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Show U VIEWS ON THE I WATER QUESTION II Mr. Richards Answers H Objections. III He Thinks There Is No II Doubt That Farmers Will II Be Supplied. IB City Is Financially Unablo to Buy IH "Water Rights in Toto Utah HH Lake Inexhaustible. I Attornoy F. S. Richards, who has been HHj 'associated with the special Council com- BB mlttco In devising a plan to Increase tho HH city's water supply, Is a, strong advocate HQR of tho plan recommended by the majority HM of the committee. III "Tho lmportanco of the subject cannot, HI In my opinion, bo overestimate!," Mr. II Richards said yesterday to :i Tribune Hill representative, by way of Introduction B to a general statement Intended to cover III tho important objections to the plan which Hit have been urged by taxpayers. "I believe Hif the scarcity of the water supply has pre-III pre-III vented tho growth and development of Hh tho city to a much greater extent than II most people realize. This opinion is lii based largely upon facts that have come Hi to my personal knowledge where capital- i9ts have deferred making very valuable Ifjf improvements on property within tho city, lUlB and others have declined to make invest-IHIli invest-IHIli ments, solclv because of the shortage of 111! water. But this is only ono of many rea-fi rea-fi Hons why the water supply should be in-if in-if creased, not least among which is that Idl affecting tho health and comfort of the HEIt community. Under present conditions we IH 111 are obliged to continually inhale air that f H Is lllled with noxious dust, because there luu Is not sufficient water to properly sprin-HIRm sprin-HIRm klo tho streets. BUI City Council's Plan. If ill "Tho proposed plan of the City Coun- II ell for increasing the water supply." he Iffrl continued, "contemplates the acquisition llll by tho cltv of the waters of Mill crook, H Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood. III all puro mountain streams, as soon as a lutf mittablo conduit can be constructed to con-ffj con-ffj vey tho waters from these streams into M the present Parleys canyon conduit, and llll as fast as tho needs of the city rcqulro It. IfM How "Waters Are Acquired. IH "It is proposed to ncqulro these moun- IIH tain waters by exchange and lease, Inas- IIV much as tho present owners of water from HIM these sources are now avorso to selling fl their water rights or making any abso- tll lute exchange that would alienate their H titles to them. But I believe tho time n will come when, through the development IH of Utah lake and the establishment of f permanent irrigation works for tho dis- q trlbutlon of the water, tho farmers will H see that their water supply Is just as so- HHt euro and satisfactory from tho lake as HI from the mountains, and then a mutually BPi satisfactory arrangement can be made, H by which tho city will become the abso- II lute owner of tlio water rights. IH Amount of "Water Available. IH . "Two-thirds of the waters of Big Cot- II tonwood creek and Mill crock aro used II on lands lying under the Salt Lako City H canal, and much of the water that Is used HHI nbovo the canal is not required for Irrl-IH Irrl-IH gatlon, purposes during the fall and win-HI win-HI ler months, when the city's supply Is tho least. The city now has options for tho HH exchange of oncrhalf the waters of Big HH Cottonwood creek, the How of which dur-B dur-B lng tho low-water season Is 27,200,000 gal- Ions per 21 hours. This will add 13.COO.CO0 BH gallons per day to the city's present sup- ply. and will moro than double the quan- tlty of water that the city derives, dur- HBV ing the month of Septembor. from all HpH present sources combined. Negotiations HH are now ponding by which It is expected HHl that practically all tho waters of Big Cot- tonwood and Mill creek can be acquired VH by exchange, or lease, and it Is reasonably III certain that, when the city's necessltica HIH requlro it, tho water of Little Cottonwood HHR can bo acquired in a similar manner. HHH "When this shall have been accomplished there will have been added moro than 40,- 000,000 gallons per day to the city's present IBYj Terras of Exchange. IH "The terms of exchange are practically J the same as those for an exchango of Par- ley's creek, except that, in this Instance, tho city is to pay a bonus of $10 per aero to tho farmers and give an additional quantity of 25 per cent moro water than HflH It receives. While these requirements may HflH appear objectionable, they are unavold- HH Brjl an- under llie circumstances, seem WJ to be justifiable. Tho money required for HnH tnIs Purpose will not aggregate a largo VH sum and the difference between tho value H of the waters exchanged seems to war- rant the difference in the quantities of water given and received. IObjectionablo Feature Unavoidable. "It Is truo that the farmers rescrvo the right to take back the Cottonwood water if tho city falls to furnish them canal water, according to the contract; but tho city has tho right to regain the Cottonwood Cotton-wood water by supplying canal water at any time before the expiration of six months after tho default Is made Whllo this Is an objectionable provision, it seems absolutely Impossible to effect an exchange upon any other terms, for the reason that the farmers demand an absolute abso-lute guaranty that thoy shall have the exchange water which they are promised. But I regard the objection to this feature fea-ture of the contract as being more a matter mat-ter of form than substance, because it will be in the power of tho city, by taking necessary precautions, to render it practically prac-tically impossible for a forfelturo to occur," oc-cur," Trouble Not Likely to Occur. "Is it not probable that tho same trouble trou-ble may arise hero that occurred In the Parley's creek case?" was asked Mr. Richards. "I think not," ho said. "Thero novcr M was any difficulty about tho Parley's J creek exchange until Utah lake became J so low that tho water would not run out by gravity, and then it was not due to ftBj any failure in the source of supply, but J in the moans for making the water avall- , ablo. As soon as, tho present pumping J plant was installed the situation was im- mediately rclloved. and, notwithstanding J the prevalent drought of that season, an abundant supply from tho lake enabled the city to rctako tho Parley's creek J- water. From that time the supply be- camo and has remained permanent, and can bo increased to such an extent as to furnish ample water for exchango pur- poses. This can be accomplished cither through the Government plan for devel- oping Utah lake or by the city Itself, if that work should be delayed; besides, the city has an option to purchase Spring creek, and that water could bo used for exchango purposes if it should be deemed pi advisable to mnko tho purchase." Utah. lake's Great Supply. "What assurance is thero that Utah lako will continue to furnish a Bufllclcnt JH supply of water for exchange purposes?" ,."Tho assurance which is afforded by tho history of moro than fifty years. During JfflJ that period thcr has always been an am- pic supply of water In tho lake, and much of the tlmo vast quantities of it havo run to waste. Although water from all the streams Mowing into tho lako has been diverted di-verted onto tho surrounding lands for Irrigation Ir-rigation purposes, so that, at times there has been comparatively little surfaco water wa-ter flowing into tho lake, still, with its subterranean sources of supply, after a series of years of unprecedented drought, wo now find sufllclent water in the lako to meet demands for several years to come, equal to all of thoso which have been mado upon it in the pasL What History Shows. "History also shows that a period of scarcity of water is always followed by a period of plontlful supply. Thcso conditions condi-tions havo occurred at tho lako in cycles of nbopt ten years. Tho water Is now a foot higher In tho lake than It was a year ago, and. jndglng from tho past, wo may confidently expect the water supply to In-creaso In-creaso each year for several years, and, by that time, ample provision can bo made for tho storage and conservation of a plentiful supply of water In tho lake." "What do you think of tho objection made that the city will 'not acqulro by purchase a single gallon of water'?" Objection Is Technical. "I regard this objection as being technical techni-cal and of little weight, because It is absolutely ab-solutely impossible, under existing conditions, con-ditions, for the city to acquire this water by purchase If the farmers were willing to sell (and they are not), tho city has not the money to buy, and, under tho present constitutional restrictions, It would bo Impossible for It to borrow tho money that would bo required to purchase any considerable quantity of mountain water. If the city were to bond Itself to the utmost ut-most limit provided by law, the quantity of water that could be purchased, after, expending the money that would bo necessary neces-sary to bring the water Into the city. would be comparatively insignulcant, and would not furnish any material Increase in the present supply. Increase Supply Fourfold. "I will say that it seems reasonably certain cer-tain that through the plan proposed tho water Bupply of the city can be increased about fourfold by the expenditure of 000, and tho rights of the city can bo so safeguarded as to prevent any forfeiture or Interruption in the use of the water. If this plan Is not adopted and wo must Walt till the purchase of the mountain streams can be effected, 1 do not soc how thero crtn be any material increase in either tho city's water supply or its population. pop-ulation. In such an event thorc would bo little Increase In tho assessed valuation of property to justify any larger bonded Indebtedness In-debtedness than at preflcnt and any Increase In-crease In tho olty'B water supply must therefore be Indefinitely postponed." Frank Hines Likes tho Lakes. Frank L, Hines, superintendent of the water department, said yesterday that ho was inclined to favor the buying of water rights In Big Cottonwood. Superintendent Superintend-ent Hines was very reluctant to be quoted, however. "I would rather not say anything about tho matter," ho said to The Tribune. "Several communications of mine are embodied em-bodied in the report of the majority of the water committee. Now that tho committee com-mittee has made tho report, and tho Council has adopted it, It is not for me to say anything. "I was 5n favor of buying the lakes up In Big Cottonwood," said Mr. Hines in answer to a direct question. "And I would llko io have seen them bought outright out-right "If they can't buy outright, I suppose they must do the next best thing thoy can," ho said. "And 1 expect that the system which tho committee recommends Is tho best that can be done. But I think the lakes up In Big Cottonwood would be flno things for tho city to own." Mr. Hines was asked what he thought of the plan to pump up water from Spring creok, but he did not want to say anv moro about the subject. "I am on record several times In this business," he said: "and I don't care to be quoted any more." |