The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-03-14
WATER pOYER
OUT in UTAH
Power Plant South Of Ogden Will Be
Erected in Connection With
an irrigation
Project.
5000 HORSE POWER
Work viii Begin This Spring and it
is Expected to Prove Great
Benefit to the
Community.
5000 HORSE POWER

OGDEN. UTAH, March IA larg.
power plant as part Of the irrigatio,
system of the Davis and Weber Coun
ties Canal Company will be construct
ed this year. The work will begin il
the spring. The power house will bs
located to the south OF Ogden. where
5000 horsepower will be generated
from the canal waters.
The Davis and Weber Countie:
Canal Company enterprise is hoIdins
the attention of irrigation engineers
throughout the country, as it affords q
practical demonstration of the value 0,
water storage for irrigation and powe,
purposes.
Samuel Fortier, government engi
neer, has made a report which is a
testimonial to the wisdom of those who
have developed the system. 1t is an
authoritative statement as to the
merits of water storage and appropria-
uon, as 1t deals with a concrete ex.
ample of water. conservation and apnIi.
cation and proves the possibilities of
irrigation. Mr.. Fortier gives history
OF the undertaking in which he says:
Origin of Company
Some twenty-five years ago an irri.
cation enterprise. known as the Davis
and Weber Counties Canal Company.
was ineornn-o al "a. +bo .
diyerting the flood waters of Weber
river TO irrigate tract of land south
east OF Ogden. Utah. Being one of the
late appropriations on the stream. the
company was entitled TO a portion of
the annual flow only when there was
surplus in the river Usually. about
duly l of each year. when the dis
charge OF the stream was needed by
prior appropriations, the COMPANY was
compelled TO close its headgates and
keep them closed up Throughout the
remainder OF the cron-growing season.
The earlier irrigations sufficed for the
raising OF grain and hav and some
times for second crop of alfalfa but
orchard trees ard late vegetables
could not be raised with any assurance
OF success. This condition of affairs
continued for period of more than
ten years, when the company began to
take steps TO store water for the latter
Part OF the irrigation season. In the
summer of 1894 an excellent site for a
dam was discovered on East Canon
Creek, the largest tributary Of Weber
River, and two years later the work on
the structure wa begun. Funds 20
the extent of $50 600 were secured and
with this amount the structure was
raised some 90 feet above bedrock. Civ.
ing an available depth of water of "a
feet in the reservoir and capacity of
leI 100000 cubic feet.
Before stored WAGER from the reser
voir was available the farmers under
the system We're not in a prosperous
condition The hard times of the early
Cos had lowered the value of all farm
produce. Alfalfa was selling in the
stack for about IS ton, and grain
brought even less returns. Shares in
the company, having q par value Of
$50 each. were selling at from $40 to
s12, and the price of good AGRICULTURAL
land ranged from $40 to $50 per acre
A fair valuation of the property of
the COMPANY 1T this time would not
have exceeded $4,000.
Benefits Have Been Laroe.
The use of stored water proved SO
valuable in suppiementing the flood
flow from the river that in 1910 the
height of the dam was increased 25
feet, at cost Of $4,000, thereby in.
creasing the capacity to 3s7. 1000 600
cubic feet, which supplied the farmers
Under the system with 2 continuous
flow of ~ cubic feet per second for
sixty DAYS Two years later the com.
pany decided to add IL feet more TO
the height of the dam, thus increasing
the available depth 10 100 feet and
making the total height of the struc-
ture 145 feet above bedrock. At this
level the reservoir has a capacity of
about eo0000,00o cubic feet or 1890
acre feet.
The benefits which have been ac.
crued TO the stockholders Of this com.
pany as q result of applying la~ee
quantities of reservoir water have
been phenomenal There is perhaps
no enterprise Of a like kind in the
West which has made so rapid a
growth in the last ten yeass, and
none is in more prosperous condi-
ton financially The shares of stock
which could not be sold for s1z in
ls93, are now selling for s175 and
even higher. and the prospects are
good for further increase. A con-
sentative estimate Of the value Of
the property of the company at this
time would considerably exceed ST..
100000, and unimproved land under the
system is now worth from 500 to
sAoo per acre without water, improved
irrigated lands frennnntl.,