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Show !gys City's Money Is I Limited, ' . -l ' ' l(fust Buy What We Can or Go Without the Wa-i Wa-i ter. i Vbea Utah Lake Fails, All Other neighboring1 Sources Will Have I Failed Also. t F. Dorcmus, the State engineer, terday made the following state-nt state-nt to The Tribune concerning the istlon of water supply: rt'cll, 1 consider the question ono of loal 'importance but In this l am not nc, as 1 bolltvc thnt all citizens np-ciato np-ciato and agree that the present water ily must he Increased. The only dlf-nce dlf-nce Jt oalnlon that I have heard ex-fsod ex-fsod Is with respect to the plan of vidlns the needed auxiliary supply I thai Is the very Important pnrt of question, a part which affords ground honest difference of opinion." IVHAT IS YOUR OPINIO? OF THE N PROPOSED BY THE SPECIAL UMITTEE OF THE CITY" COUN-havo COUN-havo not had opportunity to analyze pldn In all Its details, hut in Its gen-features gen-features and to the extent that I fetne examined It, I regard It as tlie moat Wsslmblc that is possible under the clr-Bfsmstauccs clr-Bfsmstauccs ' p TOUR ANSWER IMPLIES THAT t UNDER OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES PsOJIE OTHER PLAN MIGHT BE BET-K7ER. BET-K7ER. WHAT ARE THE CIKCUM-'STAKCES CIKCUM-'STAKCES WHICH ARE CONTROLLING CON-TROLLING IN THE PRESENT CASE?" if Money Is Limited. B "TVell. as I am informed, the amount fcl money which Is proposed to be employed em-ployed to Increase the city's water supply tits not exceed the sum of $530,000, so libit the question of plan Is. necessarily, gurroved to that of what can best bo lixn with this amount 6f money. Another An-other controlling circumstances Is that ?tttTe la no unappropriated water In any fftlie nearby streams, so that the rights Efof others enter Into and complicate the WKStlon Limited revenue and the prl-prate prl-prate ownership of the water arc, therefore there-fore th-1 principal controlling clrcum-ElUnces clrcum-ElUnces and can not be Ignored when con-gfctunb con-gfctunb frt question of plan. These are, PbMJover, only limiting matters that do yt go to the fundamental questions that Rare Involved " I "WHAT ARE THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS INVOLVED?" I "They are substantially those which ro-Fbie ro-Fbie to the quantity, (inality and perma-ptnry perma-ptnry of the suppy. Its availability and Kluatlon with respect to the greatest pos-fltiblc pos-fltiblc economy of distribution and Its suf-kfldency suf-kfldency with respect to the comfort and woavenlencc of the people, promoting com-fBirdal com-fBirdal development and affording effect-prre effect-prre fire protection.' Quality and Quantity. L 'HOW DOES THE PLAN PROPOSED I'AXSWER THESE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS RE-QUIREMENTS ?" it "Quality, In my opinion, comes llrst, ln-lumuch ln-lumuch as the health of the citizen is of i first Importance, and as tho plan proposes J lie acquirement of Mill creek. Big Cot-'twwtxxl Cot-'twwtxxl and Little Cottonwood, all well- blown mountain streams the purity of jblch Is generally admitted, besides being jljroven by sufficient scientific analysis, I tare can bo no doubt as to the merits ( of tho plan In this particular. And with i itfpoct to quantity, the repeated measurc-' measurc-' wnta made and recorded of these streams takes It certain that moro than -50.000.000 , dllons can be rolled upon In seasons of JKatest known scarcity, and that this. Tn added to the present supply, will rfcuo thu quantity llvo times what It now , is Then tho situation of these mountain i sonia Is such that the waters can be i orfnt In by gravity, not only for utlll- z'lta through the present system, but at .,cn elevation as to command all those '.ruts of the city that extend practically , tho elevation of Fort Dougla So, it . Hema that tho sufficiency of the head of the corresponding pressures are i',$'ond question This also dispenses with vi need for mechanical contrivances and !i.ifor the minimum cost for distribution. jiiateo contemplates tho utilization of the l.jfrwent Parley's canyon conduit to Its ;iull capacity, which Is in line with tho ipJrpoBo at tho time the conduit was.con- Jiiructed. From this It appears that theso ij ttlatnsnlal requirements have all been rphn" l0t" 1,10 comm,ttee's proposed 'iruZ Y0U SAY THE WATER FROM 'VAnSPJiSOURCES IS ALL IN PRIVATE i(?.ERSHIP. AND IT HAS BEEN Ppi.ot,,111" OTHERS THAT ITS PRO-JmHSf&IENT PRO-JmHSf&IENT FR THE PROPOSED kS.RE.Q.aE CANNOT BE EFFECTED vtJ.PRMS THAT WILL BE SlFE : " SATISFACTORY TO THE CITY." Absolute Purchase Impossible. f, ma seem that any arrangement K;0" f absolute ownership of the water 11,6 city would bo undeslrablo and un-hlu un-hlu et 1 tn,nlt tne question Is one : "OMih may be profitably discussed from than a single standpoint. It seems rtnicl lllat tinder the elrcumstanccH, we Vs. I ?,0nlder the matter of practicability !. well na desirability, and If this Is done 'tw i mcs at onco apparent that, under ':, lrcunistanc84 tho purchase of the ''ikr, 0l,lrl5ht Is entirely out of the ques-',bi ques-',bi ond or several roaaona, tho prlncl- i ' oiL1,1"0"5 which Is that the present I'll ii ?iPiot tlu water are not willing to !1 to! iV buu ,f thev wer"i- lnu '0.000 which 'M Si it cnn comrnand for this purpose Is 9 ' iriL ,an wou1J pay at a reasonable IS t t&t r01" an' considerable quantity of fti I h;,!'"'?lcr. Uut ' tl" water could Lmj pur-m pur-m ' trn?M v.wllh tno money available, there H t I b4 nonc loft to construct a conduit m of iv.nvo-v1n 11 I"1 the city. Ownership r5 1 iiV.rP wa' without the menns of con- ll(mi, K "- lnlo tlio city would bo a dl-OS dl-OS ' "S?a Jalner tnftn relief, and would " znVJf regarded by the taxpayers as 1 .""fslrable than to own a conduit sw. Vh.iu .J1 corresponding supply of water. "2J IrtK thc' municipality wnnts Is to own IS ' tarr,. Flter 3PPb' and a conduit to 5?J ' Si?? ""t, ll);o uu. Individual, It ainnot on both without paying the price thcro-0.ri,nana' thcro-0.ri,nana' ln tno city's wise, its finances ..,,"ot Permlt of paying for both." T.lVvr 1S a'Hw CASE, WOULD IT wSnPSJ-SKF PUPEtt COURSE TO T1Ll TiiB CITY IS MORE KW? AN AT PRESENT TO PROVIDE PRO-VIDE ADDITIONAL WATER?" inasmuch as the city's growth depends upon the development of the water supply sup-ply there seems little hope of material growth before tho water supply has been materially Increased." T,r7?U,TIF THE CITV NEEDS BOTH WATER AND A MEANS OF CONVEY-J71 CONVEY-J71 1NT0 B DISTRIBUTION ?fVf?T,E?i ZPD LACKS THE MONEY. BOTH?" POSSIBLE TO PROCURE City Owns Plenty of Water. "The city has an abundant supplv of Tnter of its own alrtadv, but It Is" not all or tno quality required for drinking purposes. 1 ho supply which the city owns In Utah Ink.- Is not potable but Is more than ample In quantity, being eighty second-feet, or nearly fi'.'.tMJ.tts) gal-ons gal-ons dally This water la now brought i? . 0 c,ly through tne City canal, wnich was constructed many years -ago, at a cost of more than $2i0,000. The canal water Is employed to suppiy the farmers with on equivalent for Parley's creek and ror irrigation purposes througnout tho city. lnu city canal is situated ul such an elevation no to be cauuie of suppiy-"S suppiy-"S water tor irrigation to about two-Uurds two-Uurds of thc land thai Is now Irrigated from Mill creek and Cottonwood, and It Is more suitable for Irrigation than the water from the mountain streams; The practicability Of exchanging this canal, water for tno water from the mountain streams to tho extent that It can be substituted sub-stituted for thc mountain water now used tor irrigation, has been the subject' of conjecture for many years past and public pub-lic opinion has appeared to favor such a L ,n',ialth0UBh 1,0 rcaI effort' In that behalf be-half has heretolore been made, except In the case of Parley's creek. By sucn an exchange no money would be required for the purchase of potable water, as a portion or the water supply already owned by the city would be utilised In tho procurement pro-curement of thc mountain water needed, and the limited amount of money would bo expended in providing a means for transporting the acquired watpr Into thc city and rendering certain thc suppij from the lake." "BUT IT IS SAID THAT THE FARMERS FARM-ERS WILL NOT CONSENT TO AN ABSOLUTE EXCHANGE, BUT INSIST UPON CONDITIONS THAT WILL ENABLE EN-ABLE THEM TO RETAKE THE MOUNTAIN WATER UNDER CERTAIN CER-TAIN CONDITIONS." "As 1 understand It, tho condition Is that the city must provide a supply of lako water that will be as certain as that now coming to thc farmers from the mountains. To ask less would be to expect ex-pect the farmer to l satisfied with what the citizen would not, for we may be sure that certainty of supply will ba demanded by every taxpayer whoso money will be expended In the execution of any plan. Certainty for the farmer Is Just aa esson-tial esson-tial as certainty for the citizen, and Is Implied In any proper plan." "BUT HOW CAN CERTAINTY BE SECURED SE-CURED FROM A FAILING SOURCE SUCH AS UTAH LAKE IS REPUTED TO BE'" Utah Lake Is Sufficient. "I think tho expression 'reputed' Is significant sig-nificant of the situation which your question ques-tion suggests, because thero has never boon an actual failure of the Utah lake. Tho fact Is that notwithstanding all thc agencies which have conspired to destroy this magnificent soureo of water supply, it remains a most conspicuous example of sufficiency. During tho past twenty years much of the water that formerly flowed Into Utah lake has been diverted Into tho higher lands of Utah county, much has overilowcd into the Greater lake below, canals have diverted large quantities from thc Jordan river for Irrigation, unprecedented unprece-dented drought has dono much to reduce the available suppiy all these destructive agencies, supplemented by tho operations of a powerful pumping plant, have reduced re-duced tho supply. It Is true, but there still remains a sufficiency for the requirements of several years to come, at the same annual an-nual demand as In the past Besides this, tho records of the United States reclamation reclama-tion service office In this city show that the lake elevation has Increased about a foot during tho last year, and has a total annual Inflow of C01.010 acre-feet, of which 220,000 acre-feet can bo made available, which Is about double thc past annual consumption. "It appears to mo that, with such a showing of sufficiency in the supply from Utah lake, no reasonable room for doubt remains as to tho ability of the city to make certain the supply necessary for ex-chango ex-chango with thc farmers, and so Insure tho uninterrupted use of tho 'mountain water by tho city. One thing seems certain cer-tain to me that when Utah lake falls as a sourco of supply, all other neighboring sources will have failed also." |