Show Confusion In Water Wafer Affairs I T H present confusion in city water affairs JL J. should focus attention on what must be bedone done doneas as as' as quickly as possible to set up machinery for op operating operating operating op- op the most vital utility serving this com corn The failure of the city cit wat water r department depart depart- merit ment a and d back bacic into int earliest territorial ter ter- rii riH ri I 1 days to dear deal with ith the problem on sound or economic principles is historic This hi proceeds from inherent ent shortcomings in inlaw inlaw laW law which many times im s' s have shave been magnified by byh human h mai frailties The combinations combination's consequence is that municipal water affairs are in an awful mess iss t As As being a step toward a goal The Telegram has advocated over a long period of time time the the creation of a bo board rd with sole and complete jurisdiction jurisdiction ju ju jurisdiction over all water matters matters we we favored and urged creation of the metropolitan water district It was then our highest hope and still is that it would soon make clear to all the ne necessity necessity ne- ne for a body comp comparable rable with the board of education to deal with water as the school board briard does with the city's itys school system It is probably true frue that many persons who wh voted for the district had in mind that it its ite creation creation crea crea- tion would accomplish this purpose Proponents ii and d opponents opponents' of the district at the time of the special election injected so much confusion ir into to the issue that this is not at all unlikely The confusion doubtless accounted for tor or the very sm small ll turnout at the polls Thousands Thousands Thou Thou- sands of voters I failed t to cast their ballots because because be be- cause ause they cot could d make neither heads nor tails out of the arguments of either side It was not ot possible for lor every citizen to read the metropolitan metr met met- r politan water district act an the ano the interpretations interpretations ta- ta of the legislation voiced by its champIons champions cham cham- plans and its denouncers only muddled the minds of the public Under the old law setting up the wh whole le eme of city government in which the management man man- gement of the water department is included I and nd under the new law setting up the metropolitan metro metro- politan district there is no possibility of combining combining com corn bining personnel a and d functions to create a abo aboard aboard I bo board rd with full powers to take over every phase jhase of water supply s and distribution Aside from barriers in the statutes there als also are constitutional barriers What is important at this time is that there Is jS little opportunity for collaboration It seems evident that there is small desire even to take advantage of what opportunity there is iP 11 P. P J. J Purcell a director of the district took commendable a action tion at Saturdays Saturday's meeting of the directors to bring this matter of present resent importance to toa a sharp focus He Re seeks seeks' action by bythe the he board boar to survey urvey sources to new v water t to toh h hasten sten Utah lake storage und under r the program program program pro pro- gram gram and to c conserve n erve water n now w wasting in the coU collecting and distributing system Part of his suggested sted to top point four p int project would afford a test of of- parts arts of the long debated Deer Creek enterprise enter enter- prise It t embodies sound engineering and business busi busi- ness ness principles in that it seeks facts first as prereqUisites prereqUisites' prerequisites pre pre- requisites reqUisites' to d decision ision It affords too tco an excellent excellent excel excel- lent Jent basis for c collaboration lla oration between the city water vater ate department and the metropolitan politan district directors |