American Fork citizen. [volume] (American Fork, Utah) 1912-1979, 1914-10-10
Canal Companies Build
Big Dam and Wiers
Are Spending $4,000 For Construc.
tlon Work and May Dredge
Jordan River.

Mr. VIM. A. Knight, general manag-
er for the Salt Lake County Associ-
ated Canal companies, started about
twenty men and a dozen teams to
work this week on the big dam and
wiers witch the Associated cOmpan-
les will Luild in the Jordan River ia
the Narrows. at the head Of the Utah
and Salt Lake ard the East Jordan
canals.
The head works will be for the pur-
pose of lmpoundlng the waters of
Utah Lake, also to measure the water
received by these canals and to dis
tribute the balance TO the canals TAX
ing water at point further down the
river. The works also consist of a
wier, so that the entire flow OF the
river may be measured
A similar wier and dam Is being
constructed at point two miles fur
Their down the river, at the head of the
South Jordan and Salt Lake City
canals
The main dam will be 100 feet long
and ~ feet high. The floor will be
As feet In width at the b tom with
II feet wagon road across the top
of the dam. II will be built OF solid
concrete. G,iO0 sacks of cement and
1000 yards of gravel will be used in
its construction.
Large Sluce gates have been pro-
ylded for In the bottom CT the dam
which will enable the water to be
drawn of the lake In case OF high
water much lower than ever before.
A new feature of these gates Is that
they are OF the radlal pattern and
very easy to operate After the de-
vice is In place, each canal Will be
rated In flume and an irameter be |
installed. This device may be com |
pared to a turbine. 1t is placed in
the flume and by the natural flow
of the water Is operated so as to
measure the water continuously In
cubic feet per second An automatic
meter registers the amount of water
each canal receives.
Soon as the teams have done lit
tie more eXcavating, 1000 bags of
sand will be dumped into the river
to make dam dlverting the present
flow into the two canals. When the
dam proper has been constructed,
then the water will be allowed TO
pass through the sluce gates while |
the wiers are being built. The total |
cost of the improvement will be APP
proXimately $4,000.
While the officials OF the canal COM |
panies have not given ont the reason |
for making the sill of the sluce gates |
seven feet lower than the present
dam, II Is learned from an unofficial
source that some day the companies
intend dredging the river so as TO
draw the lakes level off seven feet
lower than IL is at present and MAX
ing of II a great mammoth reservoir
IL this were done the pumps at the
head of Jordan River could be dis
pensed with, the two lower canals
would get their supply by gravity,
necessitating the pumping only OF the
water for the two higher canals, and
thus making of the lake great res
ervoir, forever shutting of the vex-
atious law suits of the Utah county
farmers, and cutting on one-half the
expense of operating the pumps
The lakes level at high water mark
this season was fifteen inches above
compromise point, On August goth
1t had dropped to compromise point,
and or this date pumping was com
menced When the pumps were start
ed Jordan River was drawing 5l5 sec
ond feet by gravity and the starting
OF the pumps increased this to 700
second feet The pumps were stopped
for the season September 81, at which
time the lakes level had receded to
II inches below compromise point,
making total of 20 inches of water
drawn off the lake during the season
by gravity, pumping and evaporation
These records for high water, both
at the opening aud closing Of the ir-
rigatiCn season, have not been ex-
ceedod since 1907, Jordan River is
now flowing by gravity 313 second
feet of water.