Evening star., 1954-05-23


on the integrity of national parks
and Monuments.
Spokesman for the Interior De-
partment and the Bureau Of Recla-
nation vigorously deny any desire
to weaken the national parks or to
set q precedent for future demands
for park land. Why. asks the bureau.
would our engineers seek to build
q dam in national park or monu-
ment If better sites were available? (?
In summary. the basic arguments
for and against the construction of
the Echo Park dam are as follows:
For: The Echo site is necessary
to the irrigation needs Of water
starved Central Utah.
Against: The needs of Central
Utah haze already been proUided
for IN the plans for the Flaming
Gorge dam, on the Green Riuer
north of the monument.
For: The Echo, and later the Split
Mountain dams are necessary stor-
age for the release of water guar
anteed to the lower Colorado States
in the interstate compact.
Against: Glen Canyon reser-
Doir, provided in the present bill,
iDiu perform that junction aided
By reservoirs upstream other than
Echo.
For: The power output of Echo
will pay a substantial part of the
entire cost of the upper Colorado
project.
Against: Cost of producing po,Der
at Echo tciu be higher than or
equal to the selling price-1bout
mills per skilotDntt-Gpd no prof.
its triu be realized. s.r
For: Alternate sites studied for
the project are unsuitable New
Moab site on the Colorado because
sitawould hack water into the Arches
National Monument; the Dewey site
on the Colorado and the Desolation
site on the Green because water loss
from evaporation would be excessive.
Against: The three sites as
GlternGtes Mould produce more
po1Uer, 1DGter and cost less TO con-
struct than Echo Park and Split
Mountain combined, and tDould
damage no DGluGble resources;
evaporation loss figures of the
bureau are unreliable and in
creased storage tDould more than
make up any loss.
For: The Echo development would
make DinoSaur National Monument
more accessible and would provide
additional recreational facilities.
Against: Echo iDiu create
another artificial lake; Split
Mountain still another to fill
almost the entire Monument
canyons between them. The
Nation has lots of artificial lakes:
1t has only one Dinosaur. Park
1Otih its unique features. Dinosdur
1DiH be made more accessible by
the Park Service as soon as funds
are GUGilGble; its present recrea-
tion1l facilities can be duplicated
noUhere else.
For: Echo Park dam will make
no serious changes In the primitive
beauty Of the canyon area. It will
be $40 feet high in q canyon over
5000 feet deep and most Of the
canyon walls will remain visible.
Against: The tUGter backed up
by the dam tDil cover the canyon
floor to depth of 200 to 500 feet.
Steamboat Rock, 500 feet high,
toiH be an island only 800 feet
high tUhen the reservoir Is full.
For: The people of the surround
ing area are overwhelmingly in favor
of the Echo site: they would profit
substantially through the increase
in tourists certain to follow the Gre
alton Of quiet waterway in the
monument with fishing and boating
facilities; water and power provided
by the dam will permanently enrich
the economy Of the region.
Against: The people of the area
haze been nisled on the necessity
for the dam; they iDill profit as
much and more from Monument
Uisitors If the Monument remains
unSpoiled; quick boom occG-
stoned by construction of the dam
tUtll be only temporary: aDater and
potDer 10iu be available from
alternate sites and from Flaming
Gorge.
For: The construction at Echo as
q key part Of the upper Colorado
project will directly benefit the pop
ulation Of the entire intermountain
West, while Q comparatively few
people can benefit from the con-
tinued existence Of Dinosaur in its
natural state.
Against: The upper Colorado
project can be built using an
alternate site for Echo and Split
Mountain dams and all iUi1 bene-
1T: the American people cannot
afford to lose irTeplGceable treas
Eres held IN trust for future gen.
eTGtions.
But these arguments are side
issues as far as the conservationists
are concerned. Their chief point
against the damming Of rivers In
Dinosaur Monument is that these
projects win mark the beginning Of
. disastrous raid on the resources
and beauties Of Americas national
parks. On this ground the conserva-
lists have chosen to make their
stand. and on this ground the fate
Of Dinosaur National Monument win
Be determined.