The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-30
CONFINES WORK
TO WEBER RIVER
State Engineer Tells of Two
Years Work.
ALL TO MEASURE SUPPLY
IMPORTANT WORK DONE UNDER
NEW IRRIGATION LAW.
ALL TO MEASURE SUPPLY

state Engineer n f DOremus has
just completed the fourth biennial re-
port of the state engineers Office and
handed IL 70 the governor. The report
j. a lengthy document and gives in de-
tail the work done by the Office for the
past two years, and makes several rec
concentrations which. i'm Mr.. Doremus'
opinion. WOuli, if carried out. be Of
benefit to the state i'm the future
A greater part of the work done. I'm
fact nearly al. by this office has been
directed toward the establishment, or
securing data to establish water rights
ia the Weber liver water system The
law requires That these rights shall be
established under four general heads:
First the rec 1rding of all existing wa
ter rights second. to see that future
rights are properly recorded: third 60
give an equitable apportionment of wa
ter to the several users. and fourth,
publicly to record all transfers Of wa
ter rights.
As the Weber was one Of the systems
in the state tlat was most needed the
adjudication If water rights was be-
gun on il nearly two years ago and has
been pushed as fast as possible, until
now the work is nearly completed as
far as the state engineers Office is con-
ceTned.
Weber River Water Rights.
1t has been ,ound by measurements
that the Weber river Yields annually in
round numbers 100000 acre feet, an
acre 1oot meaning a body Of water one
loot deep covering an acre of ground.
or this $4,000 feet is used in irrigation
and 15S000 lows annually into the
Great Salt lake.
When The Ttate engineers Office be-
gan work on tliis system il was thought
that not more than 400 bitches were in
use i'm the entire system. but it later
developed that a total Of 1,22S canals
and bitches diverted the waters for ir-
Tigating purposes.
The ditch owners were all ordered TO
put i'm measuring devices at the head
gate of these bitches and work on this
was necessarily slow as nothing could
be done during the irrigating season.
However, now. the state engineer says,
nearly every ditch owner has complied
with the law. and action will be taken
IN the courts at once to compel the few
cellnquents 20 put in these measuring
devices. These devices are so con-
structed that an accurate estimate of
the water used can be made on any day
in the year.
record of water used will then be
kept on file in the state engineers Of
fee, which together with maps showing
the location Of every ditch and other
data regarding the rights of the ditch
owners, viii give the state a complete
and accurate record of the irrigating
rights OF every land owner in this dis
trict. This work, says the state en-
Eineer, Is nece ssarily slow and must be
accurate, as the courts will settle all
disputes between ditch owners.
tt is thought it will take about two
years more 10 GULLY determine the wa
Ter rights Of every ditch owner in this
district. including the work that has to
he done by the courts. when the owner
ship of water IRON the Weber river will
be settled for II time to come.
Cost of Work to Date.
The cost Of this work up to date and
estimate of the money necessary 70
complete the work is placed at $4,000
While these figures may appear large
the state engineer says they are moth
ing to what the costs would be i'm pro-
IOnged litigation TO settle the same
questions which can now easily be de-
termincd by the work done by his office
lie says the Office has been criticised
somewhat -OT the caTefulnesS with
which il has done this work. but ht
considers that it is absolutely neces-
sdry TO have me work done correctly
as il will stand for all time as law on
water rights IN the Weber river Sys-
TEN.
Il is the intention to take up the 9TH
er great water systems of the state as
s5cn as this work is completed until
the absolute ownership of every gallon
of water used IN irrigation is fully de-
termined.
During the oast year an application
was made by l.. 3. Dewey for a certain
amount Of water to be taken from the
Green Tiver.irr power purposes whict
was denied. This matter has been car
1ied into the courts and the state en-
Eiueer is anxious to have il settled as
81 will be If great Importance i'm the
future DEVELOPMENT Of the state.
Dewey desired 10 erect a power plant
and i'm his application said the water
would be returned 10 the river without
amy loss 10 irrigation. An investiga-
ton was male and while it was found
the water used would not iUconveu-
ience any Of the water users at the
present time. yet "A tract Of arid lanC
containing over 100000 acres could be-
irrigated by this water at the place II
was to be taken from Green river
which il WOJld be impossible 20 do i
the water Mas diverted at that pOin
for power purposes. The application
was not allowed for this reason, anC
Dewey carried the matter into th'
courts Judge Jacob Johnson decided
against the state engineer and the lat
Ter carried the matter 60 the supreme
court Of the state where the suit is still
pending.
The report is supplemented with nu
merous maps and drawings showing
The work accomplished during the pas