The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-09-17
NGAFTER SITES
FOR BIG RESERVOIRS
COunciImanic Party Return
from Trip at Head of
Big Cottonwood.
WHAT WAS LEARNED
ON TRIP TO HEADWATERS
Billions of Gallons of Water Can
Be Conserved at Nominal
Expense.

bers Of the City Council and City Engi-
neers on Saturday and Sunday. This
vast water supply, which would make
ample provision for years to come, can
be secured at a cost Of $35. 900. Added
to this would be the outlay necessary
fer the construction of dams, which,
owing to the fact that all of the lakes
lie in natural water sheds, it is esti-
mated would be very small. Also the
small expense of rip-rapping, portions
of the outlets of the reservoirs which
would carry the water into Big Cotton
wood creek.
The party, which left Salt Lake Sat
urday morning, was composed of Coun-
cilmen A. j. Davis, IT. r. Black c. j.
Crabtree and L. G. 'Donnell; City
Engineer L. c, Kelsey, Assistant City
Engineer George CLANCY, Attorney j.
NJ. Thomas and members of the press.
The party went to Park City by train,
where saddle horses were waiting for
all Of the party and also wagon for
those who did not feel equal TO riding
the entire distance The trip from
Park City to Brighton was made in
about three hours, and after lunch was
served the party started out on horse
back to visit the chain OF lakes at the
head Of Big Cottonwood canyon. Mr.
Thomas. who is offering to sell the lakes
to Salt Lake City, acted as guide. The
first lakes visited were the Twin lakes,
Inen log lake. ana Unen Oh W hdhc
Mary and Lake Phoebe.
Several Lakes Visited.
Lakes Mary and Phoebe lie very close
together, and 1t is thought that one
dam, 30 feet high, could be built which
would form a single reservoir, covering
about 20 acres, City Engineer Kelsey
is of the opinion that, taking the diff
ferent propositions separately, dam
for these two lakes offers the best ad-
vantages Of any,
At the Twin lakes n separate dam
would probably have to be built for
each lake. though one tlnm at the lower
Twin lake, if built sufficiently high,
would make one reservoir OF the two
lakes.
Dog lake was visited, but it is the
smallest of any and would probably not
figure in the forma tion OF reservoir
until after all Of the others had been
taken care of.
Lake Martha, which is also one Of
those offered, is a fair-sized body of
water, and would add materially to
the water supply if dam were con-
structed to conserve the flood waters Of
the winter and spring.
As told In Sundays Tribune, the
party was in the midst of a binding
snowstorm all of Saturday afternoon,
and wandered about for a couple of
hours in search of the trail, which
would be difficult enough for the anna
teur to find under the most favorable
conditions, but with the wind blowing
gale, the snow falling thick and fast,
and the ground covered with about
eight inches of snow, it was almost a
hopeless matter, and even the heavy
weights Of the party Ito be explicit,
there were four of them), whose horses
were groaning beneath their burdens,
did not blame Mr.. Thomas any for
:, f1,a ,a1x
rival of an engineering corps brought
the party safely back to the hotel at
Brighton.
Down Big Cottonwood.
Sunday morning the party was up
bright and early and started on the
trip down Big Cottonwood canyon, the
majority, however, taking to the wagon
and allowing the saddle horses to be led
for the first ten miles, until the trail
leading to Lakes Blanche, Florence and
Lily was reached, where every one took
ascent to the three lakes at the foot
of the Twin peaks was commenced. The
ascent was made in one hour and TWEEN
ty-fve minutes and the party dismountcd
and climbed over the rocks from Lake
Blanche to Lakes Florence and Lily. IT
was the unanimous opinion of the MEM
bers of the party that this little cluster
of lakes at the foot of the Twin peaks
is in one of the grandest spots nature
has produced.
In regard to the object of the visit,
though not speaking from an engineer IS
standpoint, all of the party agreed that
these three lakes offered excellent op-
portunities for reservoir sites. City En-
gineer Kelsey places them second In
importance to Lakes Phoebe and Mary.
Returning down the canyon, the party
reached Maxwell's place at 3 'clock,
where dinner was served
Leaving Maxwell 8, the saddle-horses
having been sent back to Park City,
the party entered the wagon and made
for the mouth of the canyon, to in
spect the work going on at the intake
of the Big Cottonwood conduit. A
large force of men was at work on the
intake, and all of the excavation was
nearly completed to the south end of
the conduit. The concrete mixer was
on the ground, and there was every
indication that the intake will be ready
to swerve the waters of Big Cotton
wood into the conduit before the end
Of this month
Leaving the intake, the drive was
made direct to Salt Lake. Mr.. Kelsey
pointed out the work which has Just
been completed of covering with earth
that portion Of the conduit which had
been placed on stills by the former
engineers. This was done to do away
with the great danger Of having this
exposed portion of the conduit washed
away by cloudburst or heavy storm.
May Survey tho Lakes.
Before Salt Lake was reached it was
agreed by the members of the Council
to introduce resolution at the next
meeting of the Council, in which ii will
be recommended that the City Engineer
be instructed TO proceed to make sur
veys of the lakes and report to the
Council the probable cost of the con-
struction of Che dams and the probable
amount of the waters which are wasted
every spring which could be stored up
and held in reserve for an emergency,
or used to supply the farmers that are
now supplied at considerable expense
to the CITY from Utah lake,