The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-02-07
WATER RESOURCES
TO Be DEVELOPED
Utah Has Thousands of Acres
of Land Ready For
Improvement.
HAVE GAGING STATIONS
BEHAVIOR OF STATE STREAMS
RECORDED FOR 20 YEARS.

IN the year 1889 the United States geo
logical survey began the study OF the Wa
ter resources of the state of Utah.
Gaging stations were established on Bear
river, near Collision, and on Provo river,
at the mouth of the canyon. The be
havior of these two Utah rivers Is pref
" well known at the present time, as
practically cOmolete daily record Of the
flow i'm cubic feet per second has been
kept for a period of twenty years.
With the exception OF some scattering
records kept by the army engineers, very
little data had been collected bearing on
'he water resources of the United States
prior t. 1883, but in that year a syste-
matte study of tine subject was inausu-
rated by the federal survey in several
states and the work has gradually in
citaSed from year To year until at the
present time the Investigations cover
practically every state and territory i'm
The Union, including Alaska and the ha-
Vdilan islands.
I'm the study of its water resources the
United States has been divided into dis
trictS, the work iu each district being
under the direction of "A district engl-
necr. Thus the State of Utah is included
i'm what is known as the Great Basin
district. which comprises the states OF
ICaho. Utah and Nevada. r. c. LaRue,
district engineer, has charge of the work
I'd these three states.
Work Is Handicapped.
ON account of the limited federal al
preparation, only small amount could
be allotted FOR this work IN Utah and.
cOnSeque nflN, the work has not progressed
az rapidly as many people have wished
However. -heSe Investigations, carried on
by the government throughout the west,
have led to the construction of federal
irrigation works during the last seven
years, costing upwards of SJO,1NVV0. The
fLaF.f-
would of necessity have been greatly, if
rot indefinitely, delayed had 1t not been
toT the .0ng time records of stream flows
showing the vast amount of water rum
ming to waste each year in these western
rivers. and also the amount of flow which
could be depended upon.
Thousands of acres of rich land IN
southern Utah today lie practically worth
less because they are without irrigation.
With the development of the available
water resources. the value of these lands
viii he raised go several million dollars,
creating magnificent asset for the state
and the nation. The preliminary to such
development i'm every case must be re-
liable record of the flow at the streams.
During the last session of the Titan leSiS-
lature law was enacted authorizing
the state engineer to cooperate with and
SPEND dollar for dollar with the federal
government. I'm the extension OF hydro
graphic investigations TO cover southern
Utah. A. a result the water resources
I
fully studied under the direction OF +.
e. LaRue. district engineer for the Unit
ell States EroluSlcai survey. and Calep
Tanner, engineer for the state OF titan.
Records Kept in Utah.
The work in Utah nearly doubled during
700 At the present time. daily record.
H. cubic feet per second, Is beng Kept
on the following streams In the state.
Bear river at ColiuSton. Beaver creek at
AIuerSvilla. Blacksmith Fork river at Hy-
RAM Power Plant race at HErum. Box
Elder creek ct Brigham, CottonW GOD creek
mt OrangeVille. Diamond Fork river at
Thistle, Escalaute creek ut Escalaute,
Terron creek at FeTTUu. Fremont river
az Thurber Green river at Elgin. Hob
ile creek at SpTingTiile, Huntington creek
nj Huntington. Indian creek at straw
berry valley Logan river at Logan: Lo-
gan. Hyde Park and Smithfield canal Ut
Logan. Muddy creek at Emo ~, Peteet-
meet creek at PaEson. Price riN er at Help
er. Provo river at Forks, san Rafael at
Green river Santa clara river at Enter
Irise Santa Clara river at St. George
SEWER river at tSannlSon. Sewer river At
NIarvsvaIe. Spanish Fork river at Lake
shore, Spanish Fork river at Spanish
Fork. Spanish Fork river at thistle
strawberry at Strawberry Valley,
Trail Hollow creek at strawberry al
ley. L. :. r.. =. power canal al Spanish
Fork, Virgin river at Virgin, Weber river
at Devils Slide Weber river at Oakley,
Weber river at Plain City.
The records from these stations are
published annually. and may be con-
suited or obtained 10y writing the uiro--
tor of the United States geological sur
vey, Washington, d. g.. OF 4. &. LaRGr,
207 Brooks arcane building. Salt Lake
The 1898 records viii DE Published in tl4e
spring of 1910