Show WHAT'S WHAT'S I GOING ON ONI I cJ By Sam Taylor The big talk around Moab this week Is oil all The gas and oil discovery discovery dis- dis covery overy by Pure Oil Company on on the he Big Dig Flat Fiat several miles south of f the Knoll really has people talking After six months of see- see seeIng seeing Ing ng all the fat wells brought In Ino Into Into to o the south of us around the Immediate Immediate Im Im- Im mediate Four Corners area and seeing all the crude oil coming through Moab headed to the railroad railroad rail rail- road in a never ending stream of transport trucks it seems kind of good to be able to say that were we're In on it Of course Moab and vicinity has had its oil oU fever every so often the past fifty years but each time seems a little more exciting than any previous oil high spots We think were we're betting betting bett bett- ing on a cinch when we wager that this discovery spurs much I more oil drilling in Grand county In he the very near future The Boy Scouts are getting set to wage war against fitter kitter kit fit t- t ter Bugs in the Moab area and a noble war it will be Theres There's nothing more disgusting disgusting disgust disgust- ing than seeing the roadways covered with paper and cans cansas cansas cansas as far as you can drive Maybe Maybe Maybe May May- be now that we have a law against that sort of thing we can cam control Litter Bugging a little better I It Js Is plain pl ln to see that Moab Valley Val Vai- ley has a real future in many res res- res Each week we can see changes that build our faith n n the future of the community But it is reaching the point where the I immediate lower valley is practically filled and we are going to have to look elsewhere for more room to grow The logical place for expansion is up the valley tor to- towards to towards wards the La Sal mountains Itis It ItIs Itis is nice to envision a community completely filling the entire val val- ley Almost ten miles mUes in length and varying between three and four miles In width a city of the future could really amount to something At the present time however with the coming expansion ex ex- expansion practically in sight we find three quarters of Spanish I Valley covered with sand dunes and sagebrush due to lack of Water water water wa wa- ter to develop it Years ago pioneers realizing the agricultural value of the upper upper upper up up- per valley fostered dreams to di divert divert dl di- vert water from Mill creek a stream that parallels Moab Valley Valley Valley Val Val- ley but is separated by a high canyon wall Into the upper portion portion por por- tion of Moab or Spanish Valley for use as Irrigation water At first a series of flumes were built starting at a point several miles up the creek from Flat Pass Flat Pass is a gap In the cliff Just north of the airport crossed by bya a wagon or jeep road to ranches located in Mill creek canyon This pass being the lowest spot in the thelong thelong thelong long hill hili the flumes found their source at a point of elevation the same as the lowest part of the pass They then continued down the canyon walls and crossed the pass into Moab Valley Traveling Traveling Trav Trav- eling up Mill creek canyon today it is possible to see the remains of this wooden still clinging to the sheer sandstone cliffs However this plan didn't materialize to any great extent for a number of reasons Later an engineer who owned owned property in the upper valley attempted attempted attempted at at- tempted a more practical but much more expensive plan He I began a tunnel from the Moab Valley side of the Lite hill which would eventually come out at creek level on the Mill creek side However due to shortage of funds the project was abandon abandon- ed Today almost two-thirds two of ot the tunnel stand as it was left many years ago go when work was stopped Realizing that any project to irrigate upper Moab valley by means of Mill MUl creek would be far too for an individual no further attempts have been made until recently Recognizing the potential of such a plan the Federal govern govern- ment began a study Into the feasibility feasibility feasIbility feas feas- of completing the project Reports showed that it was not nota a plan which could be glanced at and thrown into Tile Pile 13 Last year work was begun on on a construction construction construction con con- survey by the Bureau of Reclamation and should be presented to Congress for appropriations appropriations before many more ses sea This plan will completely cover every aspect of the project Every drop of water would be utilized through the use of storage storage storage stor stor- age reservoirs and water measurements measurements measurements meas meas- show that there is sufficient suf water to do the job reo re- re The plan to divert water into upper Moab valley would in In in- I elude clude d- d the use the use of the tunnel started started started start start- ed years ago and cUll In excellent excellent excellent excel excel- lent condition With staunch support on on- the part of Grand county citizens this project could be pushed to reality Surely It would cost money mon mon- ey 3 million dollars to be exact but under Federal programs to develop areas such as this with great potentials these funds are being made available You might call it a return on some of the money we are having trouble digging up around this time of the year for the support of our most expensive dependent |