The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-01-15
State Engineer.

IN his eighth biennial report the state
engineer calls attention to the apparent
,SIIure OF the legislative enactment OF
l9oS directing the state engineer. to make
surveys and gather facts for the guild
a@mue @ Oh the court, and intended 90 ia
c!Htate the adjudication OF water rights
After the expenditure of a. large amount
OF money during a period covering about
.line ni,le sears. the data gathered by the en-
gnt gtneGr h regaridfing ,;.ifig the Weber river has
lsoe peen utllized in pushing a deterni-
aiaiion n OF water rights through the courts
although the data have long been In the
nnn1ii,, lrtI,Gs OF inc court This is a serious
ellectFe measures are adopted whereby
use may be made of this valuable data.
me, rme state stands TO- lose a large sum OF
ma tion, and the people are apparently
no nearer an adiudca ton OF their water
ss's was adontnd eRan they h. were before the law
IN the. meantime, the hydrosranhic
survey OF the Logan river has been com
Eirstd REdTsed oIt ana placed in the hands of the
rrst district court, while the field work
anq practically all office work for the
hydrographic survey of the Virgin river
Is completed and the Information gath
cred under this survey can be submit
led to the Fifth judicial court within 9
ieW months. The state engineer strongly
upges rpTeaun tne creation Of board OF control
Ro"@feh wnte, freq. "lti authority to adjudcate
water rights, the findings of this board
;neile suo1ect to appeal TO the courts He
is now making thorough investipation
~ Pr inc operation & of the adjudication fea-
VIII submit his findings 10 Your commit
zee at tne opportune time.
me state engineer calls attention 10
serious condition which has developed
and continues TO develop in the Water
situation IN the Duchesne basin. Each
year aooitlonal lands brought under irri-
draWins Sh 'nTouEn on s.. completed canals
streams; with the result that early water
appropriators, In the low periods of Wa
ra, yer now, are practically deprived OF water
suIheient TO irriSate their growing crops
II Is incumbent that some stems he
taken whereby irrigation panies whicb
are bringing larger tracts OF land undnI.
Du,f DuI.,Hat'on take the necessary means 10
provioe storage so that the early set
tlers, among whom are those who have
secured Indian allotmentS NAV he az
sured OF tEe!r jus. proportion OF the wa
I concur in the recommendation or thc
state engineer that hereafter tho CON
strnction OF bridges authorized by The
legislature be placed under the dircc-
ton OF the state road commission with
provision that plans and contracts for
{ho construction OF state bridges be
passed upon by the commission and thai
the WORK pc prosecuted under general
sion.
In the engineers recommendation that
an an appropriation be made by the legis-
n
United States geological survey In OH
tanning complete information on the wa
TER resources OF the state I heartily CON
cur ana trust that the legislature viii
,,ro neo M 10 make a sufficiently large ap-
preparation TO secure the continued and
more extended cooperation of the gov
ernment during the ensuing two years
AS pointed out bv the engineer It is
avail itself OF the opportunity afforded
10 secure TINS data at an expense prac-
ticaIly OF 90 cents on the dolIar-tbo
government under the plan agreeing to
state. The cooperation afforded during
the past two years has been OF great
oeneht to the state. especially in the
Investigations conducted on the SEWER
river.
In connection with tho state engineer
Ing department / desire to invite the at
tention of the legislature TO the eco
nolnic adVantagc of building the Pluto
reservoir To Its maximum capacity and
extending the canal system as far as
may be required to obtain the lands rIpon
which to use all OF the water so made
aVaiiaplc by storage. and suggest an in
committee.
During. the past biennial period three
bridges have been constructed by the
state, ono over the Sewer river at Marys
the Narrows and In San Juan county.
and one over the Grand river near Moab.
In 1911 and 1912. 1859 applications for
water have been filed with tho engineer
ing department producing a revenue of
approximately S27 600.
The cost to the state, exclusive of the
saIarv OF tho state engineer has been
Estimated appropriations required for
the years 1919 and 1914:
Salary OF engineer .....,.s q, 600
Contingent expenses .....,..... 3,40o
Irrigation contingent expenses. $4,000