Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-20
Vast Irrigation Scheme Taking
Form to Reclaim
Arid Lands.
TO SPEND HALF A MILLION
Acreage In Vicinity of Reno 10 be Put
Under Big Canals Drawing From
Conservation Reservoir.

Incorporation papers will shortly be
| filed under the laws OF Nevada for the
Truckee- California Irrigation company.
The capitalization Will be ss0Oo.O00. di-
vlded into 10000 shares of $50 each. o.
B. Berglund OF Gunnison Will be the
president and w. E. Tollestrup of Salt
Lake the secretary.
Since early in June of this year
Messrs. Tollcstrup and Berglund have
been working quietly on this project.
During the summer the preliminary
surveys were made by the Reno civil
engineer. and the course of the neces-
sary canals, tunnels. etc, and the
reservoir sites were all plated and
recorded. But the utmost secrecy was
maintained throughout all of these
preliminary arrangements. even to the
defering the filing and recording of
the Incorporation and other papers.
Both are men who have made the
business of big irrigation projects in
both Utah and Colorado a careful
study. Two of the projects they have
put through in Utah, have proven
signal financial successes. Prior to
their undertaking this project, they
have made exhaustive studies of the
IulIlIdll ana Tun-Ol OF. tne country IN
volved and procured the best engineer
Ing talent available to make the nee
essary Investigations and preliminary
surveys before they planned 20 go
ahead with the undertaking.
Salt Lake capital is chiefly behind
the proposition. Mr.. Berglund has per-
sonally invested large sum of money
In the company, and Mr.. Tollestrup is
also heavily interested financially.
OPERATE NEAR RENO.
It means the expenditure of up
wards of half a million of dollars In the
near vicinity of Reno. and the opening
up for the cultivation of immense
tracts OF land to the northward of the
city, land which Is well known, only
awaits the application of water to
make 1t yield immense revenues to
those who Will cultivate il.
Some idea of the immensity of the
project and of the proven belief of the
capitalists behind II In the ultimate
financial success OF the undertaking
can be gathered from the following
outline Of the chief features OF the en-
terprise.
Independence creek, which is the out
let of Independence lake, not far from
Floriston. flows into the little Truckee
river at 4 point in the northeast
puditSr VI SeCtlOH Ii Al tillS point
dam will be built, and the combined
waters of the two streams will be de-
fected into the canal.
At White lake. where a reservoir
will be constructed. there will be Il
miles of canal. pipe line and tunnel.
The length of the tunnel which the con-
tour of the country will necessitate In
the supply canal is about 3,4O0 feet.
RIG STOP ACE CApACJTy
Just west of White lake, where the
conservation reservoir will be. the in
coming water Will be carried over the
divide and down into the basin. This
conservation basin with the construc-
ton OF the necessary dam, will give
storage capacity of 123. 900 acre-feet of
water This capacity is that given by
raising the water to the 55-foot contour
line, which Is as high as it will be at
present The surface of the lake will
have an area of 3.349 acres. The con-
tour of the basin of White lake is such
that the water can be ultimately raised
by higher dam. to the 10l-foot con-
tour line above the bed of the lake
without exceeding the spill level. This
Will give a storage capacity Of 4S2. 00U
acre-feet. sa
Delivery of water from the White
ldht IeStINOlT W luc lduu W Ut w.
claimed will be through a tunnel $500
feet long, taking the water out at a
level with the bottom of the lake bed
and delivering 1t into the channel of
Long Valley creek Thus the water of
the Truckee and Independence creeks
will be carried into and via tunnels,
the aggregate tunnel length being 5000.
or above one and one-fifth miles.
The estimates of the engineers who
have the work in hand for the construc-
tion of canals. tunnels reservoirs and
dams will be between $400. 900 and $780,
600. This estimate will in all probabili-
ty be heavily exceeded when the actual
construction, is done.
The articles OF Incorporation provide
that the uckee-California Irrigation
company may acquire, by purchase and
appropriation, $4,000 inches of water
from the Little Truckee, 10000 inches.
from Prudy creek and 10000 from LonG
Valley creek-a total of 10000 inches
of water An Inch" of water will ap-
Droximatc one and one-half cubic feet
of water per minute. which mems that
a flow of over 100000 cubic feet of Wa
ter per minute Is provided for in the
articles of Incorporation of the new
company.
Mt Tollestrup just returned from
Nevada. where he has been spending
several months.