Show Not Mu Much h fo to Spare par S. S L. L Water W ter Reserve I Could Go in 21 Days Davs' B By Roy Robinson I IA A day 21 dry sp spell n could exhaust wat water supplies in Salt Lake Lak City's City three storage reservoirs City Water Vater Commissioner David A. A said present pies pies- pres- pres ent storage facilities have a a total capacity of only acre feet of water With an daily use of acre feet for summer sum mer months last year year July July Au August gust and September our September our stored supplies would be depleted in 21 days he warned Although last summers summer's aver aver- average age daily use of water was above normal our stream flow was exceptionally exceptionally ex ox- good and we had to draw only nominal amounts from our reservoirs he n said ld He warned however that abnormal abnormal ab ab- normal precipitation we have hare been receiving so 50 far tar this month did not necessarily mean ample next summer when th the dem demands are heaviest A fairly wet wel summer with pre- pre n spread out over over the entire period perio is S important where storage t f are re inadequate he pointed out adding that anor a norma nor nor- ma rainfall during the summer would not materially de decrease rease water demands Under fairly good food conditions we should have a. a a. a 60 t to 1 90 days storage supply to i tain safe margin he asserted With our present facilities Salt Lake cant can't store enough water to supply the growing needs of Industrial anc and residential expansion even in a normal year year yean Emphasizing the the ne necessity of f Deer creek water the commission commission- hope pe that recent congressional congressional con con- gressional action of ot the bill would mean mean early completion of ot the project Growing suburban areas are In Increasing In- In creasing demands in hi the metropolises See ses Page 2 Column 8 5 i S sI- sI SL LII L. WATER Continued from Page One tan area he pointed out Salt Lake City already has as entered into contracts contracts con con- tracts to provide surplus wat water r rI I when hen it itIs is available to the unincorporated unincorporated uni areas Salt Lake Metropolitan Water districts district's I hare of ot D Deer er creek water water- wi will be be acre per year Last Julys July's average daily use of all tIme 11 time high for that month according according- to William ViI Nil liam ham C. C Hague assistant superintendent superintendent superintendent of the water department Although Julys July's 0 inch of rainfall rainfall rain rain- fall tall was far short of the normal 52 inches the following two months registered a fall faIl slightly above nOrmal The amount of ot precipitation in itself is only one factor affecting water supplies he said Mr Hague explained that a cloudburst might mean an abnormal abnormal abnormal abnor abnor- mal amount of rainfall during a month but due to Its to-Its Its Its' concentration over a short period would have little effect in decreasing water demands He also P pointed out that unseasonably unseasonably warm spring weather for any length of time w would uld result Ina in ina ina a fast runoff that would deplete water supplies Precipitation doesn't begin to build up for storage purposes until un un- un til Ui it it- snows in the higher altitudes altitudes alti alU- tudes he said Warm weather early in the spring would melt the theon snow snow on the city's water sheds before we were ready to use it Consequently water that would otherwise be stored in the form of ot snow in the higher altitudes would fill our reservoirs to Capacity capacity capacity ca ca- and the excess would flow over the spillways and be wast wasted d. d At least acre acre feet of Mountain Mountain Moun Moun- tain taint Dells Dell's 32 5 acre feet capacity I is is- not usable without filtering according to to J Mr r. r Hague ague mat water in uie city's l largest r est storage reservoir is not usable l because conditions ondit ns that make i it unfit for culinary p purposes Twin Lakes with acre feet of ot water and take Lake Mar Mary with acre acre e feet can can be used to their full capacity he s said d |