The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1904-02-20
MILLIONS FOR UTAH.
IRRIGATION SCHEME WHICH WILL
BENEFIT THREE GREAT
VALLEYS.
Scheme Has Been Practically Ap.
proved by the Reclamation Depart.
ment In Washington, and II 10
Believed the Work viii be
Undertaken. |Fn

otdte EuBlHtcE DOTtHu5 has TO-
turned to Salt Lake City from Wash
ington with an outline of the Utah
Arid Land Reclamation Fund commits :
sion's mammoth irrigation scheme. by
which 1t is proposed to provide 1000.
900 acres of fertile lands in the Great
Salt Lake, Utah lake and Cache val
leys with an abundant supply Of water.
and which scheme has been practi.
cally approved by the reclamation de- .
partment in Washington. The only
proviso remaining to be settled Is that
the tests of actual surveys and meas
urements Of the proposed water sup
plies shall prove the practicability Of
the project and there Is herdly doubt =
entertained by either State Engineer
Doremus or the government engineers
who have examined 1t that the scheme
is entirely practicable.
The scheme as presented by the
state engineer is, in brief, as follows:
The building Of dam from fifty to
100 feet in height to convert Straw.
berry valley into reservoir having
sufficient capacity to hold all the wat.
ers that can be practically diverted
into it from the several branches Of
the Duchesne river.
The excavation Of a channel thirty
to fifty miles long, following about the
7,600-foot contour by which to inter.
cept the said waters OF the Duchesne
river and convey them into the Straw
berry valley storage reservoir.
| The construction Of a tunnel about
three and onehalf miles long through
the crest of the Wasatch mountains,
by which the water stored In the
Strawberry reservoir may be released
and discharged into the head waters Of
the Spanish Fork river and conveyed
with the water of said river into Utah
valley.
The construction OF distributing
channel on about the 4,S00-foot contour
from near the mouth of Spanish Fork
canyon in q general southwesterly di.
rection to or near the town OF Goshen.
and similar channel from near the
mouth of Spanish Fork canyon on
about the 4S00-foot contour in a gen.
eral northerly direction to some suit.
able point in Salt Lake valley; also a
branch from said channel crossing the
Jordan river at point at or near the
Jordan Narrows, for conducting the
water on to the high lands west of the
Jordan river.
The construction Of such channels.
entertainments, dams, etc, as may be
necessary to convert Bear lake into a
reservoir for all the surplus waters
of Bear river and it's tributaries, in
| rl n q ha CT of nj,
valley, and for subsequently releasing
such stored water into the channel OF
Bear river.
The erection of one or more dams
Of about 100 feet in height for the pur.
pose of impounding the food and win
ter waters of the Blackfoot branch OF
the Snake river, in the several basins
or valleys at or about an elevation of
6,100 feet above the sea.
The excavation of a tunenl twelve or
fifteen miles in length in which to
conduct the stored water of the Black,
foot over the divide and into the chan.
mel of Bear river, at point near Soda
Springs, in the state Of Idaho.
The construction Of channel to di~
vert the commingled water of Black.
foot and Bear rivers and conduct them
on or about the 4,S00-foot contour
along the west side of Cache valley for
distance Of twenty to thirty miles.
with possible extension to Malad and
Blue creek In Salt Lake valley.
The construction of a canal to divert
water from Bear river at point In the
canyon through which said river runs
In passing from Cache valley into Salt
Lake valley and extending in q gen.
eral southerly direction along the base
OF the Wasatch mountains on or about
the 4,500-foot courtroom to a connection
in Salt Lake valley with the similar
channel hereinbefore described as ex.
tending northward from the mouth Of
Spanish Fork canyon.
The construction by either the gov.
eminent or the water-users OF such
dams on the Ogden. Weber and Provo
rivers and on all the smaller local
streams as may be necessary to con
serve and regulate the waters of each
together with such channels as may be
needed to properly distribute the
same.
The execution of such work az may
be needed for conserving and utilizing
the waters Of Utah lake, according to
the plans already partially developed
The utilization of the embankment
Of the Lucin cutoff of the Southern
Pacific railroad as dam to restrict
the area Of the Great Salt lake to that
portion lying south OF the cutoff, thus
reducing the loss Of water through
evaporation and insuring the perma
nency of the lake, but on smalle-
scale; regulation Of the reduced lake
to be effected by means of sluice oates
placed in the embankment and through
which any excess Of water may be dis.
charged into the abandoned portion OF
the lake bed. While included in the
general plan, 1t Is not expected that
this will be made part of the reclama'
ton works, but is suggested as Incl
dental thereto.