The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-08-03
c,.,l Undertaking. Of /. |. Num-
for Irrigation and Power.
,,sO TO BE RECLAIMED
manly AHEAD OF NEW
RESERVOIR LAW.

nd Hercules Power companies, |
-,,frq from Provo and Logan can
The purpose OF Mr.. Nunn's latest
.,,rs is 90 reservoir the waters OF
Lake al food time and furnish the
rived supply to canal companies
8rv seasons for the reclamation of
,ras- of fertile land in southern
- and northern Utah. The power
s.-,.s arc subsidiary 10 the irrigation
projects -.
. s+ora surplus waters tn Bear lake
w" perfected last May by Mr.. Num-
..-,ngb the United states land Office at
,g.gtfoot Ida. and ia this city. j. not
-.,a-anv known. but the promised i'm
-,an,s of the great undertaking is
70 b. thereby under-estimated
yor however. Mr. Num- has consented
=. rive an outline Of what his purposes
.rs Il is believed that the consumma-
,i,n OF the plans viii require an outlay
moi less than s. 600. 600. Three corps
~ engineers have been working the
-,st two months or more making sur
,.ys for all data required. and, in ad-
5ron about half A mile of the main
sverting canal has been constructed.
Holding and Diverting Water.
As stated by Mr. Num-. under the
Laws of the United States and of the
s.stas az Idaho and Utah. he caused. on
March a. 1902 d notice to be posted
roar the hamlet of Dingle Bear Lake
county. Idaho. claiming all of the flood.
surplus and appropriated waters of
Bear river, before emptying into the
Ike to be conducted from thence west
ward by means of a diverting canal
fftv feet wide and six feet deep for "A
distance of about FIVE miles into North
o- Mud and Bear lakes there TO be i'm
pounded and released only during low
water season. then 10 be conducted
ror;hwesterly by means of an outlet
lina Of like dimensions as the divert
ing canal about eight miles in length,
10 the lower Bear river below the lake
outlet.
From thence the stored waters are to
he conducted by means of the river and
minor canal ways as cOnduits TO 175, 900
acres Of land along Bear river and
Cache valleys for a distance of IFS
miles 10 the mouth of the river. where
il empties i'll Great Salt lake.
Il is proposed to store. impound and
save in these lakes. by means OF dikes,
embankments. gates and other i'm
pounding works, 1S11O, 600. 900 cubic
the food and winter seasons, would be
Of no beneficial use to anyone
Good Title to Valuable Right.
Mr. Num- proceeded to record in Bear
Lake. Bannock and Oneida counties
and with the state engineer in Idaho
and in Cache and Box Elder counties
IN Utah. within the statutory period for
record and at enormous expense COM
\
th@ secretary of the interior, promul-
gated under the laws of the United
States with reference to citizens ac-
curing vested rights to reservoir sites
and his attorneys and engineers declare
he has made good his title to the largest
and most valuable reservoir water right
in the United States.
The enormity of the undertaking
may, perhaps best be realized only
when IL is known that the divertinl
and outlet canals are each to carry 500
chic feet of water per second of time
that lSll0,000 900 cubic feet of watel
will be stored I'm the two lakes, the one
Bear lake. being twenty-eight mile!
long and eight miles wide, and havins
depth in many places of 500 feet; tn,
other. North lake. more shallow, bu
covering about thirty square miles. Tn
area Of the watershed of Bear lax
ABOVE the proposed point of diversion
Is approximately 2,225 square miles. ant
me area of the watershed of the tWl
lakes is nearly 500 square miles. Tn
e>umated run-off at the point of diver
sion Is 100000 acre feet, and the ca
pdclty OF the reservoir is approximate
" $4,000 acre feet The surface pre-
Sented is 50 great that the added waite
WI raise the levels of these lakes bu
q
miles Of necessary diking viii be small
May Help Salt Lake Valley.
This shortage possibility has bee
known 20 many for years. but the STU
0'ndous size Of the undertaking. tn
storing of water which would irrigat
ai The southern portion of Idaho an
'dcAe ogden and Great salt LAX
valleys TO Provo. and the great sun
o. money necessary to develop ii
project proved sufficient obstacles I
make uninvIting to western capt.;
ms wonderful Investment.
~ least this was true before 1S9
N which year the government. undo
The act of October. 1888. withdre
'neSe lakes from entry and sale =
Jtah-Idaho reservoir site No. L.
"as lot until Feb. %. 1897. that by
special act of congress ''all reservoir
reserved. or to be reserved We
made subject 10 appropriation by CT
-t-hS under the right of way act
Narch 3, 1891, under which last mel
N'Hed act a vested right to "A rese
loir site is acquired by the appropri;
t'F az the time of the fling OF certa
required maps. field notes. etc. in d
pirate. AT the local land offices Of Il
tNa districts wherein the reservo
is situated
Tho Rlsckfoot and salt Lake lal
'1.S 1lats. states Attorney Steigmey
NJ counsel for Mr. Num-. show on ths
.r''. ard always have since 1890. VIII
me withdrawal under the act or o.
l>>>. was made BY the secretary
mo interior, that North and Bear lax
orc ttah-Idaho reservoir site No.
ana This fact may account for the no
preparation of this great water su
E DURING the years since the act
Feb. -. 1897.
Ahead of the New Law
These land offices have never as J
''a1 notified by the interior depa
nt 10 erase their markings on IN
,-Heia' plats, which now show the
axes 10 be a government rsservati'
ihsy never may be 50 notified. but (
Special act OF Feb %, 1897. as in for
e-0 The lakes ever since that d'
nave been subject to appropriation
L-E citizen Of the United states. II
Understood that the commissioner
't- Seneval land Office has refuS
pending an investigation. 10 rece
~" 0iatS, etc. fled by Nh Num- |
I'letedly after investigation of
'rSa. status of the case, the con17
s'ener and the secretary Of the inter
".H approve his application Me