The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-04

EXPERT OPINION
ON UTAH LAKE
Engineer Swendsen Tells Of
the Water Supply.
CITY HAS TRADING STOCK
WHY PEOPLE FAVOR EXCHANGE
WITH THE FARMERS.
CITY HAS TRADING STOCK

Feople who fear that Utah lake will
In time play out as source of water
supply will be interested in reading a
communication sent a few days ago to
John Z. Dooly by George L. swendsen.
engineer in charge of the government
reclamation work in Utah a copy OF
the same letter was sent on request 10
r ;. Richards. In this letter Professor
Swendsen says:
Prior to 1903 only the Spanish Fork
ana Provo rivers we've measured. and
my estimate of their discharge for 1902
was 10000 acre feet discharged into
Ctah lake, including rainfall at the
lake surface.
During 1903 and 1904 all Of the
streams. numbering thirty. were meas
uted. The aggregate flow from August.
1908, to August, 1904, was 471.14O acre
feet, rainfall on the'lake surface not in
cIuded. BY taking into account evap-
grafton and outflow, together with lake
fluctuations, we figure that total Of
6o4OlO acre feet must have reached the
lake, leaving l32,S10 to be accounted for
and which we have referred TO as I'M
measured supply, CUminS probably from
springs. seepage, etc.
This information is based upon an
evaporation factor Of five feet per year.
and the same computation, if extended
over the past three years, indicates an
average supply of 524.300 acre feet. of
which we have estimated 22q 900 acre
Ieet could be utilized if arrangements
were made whereby the entire supply
Of the lake could be drawn out.
During the present year the utiliza-
zion has amounted to 10000 acre feet"
Supply Will Not Give Out.
It is taken for granted that Professor
SWendsen knows more about Utah lake
at this time than any other man i'm
Utah because of the searching investi-
cations he has made in the interest Of
The federal government. And taking
ms statement as a basis, men who de-
pend upon the lake for irrigation wa
ter have no fear whatever. especially
IN view Of the work TO be done by the
general government to overcome the
loss by evaporation and to increase the
discharge into the lake.
salt Lake City owns the use of one
fifth of the lake water. The carving
capacity OF the Jordan river at the in
take is 500 second feet One-ffth of
this is at the disposal of the city This
means that Salt Lake has 100 second
feet, or 64,SOO,O00 gallons, every twenty
four hours TO take into the Salt Lake
the people Of this city shall determine.
The Salt Lake d Jordan canal is
twenty-six miles long, and cost when
constructed $3.50, 000 The question in
the minds Of many people is, how shall
this property be utilized to the best
advantage? The municipality has as
good a title as can be secured to g.. OOO.-
600 gallons Of lake water every twenty
four hours. IT has also canal TO con-
duct this water TO the city Nothing
can interfere with the city's title to this
property so long as the right to the
water is exercised.
Exchange With the Farmers.
But this water is unfit for culinary
purpOses-it is best adapted TO irriga-
ton. This is the property the city has
20 trade TO the farmers for the water
from Big Cottonwood. Complaint is
made that the city gives the farmers
one-fourth more water than is received
in return. In reply TO this the farmers
point to 5he fact that the city gets
water high enough up I'm the canyon TO
carry il into the city on a line with
l. ort Douglas. They also point to the
fact that :he city gets the Big Cotton
wood water twelve months i'm the year
while the farmers get the lake water
only through the irrigation season !
They also point 70 the fact that the city
gets from the Big Cottonwood as GOOD
water as flows into the valley while the (
lake water can be used only for irrl- I
cation.
Another question that many citizens /
of Salt Lake are asking themselves /
these days is this. How can the CITY |.
utilize her 65,OO0O0O gallons Of lake I
water per day to better advantage /
than in this exchange with the farmers /
even under the conditions named?