Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-10-17
DEsERET EVENING NEWS MONDAY OCTOBER II 1910
GREAT SALT LAKE
UNDER INVESTIGATION
U. S. Looking Into History lnfLocnl
Drainage Area Prior to Advent
OF White Man.

INC present behavior and past his
tory of Great Salt Lake Is attracting
moro and more attention each year
and Is now the object of special in.
vestigattlon by the United States gelog-
ical survey. The United States
weather bureau precipitation records,
beginning in 1868; present n; COM
3paratively accurate record of. tho
levels of Great salt LAKE dating back
Z to the year 1851. III 1870 tuc lake
stood at 8 feet. In 1858 the water rose
4 to a feet. dropped to 10 feet IN 1873,
and rose ngain to IA feet in 1870. ina
lake then gradually lowered until the
water stood at "a feet in 1909 anu
30 In 1905. Since 1906 the water has
gradually risen. reaching the 6 foot
mark In May 1910. The lake is now
falling.
Many millions of dollars have been
spent In the construction Of railroads
and resorts over or near the shores or
the Great Salt Lake. II any data can
be secured which will enable one TO
make reliable prediction as to tho
behavior of the lake 10 years in adj
vance, the Information would be of
ainestimable value. 1t will be necessary
to determine whether or not there are
regular periods OF wet and dry years;
also to determine the time intervene
ing between two wet and two dry
periods. TO determine this point one
should have precipitation records dat
ing back one hundred years or more.
Taking, for example, forest tree
which is some distance from flow
Ing stream. and one which receives no
moisture from artificial sources 1t IS
believed that the annual growth OF
this tree would bear direct relation
to the amount of precipitation which
fell during the winter just prior to the
growing season. The amount of growth
made during each year may be de-
termined by measuring the thickness
OF tho trees annular rings. Tho tenn
peraturc during the growing season
would have its effect upon the growth
of the tree, and it Is therefore not ex-
pected that the data obtained from
measuring the: thickness of annular
rings would give reliable records for
successive years where there Is lit
tie variation in the annual precipltn-
ton. 1t seems reasonable to believe
that the high normal and low years
can be determined
The forest service has extended its
assistance in this interesting investi-
cation by cutting a big tree from tho
Big Cottonwood drainage area, which
aiies, tipbul IL HtIlSS 'SDullcuSl OIL Sdlt
Lake City. Utah This tree is between
four and five hundred years old. A
section will be cnt and polished in
order that the thickness of the an
nular rings may be easily measured.
~ thorough study will be made OF the
first 60 annular rings and a compare
son made with the 60 Year record of
the levels of Great Salt Lake. If a
definite relation can be determined
showing that certain amount Of
precipitation produces a ring of GER
tain thickness, this relation can then
be arplied back to the center of the
tree and an estimate thereby secured
for the annual precipitation for a
period OF four hundred to five hun
dred years. An effort will be made to
complete this study during the next
three months. Hf}
Any information concerning tho prog
ress of this work can be secured by
writing or calling upon e. c. LaRue
district engineer, water resources
branch, U. S. geological survey. Salt
Lake City, Utah.