The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-29

Uncle Sam, the state of Utah and
private corporations Wed with each
other throughout the year 1907 in uti-
LIKING the water of the state and in re-
deeming the arid land by irrigation.
That Strawberry Valley Project.
Truth compels the statement that lit
tie was accomplished by the general
government onNits proposal to convert
the Strawberry valley into a reservoir
and transfer the water to the Titan
county side of the Wasatch mountains
by means of a tunnel through the
mountains 10000 feet long.
1t was discovered by those in charge
of the work that generating power by
steam. was too expensive and uncertain
because of the long haul for coal no
the canyon. Then it was proposed to
establish a power plant in Spanish
Fork canyon and to utilize the water
of that stream for power. A good part
of the year was consumed on this pro-
ject, and still the power plant is nor
yet started. The work thus far done
has been in the construction Of a canal
to convey the water from the stream
to the site of the power plant.
The government has been unable II
let a contract for the boring of the
tunnel through the mountains because
of the many restrictions enforced. As
a result the government is doing the
work by day labor Less than half a
mile of the four miles of the tunnel
has thus far been bored, and il is The
general impression that the work will
not be completed within five years. J.
L. Isytel is at the head of the govern
state and has the supervision of the
Strawberry project. His headquarters
are in Provo, Utah.
Still at Work on the Weber.
State Engineer Caleb Tanner and his
office force put in the year working on
the Weber river project. Here there is
a tremendous amount of routine work
TO be done The object aimed at is tn
settle definitely the water rights in this
stream. This work began in 1908. Up
10 the present time 525 sections, or
square miles, of cultivated lana has
been surveyed. This land extends the
full length of the stream. It includes
most of the cultivated land in Summit
county, all the cultivated land in Nor
gan/county, part of the cultivated land
in Davis county. and all the cultivated
land in Weber county. In addition TO
this about half the plating has been
done for the use of the district court
1t is proposed to determine by legal
process just what rights every man
and every company has in the Weber
river, to award the right amount OF
water and then determine just how
much Unappropriated water remains.
Big Opportunities on the Weber.
Future development along the Weber
will depend wholly on&he amount of
unapprcpriated water there is, and it is
not considered safe for any man or
any company TO invest money in reser-
voirs or canal systems till this point
is definitely settled.
Engineer Tanner considers that the
Weber presents the best irrigation pos
sibilities TO be found anywhere in
Utah. The general government could
do nothing with it because the settlers
already there would not agree on any
proposition. In Engineer Tanner S
opinion, the best reservoir site in Utah
is in Echo canyon. Here 2OO,O 900 acre
feet could be empounded. enough to
irrsgate $4,000 acres of land. a larger
tract than the good land now irrigated
nv the whole stream. With this reser-
voir splendid land near Layton and in
various other places could be made as
fruitful as garden.
State Takes Up Big Projects.
For the first time in its history Utah
"a taking hold Of something tangible