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Show IRRIGATION FOR LARGE , ACREAGEI3PR0P0ec Government to Be Asked to Consider Use of Bates Reservoir Site. State and County Officials Will Make Preliminary Survey. Special to Tho Tribune. PROYO, July 17. As a result of a decision reached in a meeting of tho directors di-rectors of the Provo Iieservoir com-; com-; puny, invitations are being sent to Governor Gov-ernor Bamberger and other state officials offi-cials who arc interested in tho wator situation, as well as to the commissioners commission-ers of Walt Lake, Utah, Wasatch, AVc-bcr, AVc-bcr, Davis, Morgan and Summit, counties, coun-ties, asking them to visit one of tho largest natural reservoir sites in the entire interniountain district. There were present at. the meeting, Joseph If. Murdoch, David A. Smith, Joseph P. Kcider, Stephen L. Chipman, O. C Bee be, and Francis W. Kirkham. The site referred to is known as tho Bates reservoir site, and is located south of Kama 3 bench on t lie Provo river in Summit county. Jt is so situated situ-ated as to recoive flood waters from both the Provo and tho Weber river water sheds. It is the intention of the Provo Reservoir Res-ervoir company to invito the federal government to take over these private interests and to servo tho counties named with late water sufficient to irrigate ir-rigate about 50,000 acres of land. It is stated by those familiar with the situation situa-tion that by a system of exchange the Provo river waters could be transferred to the Weber side, and tho Weber runoff run-off could be used for Salt Lake, Utah and Wasatch counties from this reservoir. reser-voir. Inspection Invited. The invitations ask that the delegations delega-tions from tho above named counties meet at the Bates reservoir sitc-next Saturday at 2 o'clock to go over the situation. Officers of tho company say that in the counties that would receive the benefit ben-efit by such a plan there are canals, reservoirs and various other irrigation works already constructed, which need only to bo enlarged and extended, in order to bo utilized more extensively. In further discussing tho feasibility of tho project Mr. Keeler said: "It is well known that the annual surplus flood waters of these two rivers, which ultimately find their way into tho great Salt Lake would, if conserved, irrigate many thousands of acres of land. The supply, therefore, is sufficient for the present needs and also for the future. The problem is not a question of early irrigation, but one that would piece out the high water supply. ' ' In telling of the needs of such a reservoir Mr. Keeler says Wasatch county needs extra water for at least 4000 acres of unreclaimed and partially par-tially irrigated lands. Utah county a needs a supply for 6000 acres. Salt Lake county can be served to the ex- V tent of 10,000 acres by extending the Provo Reservoir company's canal from the point of Hie mountain on the east of the Jordan river to Little Cottonwood, Cotton-wood, and extending the present canal of the same company on the west side or Jordan to Magna. Enlarged Canals Necessary This part of the proposition, Mr. Keeler says, for Salt Lake, Utah, Wasatch Wa-satch counties takes into account only the use of the canals now constructed at their present levels. The canals now constructed in these regions would have to be enlarged and extended to meet the increased demand for distribution. distri-bution. The water flowing in Provo river above the Bates reservoir site during the low water period with such other waters as may be stored in the reservoirs reser-voirs at the head of the river, can be diverted, Mr. Keeler says, from the Provo river by enlarging the canals which are already constructed, and thence conveyed into the Weber river where it will be available on lands in Summit, Morgan, Weber and Davis counties. From this source sufficient water can be obtained to irrigate 10,000 to 15,000 acres of land in low water periods, and during the high water period pe-riod there is said to be more than sufficient suf-ficient flood waters available to take care of the first part of the irrigation season. In lieu of the waters so diverted from the Provo river to the Weber river, flood waters can be stored in the Bates reservoir site to supply the present pres-ent owners of the Provo river, exchanged ex-changed for waters above the Bates Reservoir site. Plan Multiple Arch Dam. The Provo Reseroir company and the Utah Lake Irrigation company has prior approved applications for a sufficient suffi-cient quantity of water to supply the amount necessary to irrigate 30,000 to 40,000 acres of land mentioned, and in addition thereto, it has high water applications ap-plications on the Provo and Weber river systems to provide sufficient water wa-ter for the irrigation of lands that would be irrigated by this project, which these companies would undoubtedly undoubt-edly be willing to convey on terms that would be satisfactory to the government govern-ment engineers. The officers of the Provo Reservoir company express their belief that a concrete multiple arch dam, such as that recently constructed by Salt Lake City in Parley 's canyon, to be the most suitable style of dam for the Bates Reservoir Res-ervoir site. The quantity of water that can be stored therein would be gov-, crned by the height of the dam which might be anywhere from fifty to 150 feet high, with a very shallow" footing, owing to the formation existing at the dam site. Another thing adds to the desirability of this proposition, that is the quickness with which water may be used. It is the opinion of the officers of the Provo Reservoir company that it will not be necessary to wait until the dam is completed before the reservoir can be used, for whatever portion is constructed con-structed the first year may be utilized the next season to the extent of the reservoir's capacity at that stage. The government would therefore begin to get returns almost immediately after its outlay. |