Show Crop on Acres Saved by Project a Effort of Years Years Brings R Reward ward Increased Yield of First Year Pays P ys All Cost CostS CENES from great irrigation project at Enterprise Utah S SCENES Top Channel through gravel bed and filling topped with cedar limbs Center Natural basin used as reservoir Botton Tunnel and channel by which a new stream was diverted into the reservoir r t 5 f 5 1 r t n Agricultural l College Expert I Directs Building of I System By V. V C. C Ogburn tiE farmers at Enterprise Utah THE T virtually owe o their crops this year to the irrigation project carried on during 19 1917 7 under the direct direction on of L. L M. M Winsor irrigation and nd drainage expert for the Utah Agricultural Agricultural Agricultural Agri Agri- cultural college The season was one of the driest iest on record In that district and without the additional supply of or water furnished by br this work most of the crops would have dried up Besides Besides Besides Be Be- sides assuring their water supply the improvement has made possible the cultivation of 50 per cent more land or additional acres STORY OF STRUGGLE The story of the Enterprise reservoir has been one of continued struggle In 1806 1896 a few farmers already burdened burdened burdened bur bur- with debt started a dam across the outlet of a natural basin about eleven miles above aboe the town They built it without an engineer or even a skilled mason raising It at the rate of often often often ten feet a year Progress was more or ot orless orless otless less irregular for they were compelled to work in the mines of surrounding districts to to earn their living One spring a flood destroyed part of the dam putting them back so that that- ten years were inquired In all to complete it The dam was then eighty elg feet high Continued on page e 6 tROP CROP ON ACRES Continued from page 1 I f and permitted th the storage of feet acre of ot water However for only I two years ears out of or twenty wast the reservoir resI res res- I i er filled because tilled because the supply was inadequate t t The whole situation was brought to tofy fy the attention of Mr Winsor by the fact that durl during g the winter of or 1916 17 the gates were frozen They had been 4 built the best possible under earlier conditions But better ones were now II required and Mr Winsor was asked to investigate lIe He drew up a plan for tor new gates ates and also for lor a tunnel feet long and a large channel channel channel chan chan- nel 1400 feet leet long with a short diver diver- diversion slon sion dam to carry In another stream I The stockholders adopted the plan I and work which began at once was 1 finished January 6 1918 I MARVELOUS RESULT I This piece of ot work worle did two things It strengthened the dam darn so that the 1 reservoir had an increased capacity of or acre feet teet and It added another stream to the source of or supply so large I that it was estimated enough water was admitted by it during twenty tour hours in March to cover all expenses It then became evident that another Improvement was necessary No r di diversion diversion dl- dl version dam had even been constructed at t the entrance of the canal system about bout eight miles relies below the reservoir This was needed to control the water and keep it in the canals during flood season A A. gravel bed feet wide was located at the intake of or the canal canals s system stem Th The previous method of di diversion diversion dl- dl version h had d been low jow 1 VL vu u u. u tu to 10 v scrape v out VU at V Y 1 VL vu u u. u tu to 10 v scrape v out VU at V Y water a channel from the Intake of ot the 1 canal through this gravel wash But the first flood afterward would fill up the channel and also choke up the canal Canal canal ca ca- nal with gravel j It was therefore proposed to put in ina ina InI a I Idam dam darn that would shut off ort loss by percolation percolation percolation per per- and to construct concrete to control the tIle flow of or water Many methods were discussed but shortage of or funds compelled the farmers farm farm- ers era to adopt one which they could work I themselves Accordingly a channel twenty feet deep and feet long was opened through the gravel ravel bed and I then filled with clay Toward the top b j 11 a. a I. I of cedar limbs and rocks was 11 I Ii made to provide a spillway that would I not wash out A concrete gate was built in iii the canal itself to control the water As a result of ot this work the dam darn now picks up enough water to increase the flow 50 60 per cent when the reservoir water is not running while before there was a loss through th the gravel of ot 25 per cent of ot the normal flow of or the reservoir water The farmers feel that the project paid for itself many times timE'S OVEr o just in inthe inthe inthe the first year It may be considered then that the increase from to acres under irrigation has been gained practically without cost and in addition the farmers may may rest easy now flow in the assurance of ot a plentiful supply of water at all times |