Show Milburn Project to Offer Opportunity for Vast Power And Reclamation Adv Advantages I By Nelden Jensen MOUNT PLEASANT r A T l-eb l Feb Feb- 16 16 I to keep it within the desired bounds I Utah is r 16 1 now to reap rap ap the benefits Was- Was WasI Wat Water Vater er W wo would uld M b HO be e a d drained r oa t from MOUNT PLEASANT r A T l-eb l Feb Feb- 16 16 I Utah is now to r reap rap ap the benefits 16 1 of or another reclamation project of an and reach far ing effect Fifty Piny thousand acres of ol land in Sanpete and possibly as much as acres in Juab county are ate to be transformed from fromI I more or less arid wastes into pro pro- garden spots Once more moreman moreman moreman I man is t to display his superiority over natural obstacles by making I productive hom homes homes' s' s sout out of or desert wastes and this time too bh a scope of no mean limitations At least this Is Is what will h happen pp n if If a proposed proposed pro pro- po posed ed project now noV before the farmers tanners farm tann- ers era of ot Sanpete and Juab counties Is taken up and and- Judging judging- from all allI Indications it will be taken up in due course I The project would include the in installation installation In- In of three thre reservoirs one lying behind the majestic Horseshoe I Mountain east of Ephraim a second second sec see ond covering the picturesque Gooseberry Gooseberry Goose Goose- berry of Jos Jo's Valley seven miles esat of Fairview and a third lying near Milburn The three would be connected b by means means of ot a h which would conduct the the water front from the Horseshoe north across 1 mountain mesas across across across' chasm I under unde the 11 and andover over the Cleveland reservoir Flumes Fiumes would carry It over over the chasms Chasms protecting it from possible raging I torrents which often occur In the mountains as they w would ld spend pend Ij their fury beneath beneath- the tho flumes flume's VI V- V I shaped diversion points points' would be be made above danger points from floods making it possible possible- to to ate the loss of months of work vork due to the rampages of or one flood SITE IS IS HISTORIC H Th The Horseshoe reservoir would it lie close to where one of Sanpete's early figures of Pf historical Interest Inter Inter- interest est Was killed It was when Sheriff Milton Burns father of of J j J. J Milton Mitton Burns of ot Mount Pleasant recently county sheriff wa was wa in pursuit Jf pf jf two desperadoes then from Spring City one one- Hyde and a partner who had been stealing sheep that he hesle was vas killed by them near near- this site Ensconced behind protecting rocks these desperadoes awaited the lr- lr ar rival rhal of Burns and when he he ap apo their hiding place dared him to come closer Ignoring their threats or proceeding g in spite of them Burns was fatally shot and the rustlers made good their iret getaway get get- getaway away to Mexico according to ru rumor ru- ru mor But this is aside from the tho subject This reservoir lying at the head of Ephraim canyon anyon at an elevation of ot feet would be high enough to insure swift passage ot the water water wa wa- ter to the second site for the head bead of ot Cottonwood canyon where lies Gooseberry valley yaney z m tit feet high thus leaving a 2300 foot fall From Front this site to the Milburn 1 site there is another approximate foot 2000 drop And Milburn lies well above practically all of the land t to be beI I benefited After Atter all that is the big thing for with gravity pulling the water down mans man's only task will DO co I 1 i I i 1 I I I I to keep it within the desired bounds Wat Water Vater er W wo would uld M b HO be e a d drained r oa t from Was- Was eatch Wasatch Wasatch atch mountain sheds as high as feet teet above sea level and conducted to valley lands of from feet up BIG CAPACITY POSSIBLE The Horseshoe reservoir would hold approximately acre feet of water the Gooseberry reservoir covering the picturesque flat known as Jos Valley which Is' Is isa a natural water vessel designed for that purpose se would hold acre feet an and the tho Milburn dam would back about acre feet Of this Sanpete and Juab counties would get the water from the first and third aggregating acre feet and Castle valley would get the acre feet from from Jos Jo's Valley VaIley While it takes something like one and a half acre cre feet of water e to irrigate an acre of grond per season season season sea sea- son this total of acre feet of water would water far tar more than acres of ground counted on second and third and third flow That is water can be used two and three times in irrigating due to its continual con con- coni draining draining- of off higher lands onto lower That there would be plenty of water running off the water sheds to keep these reservoirs filled it not doubted doubled in iView of the fact that according to measurements taken upon government government govern govern- ment ment measuring devices there was In ln May a allow flow of second feet of ot of water from Cottonwood cree creek It alone Which is only one source of supply out of dozens Neither can there be bev be entertained any enduring ing would convey the water without freezing up that is going dry for fot the ground is h a veritable mecca for springs The one big obstacle In the eyes of the farmers would be the maintenance maintenance main main- Of the the- necessary canals On this s score ore ore both bothA A. A H. H sen sea member of the Utah Construction Construction Construe Construe- tion company which is to tor bo ho In Ins Instrumental In- In s en In p projecting oj the reservoirs reservoirs reservoirs reser reser- and arid John I Ii L. Bench of ot Fairview Fairview Fair Fair- vl view w who has for years devoted much of his engineering ability to the tho matter co concur cur in the opinion that the maintenance should be no prohibitive feature In fact it is wholly possible that power plants plant will be be installed in suitable places and that the power companies would stand for much of the canal upkeep s Already one company has made ap application l atlon for a horsepower site in Oak Creek canyon can can- you yon and for another n ther horse horsepower horse horse- power site In Salt Creek canyon Power developed by virtue of ot the canals could could- be put to excellent use in Carbon county to the east cast and towards Beaver in the other direction But whether this phase o of ot the project materializes or not the maintenance obstacle need be beno beno no source of concern according to engineering experts MUCH WASTE NOW At present the water which would thus be utilized is largely going to waste at least Insofar as local farmers are concerned Much of it drains southeast into the San Raphael country thence on into the Colorado river and out of the state Such waste is almost ex exasperating exasperating exasperating ex- ex to to many farmers who witness yearly early the thousands of acres of dry land which produce to enrich the people of the state when it might be bo putto usein use useIn usein in the same way as have thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of acres elsewhere Just how reaching far-reaching the effects of this project will b be it is Impossible to tosa sa say but that it cannot but magnify the value of land in Castle valley Sanpete valley vaIley and Juab is not doubted 1 There are obstacles to be overcome overcome overcome over over- come such as may put to a more or less crucial test some of the engineering ability involved and to local loca observers these obstacles I seem rather difficult but when they are compared with obstacles I I encountered in constructing the U IOU B dam for Distance or the Lucin cutoff the feasibility of the project is realized it is said It H may be necessary to do some legislating next fall tall for tor it seems that there may be difficulty getting getting get get- ting Ung title to the water under existIng existing exist exist- ing lag statutes But this too can be readily attended to by dint of concerted conI concerted con con- action upon the part of the I farmers in this section it is said OTHER PROBLEMS EXIST 1 I Other difficulties will be more or orless orless orless less local and can be worked out by the farmers among themselves Drainage second usage etc are examples of problems which are I always alwa's confronted under similar 1 condl conditions If It this project is put through I the entire irrigation system not only of Sanpete count county but of I much of Juab and farther south and west will Inevitably as a consequence consequence con con- con j sequence be revolutionized But the thing that will count is that I the entire territory touched willbe will willbe be enhanced in value perhaps many times Vat Water r has always been the minus quantity In San San- pete There are perhaps few richer rich rich- er and more productive soils anywhere anywhere anywhere any any- where than here Even now though carrots are the proverbial provender of there are many crops crops' besides that tough vegetable produced In the valley But given an almost inexhaustible supply of water it it itis is hard to say Whether it will be mistaken for a tremendous hothouse or a Danish garden That That- an increased population population population lation with larger and more progressive progressive pro pro- gress e towns more canning factories factories factories fac fac- tories and more of all an that go to tomake tomake tomake make material prosperity must come a j necessary corollaries coronaries to the increase in water supply there can can be no room for doubt optimIsts optimists mists assert Where now Is seen only sagebrush and rocks it is hoped within a comparatively few years rears to see beautiful homes and productive e farms Where once men were forced to leave in order to I find employment It is expected to tOi find these same men with their hands full fun at home |