The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-01-23
tanner ON WATER RIGHTS
State Engineer Asks County
Board for Concert of Action
but Nothing Done.

At a meeting of the county commits
6ioners held yesterday morning letter
from State Engineer Caleb Tanner was
submitted, referring to the adjudication
Of the controversies in regard TO the dis
tribution of irrigation water In Weber
county, which bid fair to reopen the
question Of the building of an immense
reservoir for the conserving of the wa
tiers Of Ogden river similar to that pro-
posed by the Utah Light & Railway com
pany.
Mr.. Tanner stated that it was desir-
able that closer relationship should ex-
1st between his office and the water COM
misstOners of Weber county and that the
latter should make as extended report
as possible of the water situation in the
whole area over which their jurisdiction
extends. He suggests that they should
be provided with water meters to meas
ure the natural streams, canals and
bitches that are not provided with Weirs,
as the measurements, where there are no
Weirs, are not satisfactory to go into the
official records which the state is pre-
pairing to submit TO the court. Continu-
ing. the letter states:
The work of the water commissioners
Is public work which during the next
season may be made. to serve two pur-
the water among it's owners. Second, the
MAKING or a water supply record to sub
init to the district court
He maintains that II the proper direc-
slonerS, and they were provided with the
proper instruments, both these ends might
DC served by the same men at the same
time and adds:
IF this were done the work of the
next season or two would train a set
or officers able to efficiently administer
the law after the Weber as adjudicated
and the statutes of 1905 become operative
In the Weber basin. The work of the
water commissioners in collecting the
information indicated above will prepare
rvyfl 1rr,
templated in the 1905 law.
ut is desirable to know from the
county court If 1t is willing to cooperate
with the state in getting a more extended
record OF the water supply of the cOun-
"; First, by providing the water COM
missioners with the necessary instru-
ments to obtain such a record, and sec
ord. by instructing them to extend their
work, as far as they are able, over the
whole county,
He says that there Is no difference OF
opinion about the desirability OF adjudi-
eating the Weber at tho earliest practi-
cable date, and that one Of the essen
tial elements in that adjudication Is the
water supply record. He contends that
the cooperation OF the county with the
state will materially help in bringing the
weber situation to an early Issue and
that Ia assisting to this end the coun-
~ would also be contributing towards
settling the existing controversy Of wa
ter rights IN its area, Further, the let
ter states that an expression OF the coun-
might be induced TO Join the staSs in
this matter would be much appreciated
at this time and that the plans for this
year should be outlined before the irri-
cation season begins
The communication was referred to JO-
Seph Stanford, chairman of the board OF
commissioners, for reply. The contention
here Is that the people who control the
water rights of the Weber basin are pri-
waite corporations, which would prevent
the county from taking any part in the
matter, and that the water commission
ers have no power to do anything other
than by moral suasion- In the past this
has not worked to good advantage. The
Interested parties have agreed TO abide
by a certain arrangement in connection
with the division Of the water, and have
Immediately broken this agreement, with
the result OF placing the question ba ok
where IL was before the commits
sioners took part in the matter. For
this reason the irTigRtors assume the
stand that they can get no bene-
fits from that source. It is the general
belief that the only solution Of the ex-
isting controversy is by conserving the
waters in a manner such as propC ed
by the Utah Light & Railway comps ny,
in which way there could be a fair DIS
tributiOn and a sufficient quantity of wa
ter for all concerned