Show S SOIL STUDIED BY US U S reclamation BUREAU surveys will show if states acres can benefit by upper colorado river water projects SALT LAKE CITY with t the lie U S bureau ot of reclamation pushing to completion its soil surveys in utah and continuing a series ot of surveys on the green and upper colorado rivers to determine possible location of 0 dam sites for water and power development utah should know shortly s whether the colorado river great basin project offers the opportunity to secure these needed resources for or this state the comment of it F 11 II richardson secre secretory tiry ot of the colorado river great basin P ascii water users association following assurance from rom commissioner john C page that both surveys are being hastened by his department the department has been active making soil surveys in our state tor for nearly a year mr air richardson pointed out on under the direction ot of edlia 0 nielsen Nl elsen asso associate elate engineer in charge of 0 U S bureau of 0 reclamation investigations much ot of this work alre already atly has been completed I 1 understand that it is quite possible mr nielsen and his staff will finish this survey before the end of the current year the soli soil survey and the survey planned on the colorado nud green rivers have been ordered in connection with the program to determine the possible developments of 0 water and power resources for or the benefit ot of the upper basin states far reaching importance we believe mr fr richardson sa said d that it if there Is a possibility or of more water for utah acres and more power tor for utah industries we must list discover it and then lake take steps to develop it many of 0 the major developments of 0 recent years were once thought though t impossible and impractical there ot of are the those who say that damal dain mine ng green river at tor for justari instance ce split mountain echo park or flaming gorge and conducting water to areas west ot or the wasatch mountains would be a project too tremendous to undertake but when we realize that such a project it it t can call be ba accomplished will beneal more than halt half our counties directly and the entire state indirectly I 1 feel that we owe it to ourselves to find out it such a plan can ha be put into action the bureau clar nation agrees with the association of re for the survey work already Is assured the entire reaches of the green and upper colorado rivers are ara to be explored for or water and power possibilities the soil survey work now under way throUgh throughout oLt the state under mr nielsene NIel sens direction Is of tar far reach ills 1119 importance ce mr richardson pointed out through tah survey the amount of 0 irrigable land which would benefit from such a project will be determined preliminary estimates place the he land in this classification at acres approximately equal to the area now under irrigation in the state this figure alone mr richardson said presents an idea of the benefit such a project would bring brine our state with the western states constantly increasing in population there will continue to be an increase In market products grown in the west the only way we can produce more goods good from the farms arms Is to increase the acreage on which they can be produced great importance under mr Niel nielsene Nl elsena sens direction approximately men were engaged in making soil surveys last summer it la is understood that a similar force will be placed in the field in an attempt to complete this work this year in addition to this survey reconnaissance surveys have been conducted to determine probable routes tor for bringing water from the colorado river basin to utah acres preliminary lines for or instance have been run to two of 0 the discussed dam sites one of 0 these Is at echo park at tile the colorado utah line another is at minnie maud where the green river separates carbon arid and uintah counties the geology of the possible tunnel sites through the wasatch range has been studied the fo foundation u n d possibilities ot of the var various lo 10 us dam sites have been and are being explored with drill rigs and the capacity ot of the various reservoirs is being determined the history of 0 the streams flow since records have been kept is being plotted to determine the amount of 0 storage capacity needed to assure an ample water supply our association Is pleased that tho t h 0 bureau of reclamation is going forward with this work mr richardson said representatives J W dobinson lo binson and a member of 0 the house irrigation committee as well as tile the entire utah congressional al delegation have done a consistently tine fine job in congress to help push this work along ur mr richardson also expressed the hope that all citizens of the state slate 0 of utah would ti importance of such a project to them in my mind this without a question 0 of doubt would be the greatest single factor in permanent growth that could ever hippen happen lie he 1 said I hope that ta the surveys will sincerely prove the projects it if they do utah economically must feasible assure itself itsek that it can and will protect its rights to the water 0 of the upper colorado alver basin this development necessary for or |