The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-02-23
DREDGER TO START
ON SURPLUS CANAL
Work of Widening and Deep
ening Channel to Be
Pushed Vigorously.
NOT TO HELP THIS YEAR
OPERATIONS, HOWEVER, WILL
PREVENT FUTURE DANGER.

Work was continued yesterday on the
surplus canal, and by tomorrow the
dredging machine of the Utah Sand
Dredging & Construction company will
be engaged in widening the channel in
some places, and in deepening it along
the way. 1t is probable that the dredger
will be busy for at least two weeks be-
fore the $4,000 is spent, this being the
appropriation made by the city council
several days ago in the hope of STEM
ming the food and saving property on
the west side from damage when the
real floods start from the Jordan river
this spring.
Owing to the thaws of the last few
days, and the persistent snOwstOrms, II
is felt that the river will go over its
banks IN a short time. The stream has
already flooded many residences of the
west side, especially in the southwestern
part of the city, and it is feared that
| within q few days a real flood will be
experienced.
Just how much good will result from
the work of teams and dredgers in the
surplus canal cannot be determined.
| That it will be of some benefit to the
people of the west is not doubted, but
it is believed that it will not stop the
serious floods of the spring and summer
when the hills start to give up their re-
serve of snow and ice with the thaws
that are soon to come. At the present
time the Jordan river is carrying all Of
the water from Utah lake and from
the mountain streams. But up to the
present time the streams from the can
( yOns have not been especially high, and
the Jordan has been able to carry the
water.
To Facilitate Work.
At the point where the surplus canal
| leaves the Jordan river, near Twelfth
| South street, and makes a direct dash
| for Great Salt lake, a dam has been
/ constructed to keep the water out of the
| canal. This is for the purpose of facili-
/ tating work in the canal when the
! dredger gets started. The dredging ma
/ chine could deepen the channel with the
water whirling through, but the work
/ can be done much faster, it is pointed
| out, with only a limited amount in the
canal. For several days past more than
dozen teams have been at work re-
moving piles, stakes and debris from
| the canal, to give full swing TO the
] dredger when it starts throwing out the
| mud.
1t is probable that the gate will be
! kept at the entrance of the canal at the
river to keep the river water out for
few weeks on, but If the river and trtb-
| utaries start to rise rapidly the boards
will have to be knocked out to let the
| extra channel carry much of the water,
and thus relieve the conditions further
north. This will only be done in case
| of necessity, however, and when it is
felt certain that the river will over
flow, unless this action is taken. At any
rate. it is declared, the river will over
flow, no matter what is done now, but
the turning of much of the food waters
into the canal will help to some extent.
City Dredger Here Soon.
City Engineer George F. McGonagle
is now in the east, with authority from
the city council to spend $4,000 for a
dredge for the city. Word has been re-
ceived here that a yard and a quarter
dredge has been purchased by the city
engineer and that it will be in Salt Lake
within fifteen or twenty days, but it is
expected that it will be at least a month
before il is ready for work. 1t will be
put in the surplus canal at once, and
will be worked throughout the summer
and winter on the canal and Jordan
river, deepening and widening each
While it is felt certain that Salt Lake
! will experience one Of the worst floods
I'm its history when the waters come W
this spring, il is felt that with the City's
dredge working all during the summer
of 1910, when the water in the Jordan
, is low, there will be no damage
in 1911, as adequate preparations will
, have been made for the handling of al
of the water
Under the scheme proposed, the city
will build a dam across the Jordan
river, just north of the surplus canal
with flood gates of a convenient size
When high water comes, all of the
water in the Jordan will be stopped al
the dam, and diverted into the surplus
canal, which will, it is estimated, be
large enough to take care of all of the
: water carried in the river from Utah
! lake. This will leave the Jordan alone
! to handle water from the canyons
: With the widening and deepening OF
I the Jordan, as well as the surplus canal
t ii is felt that in the future there will
! be no need for fear that the high waters
will overflow the streams and wreck
: homes and destroy property on the west
side, as in the past.