COM
pany, William McLachlan of the Utah
/ & Salt Lake canal II. w. Brown and
/ ID. 3. Brinton of the East Jordan ca
! nal, John c Mackay, secretary of the
I board of canal company presidents; II.
4 L. Spencer of the Utah Lake Dam COM
/ mission, Senator Rawlins, attorney for
/ the East Jordan Canal company, Engi-
neers DOOlittle and Hayward and At
( tOrney L. r. Rogers of the Salt Lake
CitJ Water & Electrical Power COM
1 pany, City Engineer Kelsey, Council
men Davis Hartenstein, Tuddenham.
/ Canning, CottrelI, Hewlett, Thomas
/ and Buckle, City Attorney stephens
! and Attorney F. S. Richards, associate
] NONlNAA IL I--S city
City Engineer Explains.
Engineer Kelsey opened the ball by
showing his maps. profles and other
! data indicating the character and
scope of the work contemplated under
! the city's appropriation of the right
/ to store more water in Utah lake, and
to draw down the lake level a foot and
h>f under low-water mark by
Strengthening the river banks and dredg-
inc the bars. He answered numerous
questions and made a full explanation
Of the project, the feasibility of which
is assured by himself and Engineers
GammeI and DOremuS.
After Z was stated that in all prob
ability the city and the power COM
pany would undertake the work, but
that the cooperation of the canal COM
panies is desired in order to distribute
the burden of the cost. estimated at
100000 and likewise the resulting ben
ehts, the objections of the farming
interests commenced to be heard.
Various Opinions Expressed.
President McLachlan of the Utah &
! Salt Lake Canal company stated that
his constituents wanted more water.
but that they could not pay more than
a fraction of the share Of cost if di-
vided :nto ffths or sixths.
! Representatives of the East Jordan
/ canal stated that they would stand for
not more than $4,000 as their share of
] the COSl. BuL lDtN NOulN lltSlSl OAA
! having full share of the Increased
/ flow of water.
Speaking for the South Jordan canal.
| President Cannon said that he could
not give a definite answer as to what
/ his company would be willing TO do 10
| help the project until after the meet
! ing of stockholders early next month.
The North Jordan canal takes its
water from the river at point much
| lower down than any Of the other ca
/ IN feels the
need Of developing the possibilities OF
1 the lake as reservoir than the farm
! ers on higher lands. President Haigh
said the sentiment of his constituents
was that they would prefer to suffer
! for water in occasional years than to
! put W the amount of money by as
| Sessments or issue OF bonds to assure
| an end to drOughts and the cOnse-
| quent loss of crops. His company
wanted nothing to do with the scheme.
/ and the inevitable law suits with
! farmers along the shore of Utah lake,
| whose lands would be drowned out or
I dried ~ alternately.
Power Plant is Anxious.
For the power plant company Engin-
! eer DOOIittIe said that his client was
| not prepared to make definite prOpo-
! sitiOn until il could be assured now
much the minimum flow would be from
! the dredging project for the eight
months in each year when the canals
| are not carrying irrigating water. He
| added that the power plant wanted wa
| ter badly and the amount it is willing
| to pay to aid the scheme would depend
! on the assurances desired from those
| who are bent on carrying the project
| through.
Bishop Brinton feared that the plan
| would result in diminishing the availa-
| BILE supply of water when most needed,
I rather than of increasing 1t, but En-
| gineer Kelsey showed that even in 1899,
! the dryest summer on record, the lake
| filed up four feet during the preceding
| winter and the river dam was not put
! in till very late. The city engineer re-
| ferred to measurements taken regular
! ly the past eleven years to show that
| there would not be the slightest danger
of refillinS the lake after irrigating
! seasons are over and until the drawing
/ off process is repeated the next sum-
| r1er
! Engineer Kelsey's suggestion that the
canal people should secure the services
] of competent engineers to advise them
| as to the feasibility of the project I'M
der consideration was cOncurred in only
to the extent of nOdding assents from
several of the company presidents.
! Senator Rawlins- reminded the meet
1 ing that the city and the canal COM
! panies owed obligations to each other
| that would probably require the ones
/ who carried out the dredging scheme to
4 share the flow of water developed to
] the others, WneIneF Iney pau their pro-
4 portion of the cost of the work or not.
Another Meeting Decided Upon
Seeing that each canal interest seem
4 ed 10 have separate and distinct ideas
| of what should be done from engineer
ing points of view and otherwise, Coun-
I Gilman Thomas offered a resolution TO
/ the effect that the conference should
| adjourn till Wednesday. Nov. Z, at ,
p. m. and that in the meantime the
| canal presidents and the power com
| pany shall definitely ascertain from
| their constituents their wishes as TO
| Joining with the city in the dredging
protest, the city engineer to furnish
! them with data of the cost of the work
This resolution was adopted without
objection.
] Then Senator RawiinS formally nOtl-
! fed the conference that the city would
| take it's own chances if it carried out
| the scheme unless it assured the East
Jordan canal a proper share OF the de-
| veloped water Attorney Rogers said
the power company would not be bound
by any action of the meeting, and the
Of the canals took a turn 4