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Show WASTING WATER DOWN JN BEAVER VALLEY That the surface wa'tors now applied to irrigation in Beaver valley. Utah, might be made to serve a greatly increased in-creased acreage of land, with notable benciit to areas already under cultivation. cultiva-tion. Is the opinion of Willis T. Lee of the United Stales geological survey, whose . report on an investigation of tho water resources of the valley has just been published bv tho survey as Water Supply Sup-ply Paper No. 217. In this investigation State, county and Federal governments were equally Interested. Beaver valley occupies the eastern third of Beaver county, in southwestern Utah, about 175 miles south of Salt Lake, and, with its bordering highlands, comprises an area of approximately 1200 square miles, a largo part of which is rocky upland or barren desert. The tilled land now includes only the comparatively small areas (estimated at 11.3G0 acres In all) in the Immediate vicinity of the streams Beaver river, North creek. South crock nnd Indian creek. These streams derive their waters almost entirely from the henvy precipitation on the lofty peaks of the Tushar mountains, which border the valley on the east. Tho rate of run-off from the mountains Is regulated by the porous character of the rocks loose vol-!nlc vol-!nlc tuffs and breccias that absorb water wa-ter In large quantities and by the accumulation accu-mulation of snow, whose gradual melting during the spring and early summer foods tho streams. The conservation of these stream waters, which Is of the utmost importance to the development of the agricultural resources of the region, will bo greatly aided by the forest reserve that has recently been established In Tushar mountain. Of the actual quantity of water carried by the streams of Beaver valley little Is known- The earnest settlers appropriated appropri-ated all tho water thay needed; the later ones took what they could get, and all the summer flow has long since been appropriated; ap-propriated; but that much of this water is misused cannot be doubted and an effort on the part of the community to bring about the passage and enforcement of some law providing for the equitable distribution of the water would probably result In a great improvement of the present pres-ent conditions. Fortunately, the residents of the region need not rely entirely on the stream waters wa-ters to supply their needs. Springs are numerous, and tho shallow and deep wells listed In Mr. Lee's report number almost 150. Nearly half of the deep wells are classed as flowing Tho loose gravelB that form the floor of the valley hold water In Immense quantities, so great in pla.ces as to be a source of embarrassment. In the town of F.leaver the conditions brought about by the bohavior of the ground water wa-ter are serious and are apparently becoming be-coming more so year after year. , In 1906 swamp areas caused by the midsummer rise of the water rendered impassable country roads and city streets, and mado unlnhabltablo houses that had been considered con-sidered safe. That great Injury to health Is likely to result from such conditions Is fully realized by many citizens, and , efforts will undoubtedly be made to secure , public action In draining the lown or otherwise disposing of this water, so superfluous where it is and so urgently needed elsowhere. Mr. Lee suggests that the establishment of a large number of pumping plants tapping this underflow might solve the drainage problem satisfactorily satis-factorily and make it possible to placo the water where It can be applied to irrigation. irri-gation. The cheap power required for the economic use of such pumping plants is available in Immense quantities In Beaver canyon. With the development of those undorground waters and the proper conservation con-servation of the surface waters the acreage acre-age of cultivable land in Beaver vallev might easily be doubled. |