The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-04-05
PROPOSED RESERVOIRS.

has up again for discussion the ques'
tion Of water storage with division
rs to the comparative merits OF stor-
age in City Creek canyon or in Par
ley's canyon.
The specific. proposition is for dam
across City Creek canyon that would
impound about 100000 gallons OF
water for emergency uses, and this,
il is said, will be proposed at the meet
ing OF the Commission next Monday.
The proposed dam and reservoir are cS-
timated to cost about $4,000, There
is no doubt of the fact that there are
several good storage reservoir sites up
City Creek canyon. 1T is also true that
the reservoirs at these sites would
necessarily be comparatively small. and
therefore. relatively costly. 1t is a
plain case that to build, say, four res
ervoirs that will store 50,000,000 gal
Ions of water each, would cost good
deal more in the aggregate than to
build one reservoir that would store
2O0, ,000,0 900 gallons. where site for
it can be had. 1t is also true that
reservoirs up City Creek canyon
ought to be lined with cement to pre-
vent seepage. for the gravel bed Of
City Creek canyon is quite loose and
there is good deal Of natural scep-
age from the stream itself Much Of
this seepage goes through the hills to
the westward, making springs and small
rills on the Davis county side. 1T would
be vast waste of water to build res
ervoirs up City Creek canyon without
giving them a cement bottom. 1t is
quite probable that the city, in course
of time. will want TO build number
of reservoirs up City Creek canyon. and
will see its way to doing so and lin
ing them with cement, as they viii
have to be lined in order to retain the
water.
While it is an undisputed fact that
these reservoirs can be located advan
up City Creek canyon, il is
equally true that a reservoir OF very
great proportion can be built up Par"
ley's canyon at the old Hardy fat at
Il minimum cost compared with the
amount of water that it would store,
Mr.. Frank c. Kelsey, while city en-
ginecr, made expert examination of
the reservoir site proposed, and found
bedrock for the dam at site little
below the fat. The estimate of the
cost Of putting in dam and reservoir
at that point was q very reasonable
one; in fact, so low as TO be surprls'
inc when we consider the amount Of
water that such dam and reservoir
would store.
When it comes to question Of adopt.
ing the most expensive plan for water
storage or the least expensive plan at
this time. we believe there would be
no difference of opinion on the point
that the least expensive plan, that is,
the one that would give us the most
water for the least money, is the one
that ought to be adopted. That one
is undoubtedly the Parley's canyon
plan. The cost would be such that
lu0 Guy COuip dlIdnRb W IuetL IL, dGu
the result would be reinforcement
of the water supply of this city that
would be ample for years to come,
When the time arrives that we shall
need to conserve all possible water
supplies in this region, the City Creek
supply will not be a negligible one
It Will be large, but it will cost COM
parativelv high FOR the quantity of
water that can be stored, AS an econ
omic proposition there is no comparison
of the City Creek scheme with the
Parley's canyon scheme. The latter
is, beyond all question, the one to be
preferred. Eventually, also. the avail.
able water supply in Big Cottonwood
can be utilized to immense advantage.
That is the big stream of all, and it
would afford an ample supply for a
city of q million people, with proper
construction Of reservoirs that would
utilize the flow Of the food season.
But the immediate question is as
between City Creek and Parley's can
yon; and on that, as we have said.
the preference beyond all doubt must
go to Parley's canyon.