The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-01-21
FARMERS UNANIMOUS FOR
UTAH LAKE RESERVOIR
Professor Newell Announces That He Will Urge the
Carrying Out of the Great Project
Water Users Vote to Cooperate With the Government nsurng
the Success of the Scheme

FARMERS using water from | tan
lake gave a unanimous Endorsement
yesterday 10 the proposition 10 have
the government improve that BODY of
water as a reservoir. At meeting held
in the East Jordan meeting house,
Bingham Junction. yesterday. they
voted unanimously to cooperate with
the government, and appointed d com
mittee 10 work with the state Arid
Land Reclamation commission in the
arrangement of details.
After this action Prof. F. Fl. Newell,
chief of the arid land reclamation bu-
reau of the United states geological
surrey. said that if the farmers car
ried out the details Of backing up the
pian as they had indicated by vote
they would he would strongly recon-
mend 10 the secretary of the interior
the carrying out of the project.
This is a feasible proposition he
said. "A large amount OF land can be
reclaimed or given needed Increase
of water supply at a moderate cost
The entire matter now rests with the
water users. II they viii pledge them
selves and their lands 10 take a GER
tain amount Of water and pay for It, as
they voted TO do today. there IS every
reason TO believe that the project VIII
be carried out.
Favors the Project.
II cannot commit the secretary Of the
interior TO it. but I win say that VIII
strongly recommend to him that the
work be put through just as soon as
the owners of the land to be benehted
furnish a satisfactory guarantee tnaJ
the money expended VIII be repaid
This is a matter for the Utah people
to work out in detail.
The arid land reclamation commits
sion has worked out broader scheme
of irrigation in this state than is con
tempIated in the Utah lake plan now
under consideration by the. government
The commission wishes the government
TO make the Utah lake Improvement
merely the first step in a broad enter
prise 10 furnish an ample supply of va
ter to the basin Of the Utah lake ana
| Great salt lake The plan includes the
diversion of the Strawberry. improve
ment of Bear lake and other works
| which will irrigate several hundred
thousand acres and aid in furnishing
an ample water supply 30 salt Lake,
! ogden. Provo and other munlclpaities-
The details of the plan are being kept
! from the public until they can be pre-
scented TO Mr. Newell. At a brief meet
ing of the commission held il the OF
| fee of state Engineer Doremus, the
( chairman. yesterday afternoon, II was
| decided TO send Mr. Doremus on 10
Washington with Air Newell ms
was done at the suggestion Of Mr..
I Newell and AT the request of Senator'S
| Kearns and Smoot. Congressman How
/ ell and the commissions attorney, T.
| :. Richards. who is now in Washing
| ton. the last four wiring that he should
| come on. Accordingly. Mr.. Doremus
+ viii join the Newell party in Cheyenne
/ Friday and go on with it 10 Washing
f ton.
Meeting at East Jordan.
The East Jordan meeting house was
] packed TO overlooking at the gatherin
1 Yesterday IL is estimated that SO PEI
users to he affected there were Professor
I Newell Clifford PinchOt. chief Of the IOE-
! estry department; Professor g i. SWeh9-
( sen. government expert Tor tan' res
/ dent Angus N. Cannon. Colonel T.. r
{ Holmes State Engineer 4. T. D0fenus
/ George c. Lambert. Eity Engineer ker
/ ser. President Hewlett of the Salt Lax
] civ council Coucilman r.. n DAVIS
I Ns1or ". II. RovIauce Of Provo. J. +
| Murdoch of Charleston. b " Ross %
! the government reclamation service Aod
> no: Representative White OF P7ute county
/ State senator Bennion of NeTnaI. count
. Commissioner Wilson and County Asses
. sor Ben r. Eldredge-
President Angus u. Cannon of sal
/ Lake stake called the meetlGs4 20 o 49,
( State Engineer DoremuS explained VIVA
/ the state commission had been doing. ans
/ introduced Professor Newell who said;
Address of Professor Newell.
Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen: Tt is q
sreat pleasure to acc TO address YOU OF
This important subject. What I viii say
w!il hn verv brief. What we want Is q
hear from you OF tais matter president
I Roosevelt. on June u. 1857 signed pii
/ aDpropriatinE xi6.0e.V0 for reclamation o.
arid lands This amount was set aside
for those works. 80 be replaced In th'
/ treasury in ten annual instailments by
the water users. For instance. II II cos
/ icre per wear Cor ten years until th'
fund is returned.
I "Utan lake IS one Of the best pessibiii
ties for water In tI west. Several hun
dred thousand acres can DE reclaimed
! This is a plain business proposition anc
not a philauthropic;il or paternal project
The government asks 10 interest. but j
does ask that the money be returned
taat farms be sblished and finally
that you take the project into your 1aDd
afterwards.
/ There is q great amount Of water flow
ing into Utah lake from the surrounding
/ mountains The great problem is TO re
I duce the area of the lake and thus pre-
most feasible plan is TO cut down tn
channel of Jordan river and run it on
into the lake. That will mean pumpin,
to the high line canals.
The Greatest Obstacle.
THE plan is feasible. but the creates
| obstacle is legal RIGHTS It is really TO
you TO get together and show us how
you can reach an agreement 80 as L,
injurc the rights of none. I think an,
hope YOU can do that Then we can d
business with YOU. 1t was done iu Sal
River valley. after considerable Wran
Cling After they wranzle6 for SOM
tine 4 water users association wa
/ formed Officers were elected, they I'm
sured MS how mitch water they eouf
take and what they would pay for Ii. an
( We could deal with those directors an
| depend upon them
@Of course here you have well organ
lied canal companies, YOU have the vii
lingness, ability and means TO do it: "