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Show Moss Asks Seaton To Recommend Emery County Project Senator Frank E. Moss of Utah has asked Secretary of the Interior In-terior Fred A. Seaton to recommend recom-mend the Emery County Project in central Utah as a "new start" in the Bureau of Reclamation budget for the fiscal year 1961. The Senator pointed out that though the Emery County Project Proj-ect was authorized as a participating partici-pating unit of the Upper Colo- rado River Storage Project in 1956, it is still in the planning stage. He said he was sure that by stepping up the tempo of the necessary studies, the project could be made ready for early construction. "Lack of vater is a real bar to the growth and development of the area on the Eastern slopes of the Wasatch Mountains which would be irrigated by the Emery Em-ery County project," the Senator Sena-tor stated in his letter. "Completion "Com-pletion of the project would bring supplemental irrigation water to 20,450 acres of land and put 3,630 new acres under irrigation. irri-gation. This would be a tremendous tremen-dous economic shot in the arm to this whole area." Secretary Seaton revealed in a recent press conference that new construction starts would be recommended in the Bureau of Reclamation budget requests for fiscal 19G1, but did not name the projects. The text of Senator Moss' letter let-ter to Secretary Seaton said in part: "I noted with interest your recent re-cent statement that the Bureau of Reclamation budget for the fiscal year 1961, which will be sent to Congress by the president, presi-dent, will contain requests for funds for "new starts" for reclamation recla-mation projects. This is most reassuring re-assuring to me in view of the Administration's opposition in the last session of Congress to the appropriation of funds for "new starts" in water resource development, and the President's veto of two appropriation bills, because they contained funds for such starts. "You have indicated that the Administration is not opposed to 'new starts' generally, but that it is a matter of timing. In the light of this admission, I would like to call your attention to the Emery County Project in central Utah, one of the participating projects of the Upper Colorado River Project, which was au-which au-which has not progressed beyond the planning stage. Surely the (Continued on page 8) Moss Asks Seaton To Recommend Emery County Project (Continued from page 1) time is ripe for construction of this relatively small but very important im-portant unit in Upper Colorado River development. It is my understanding that advance planning studies have been under way since 1957 on Emery, and that the budget for the current fiscal year contains about $75,000 which can be used to complete the studies necessary for this project. Stepping up the tempo of these studies could, I am sure, make this plan available avail-able before the end of the fiscal year 1961, the present schedule. "As you know, lack of water is a real bar to the growth and development of the area on the eastern slopes of the Wasatch Mountains which would be irrigated irri-gated by the Emery county project. proj-ect. Completion of the Joes Valley Val-ley Dam and reservoir, Swansey diversion dam on Cottonwood Creek, the 17 mile Cottonwood Creek Huntington Canal, and some smaller canal laterals and drains would bring supplemental irrigation to 20,450 acres of land, and put 3,630 new acres under irrigation. This would be a tremendous economic shot in the arm to this whole area." |