Show C MOT BE THREE MILLION DOLLAR irrigation PROJECT EXPECTED TO RECEIVE indorsement endorsement INDOR congress Co noreca will WH be asked to author authorise construction next season will wil water vast territory of utah lands denver colo it all necessary preliminaries limin aries are worked out la in utah between now and july 15 Sec secretary y work and reclamation commissioner mead may be able when they conclude their trip through the northwest to close a contract with the water users or their association under which the govern government me n t w will ill proceed at once with the building of the echo reservoir and crosscut canal which are to form the first unit of the salt lake basin basan irrigation project t they will not be able this season to authorize construction on the provo day bay unit as they interpret the law as permitting them at this time merely to conclude investigation of this unit with a view to having its co construction n st specifically authorized by congress next session it if found entirely feasible his information was given to engineer W R green and dr john T by commissioner mead be for they left denver tor for salt lake city commissioner mead anticipates no serious trouble in wo working aking out the preliminaries so far as the echo unit is concerned but surprised dr widtsoe when he told him the provo bay unit will cost an acre based on the latest available estimates which Is more than the cost of any project yet undertaken and a figure which compels most careful study of that work before it can even be rey om mended to congress mr green brought with him to denver estimates on the echo unit t and it was disclosed that there Is a material diversity of opinion as to the per acre cost of this part of the project according to mr greens figures we cost of supplemental water wl ater to the farmers under echo reservoir would be 40 an acre commissioner mead alad called attention to the fact that the echo reservoir and the crosscut canal will cost three million dollars and it Is certain that water can be contracted for only sixty thousand acres which would bring the cost up to 60 an acre mr green thought the crosscut canal could be paid tor for separately and he therefore figured 45 as the outside cost to those not taking water from this canal at the conclusion of their consideration of this matter commissioner mead said he and the government Is not concerned with the actual cost per acre or how the cost of the crosscut canal is assessed but when the association or corporation representing all the water users of this unit has been formed he will want a contract with them under which they will agree to repay the govern government nent the three million dollars which it is to be called upon to spend and the association can op apportion portion opp the costs among land owners as it sees fit and can determine whether a common price shall govern all the lands or whether those served from the crosscut canal shall pay more than those getting water from the echo reservoir the reservoir in contemplation will hold more water than will be required by the sixty thousand acres to be represented in the association but once the association Is obligated to pay the cost of the reservoir and it can use its own discretion as about selling surplus water the government ern ment the commissioner made plain is concerned solely with getting a contract under which it will be fully reimbursed for or t its ts investment it wants todeal to deal only with the association or corporation or whatever body Is formed and that body in turn will deal with the individuals |