Show Water Wafer For Far Utah's Arid lands Presents Many Problems l Water Vater for Utah's arid lands has been a long felt need Indeed it has been a need that everyone recognizes In spite of this agreement agree agree- agreement ment Utah's water problem is probably as knotty a one as any that confronts the citizens of the state Just about everything has been suggested as a solution Thousands Thousands Thou Thou- sands of dollars have been invested invest invest- ed in the new methods of seeding clouds douds to milk them Billions are arc planned d for investment in basin projects Between these two extremes extremes ex- ex are all the pet and local projects The astronomical costs of the huge basin projects are beyond the ability of a single state to pay Therefore the federal government has Jias stepped into this field and after much study came up with a comprehensive plan for the development development development de de- de- de of the water resources of the Colorado river basin The course of the legislation through Congress which would bring these plans to a has been b en a stormy one There has been disagreement disagreement dis dis- dis- dis agreement over the selected sites lor bor the river dams Some have thought that the timing of the project was wrong We Ve need the water but with costs so high is isnow isnow now DOW the time to build To others the ownership of the water is of paramount concern Who Vho will own tn tiie water after it has been harnessed harnessed harnessed har har- Who Vho will control it Then again some point out what the they believe to be a sinister aspect of the whole project While the controls on the Colorado are ostensibly ostensibly ostensibly os os- os- os set up to provide water vater for parched soil yet the regional director has designated five of the initial units as sources of an immediate immediate immediate im im- im- im mediate power supply for market needs in the upper basin and adjacent adjacent adjacent ad ad- jacent areas Is this project a further further further fur fur- ther opportunity for the entrance of government into the field of private power If so is that what we want in Utah It might be well to remember in this that TV TVA A was completed under the guise of flood control for the Tennessee river To accomplish this purpose two courses were open to the planners They could build a series of low- low cost self self controlled controlled flood dams without any power features Or they could erect priced high multiple multiple multiple multi multi- purpose dams with great geng generating gen Jen- crating capacity for electricity The pl planers ners did the latter They built ten high dams and entered into the power field As it turned out it was power first and flood control control control con con- second Much the same procedure is being being being be be- ing followed in this state for the upper Colorado river project Although Al AI though the overall picture is painted as one to bring the soil soU into productivity yet five of the first units to be built are urged for their immediate power potential and two of those Crystal Cryst l and Split Mountain dams are proposed only for the purpose of generating elec elec- In fact the total investment cost for power plants and transmission transmission transmission trans trans- mission systems is nearly one half a billion dollars somewhat over one third one third of the complete proposed mainstream expenditure Theres There's more to the problem of getting water on dry land here in Utah and in the Colorado river basin than is revealed in a hasty survey Much mature though should go into proposals put forth by the government The problem has both its and economic economic eco eco- nemic aspects |