The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-13
FARMS ARE DRYING UP
Salt Lake County Irrigators
Raising a Wall.
UTAH LAKE DAM RIGHTS
QUESTIONS OF VITAL INTEREST
TO FARMERS ASKED.

l ~ hHON WHY II - ludl the waters OF
Utah lake were not held back in the
great natural storage reservoir until
the irrigation season commenced. one
of these suffering farmers. a resident
of West Jordan township. has pro-
/ pounded these pertinent queries to The
Herald anent the situation:
Please answer through the columns
of your valuable paper the following
questions:
"First-How many members consti-
tute the Utah lake commission?
Secondly whom are they appoint
ed. and how long is their term of Of
fee?
"Third-What are their powers in
regulating the waters of Utah lake?
''Fourth-WfO are the present incum-
bents?
The above are questions of vital i'm
portance TO all who use the waters of
the Jordan river for irrigating pur-
poses.
What the Farmers Want to Know.
THE question with every farmer is
this: VIII did not the commissioners
place the blanks in the Jordan river
sufficiently early this season to raise
the. water to compromise point and in
sure plentiful supply of water for ir-
rigating purposes
1t IS 2 fact which no one viii deny
that everything pointed to a scarcity
Of water. the summer of $50 being hot
and dry, and practically no snow dur
ing the following winter.
During The winter of 1900 the Jor-
dan river poured its millions of gallons
Of water into Salt Lake, when it should
have been stored IN Utah lake, to be
used later on for irrigating purposes.
I'm the face of all this the commits
siOners remained inactive while the
AXE was slowly but surely going down.
FINALLY, on the gath day of March
if the writer is correctly informed).
.they awakened from their lethargy and
when too late, the Dlanks were placed
in the Jordan river.
Comment by Farmer.
THE results of this action, or. rather.
maction, are to be seen on every hand
.ucern fields burning up. grain fields
whitening and diving for the want of
water. The farmer looks in vain for
he hard-earned reward of his labor.
As it is. the DESTINY of thousands
has been placed in the hands of two
or three men who have proven them
selves recreant 10 their trust. And
AsNf'f NAANA VIZ Ills LilE uCdu anu lllR
vegetation. the commissioners can fid-
lie while Rome burns. Under existing
circumstances. can the people be blam-
ed for severely critic1sing them? Are
they wrong when they charge them
with criminal negligence To man up
a tree their censure seems Just
What shall be done to prevent a re-
currence oe these cOnditions2.
The suffering public of Salt Lake
valley awaits an answer. Respectfully,
"A. y RUNDOUIST.
West Jordan July 9, 1900,
The Questions Answered.
Answering the farmers questions
The Herald finds from an examination
OF the contract with the users of canal
water from the Jordan river and the
owners of land along the east shore of
Utah lake, made dozen years ago in
compromise settlement of the litigation
for damages for flooding the shore land.
that the lake commission consists of
hve members. two appointed by the
presidents of the several canal COM
panieS IN this county, two members TO
represent the Utah county farmers
owning shore lands, and these four to
choose the fifth member who. however.
must not be = resident of either Salt
A@cltAN VI = tai AOunlN- lie members OF
the commission are chosen in the month
of January of each year. For this year
the lake commission consists of H w
Brown % Murray. H. T. Spencer of
Pleasant Green. Messrs. Scott of Provo
and Thomas of Lehi. and Hugh Gowans
of Tooele county.
The powers of the commission with
reference to regulating the waters are
TO authorize and supervise the placing
of plank in the dam below the lakes
outlet in order to raise the lake level
to compromise point, which is three
feet three and q half inches above low
water mark. whenever in the commits
sion's opinion the lake level is likely
to fall so low during the approaching
season that there will be a
shortage of supply for the canals TAX
ing water from below the lake outlet.
Holding the Water Back.
AS to the action of the commission
early in this year. it is stated that on
the lst of March measurements showed
that the lake level then was not below
the normal point for that time of the
year, and there was then no apprehen-
sion that the waters would recede.
since the customary flood water from
the canyons in May and June was ex-
pected. However about three weeks
later apprehension commenced to be
felt that the lake level would recede,
and the commission authorized the
placing Of the plank in the dam to hold
the flow back. At first this action was
not cOncurred in by the Utah county
members of the commission, but they
finally yielded and now regret that for
the interests of those who own shore
lands the waters are receding fast and
the drought viii cut short their crops
Of hay
1t is a matter of recent local history
that during the month of April of this
year the commission saw that the lake
level was actually recediug, and the
members thought the wise thing to do
would be to give the control of the dam
FOR the remainder Of the season over to
the presidents of the canal companies
and the city's representative.
Power Plants Claims.
This was done and the dam was made
tight. but few weeks later the Jor-
ian NarrOWs Power Plant company OBJ
tanned an order from Judge Booth at
Provo giving it a sixth of the rivers
How. which amount the power plant
,laims adversely to Salt Lake City and
ne canal companies. by appropriation
The right of the mower comuany to a
slXth OF the rivers flow is. being con-
tested I'm the courts. but the order made
by Judge Booth was complied with, and
Tor this reason large portion of the
water which would otherwise have been
stored for the use Of the farmers when
I is most needed has gone to waste.
In the opinion of many who are ia
nlliar With the situation. the Utah
axe commission is synonymous with
he fifth wheel of a coach.
Remedy Suggested.
The officials Of the canal companies
declare that the only permanent means
u relet from condition of shortage
u water supply from Utah lake. like
ms seasons calamity. is to perfect the
rlght to raise the lake level two feet
tOONe cOlnlrOmlSP mint In u.I,ich Ir,.nI