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Show UTAH COUNTY WATER USERS PROTEST PLANS File Application for Water From lieservoir on Provo River. An offer in purc-hnso (Sd.OoO aero feet uC water from a reservoir built . on the Provo river at the Bates ' siht was filed with the Utah Water Storage commission hy several mutual irrigation companies of Utah county Monday and notice was also filed hy the same companies filed that no application for water to be stored in the proposed Echo canvon-reservoir canvon-reservoir would be made. Representatives from Salt Lake valley canal companies who seek to benefit from the storage of water in Utah lake, also took that same stand that a reservoir should be built on the Provo river and that cheap electrical elec-trical power be generated for pumping pump-ing purposes from the lake to the high line canals. The statement read by Francis W. Kirkham is as follows: "First. It is our best judgement that no water be stored for our benefit in the Echo reservoir oil the Weber river. Our opinion in this matter was presented to you in a communication presented by B. J. Stewart on September 20. ffe are unable to reach any other conclusion and therefore we desire to inform you that we cannot enter into any agreement to rent or purchase this water. v "It is our desire, on the contrary, to have all the water available to use on the Weber river diverted at Oakley and stored on the Provo river, for at least two obvious reasons rea-sons : AVater stored on the Provo river is available at all times. Without With-out the diversion of all the water available at Oakley to the Provo river, a reservoir on the Provo may not be feasible. "In a report submitted to you a& early as August 15 of this year by the five-county-organization, of which the water users under the irrigation ir-rigation companies represented today to-day were members the Bates reservoir reser-voir was designated as the unanimous unani-mous choice of the five-county organization or-ganization as the first construction unit of the Provo river development. The reasons advanced in the report of J. C. Wheelon at that time still appeal to us as controlling in this matter. Will Purchase Water. "We nowT desire to inform you that the irrigation companies listed herewith have carefully considered this question and are willing and anxious to enter into contract with the United States reclamation bureau bur-eau for the purchase of 00,000 acre-feet acre-feet of water in that reservoir. "The data submitted to us as to the amount of water available to use on the Weber river at Oakley under the recent filing of the state engineer and under the policy adopted adopt-ed by your commission, plus such water as is available on the Provo and such water as may be obtained by exchange with the Utah Power & Light company convinces us that the water supply is sufficient to justify jus-tify this decision. The development of power by the use of water of this reservoir is an important reason for its construction. However, without any consideration of this benefit, we are willing to pay for the cost of the water of the reservoir. We have tbe bid of a reliable construction construc-tion company that tbe reservoir and diversion canal can be built for $35 an acre-foot. This bid is based upon up-on the yardage and plans furnished by the United States reclamation bureau. "It is our opinion that a reservoir on tlie Provo river, should be designated desig-nated at this time, or at least before the opening of congress, in order that we may have an equal opportunity oppor-tunity to participate in the money to be appropriated. Will Act Wisely. "We are anxious, of course, to act wisely and for that reason we are now asking for all additional data available and pledge you and the reclamation engineers our fullest co-operation. "Following is a list of irrigation companies which will subscribe for water in the Bates reservoir: Summit Sum-mit county, 3500 acre-feet; Wasatch county, 7500 acre-feet; old canals diverting at the mouth of Provo canyon, can-yon, 4000 acre-foot: Pleasant Grove, 4,000 acre-feet; Alpine and land depending de-pending upon exchange with American Ameri-can Fork river water, 6000 acre-feet; acre-feet; American Fork. 4000 acre-feel acre-feel ; North Bench irrigation companies com-panies above Lehi. 1500 acre-fret: Lehi, 4500 acre-feet. Balance of reservoir res-ervoir capacity for Salt Lake county. coun-ty. Irrigation companies will take the water at tbe reservoir." |