Show Irrigation Project Construction Dependent on Railroad B By Harry J. J Brown Drown Washington Aug Some Some time In the future after the Moffat railroad rail ral- railroad road has been built westward Into Utah an and across the Uintah basin the government may undertake the construction of the he irrigation Irrigation Irrigation gation project but as long as the valley is without railroad transportation transportation transportation tation tho the project will wUl not receive serious consideration It is lack of transportation that contributes to the high cost of the project today and not only will a railroad through I the tho basin reduce construction costs I but will give the farmers on the project an outlet to market for Cor their crops after the project shall have been completed J It will not be enough for the go goy goy- emment to have the railroad guara guaranteed guaranteed guar guar- a teed for reclamation engineers who have 1 figured on the Ule project find that hat perhaps or even of the present estimated costs represents the expense of getting getting getting get get- ting structural materials labor and other s supplies to the project from the he railroad an amo amount nt that could be e saved if a railroad ran through the tract Present estimates Indicate that hat th the project would cost In the neighborhood of an acre a figure that is s out or reason considering costs of more accessibly located projects and projects that are arc adapted to a wider diversity of cr crops ps Costs are arc Estimated The project embracIng embracing Ing ng about acres of land woul cost in the aggregate as much or 01 more than the Utah lake project and would reclaim only two-thirds two as much land as the project south and west of Salt Lake City The Castle Ie peak project e ev evidently t is en- en pr feasible so 60 far laT as us its engineering engineer engineer- Ing ng features are concerned but there theres is s grave question in the minds of oC reclamation authorities whether this project could stana stand a building charge harge of an acre In fact it may be said they are arc thoroughly convinced the government could not expect to recover recover the construction costs if Ie the project should be undertaken undertaken undertaken under under- taken now There are two costly features of the he project the building I of Starvation or reservoir which would be e the main source of of water supply for or the greater part of the project and nd tho driving of two miles mUes of ot tunnels tunnels tun- tun nels through rocky Each of these features woula cost in the neighborhood of and the two wo together represent two thirds of I I the he cost of the entire undertaking Between and acres could be added to the main project by jy pumping water onto higher lands but jut this would only tend to Increase the he per aCTe acre cost of the l lands served served ed d by pumps Details Arc Are Given Starvation reservoir calls for the building bit of a dam feet high and 2000 feet long on its crest rest A diversion diversion diver- diver sion ion dam built at Cottonwood gulch while feet long would be a much nuch less costly feature because it II would not rise to any considerable height leight The Starvation dam would be e an structure with concrete concrete concrete con con- crete core and rubble lined to protect protect pro- pro Its surface The main canal would have to be built in four sections sections sec- sec Ions project being made up of as many units The first twelve miles would present no unusual features features fea- fea tures ures following the contour of the hills but from that point the Myton l tunnel feet long would havo have to o be driven through the hills The next section of or the canal would extend extend extend ex ex- tend from Myton 1 tunnel across Pleasant valley vaHey ana and South Myton l bench a distance of eight miles and then another b but t shorter tu tunnel nel would have haye to be driven to a length of 1600 feet Below Delow this tunnel the theca ca canal would cross the bad lands and In addition to requiring many structures including a short tunnel would have havo to be largely concrete- concrete lined to prevent seepage of water into the crevasses The last stretch of the canal nine miles long ong would cross Parlett Pariett bench on easy grades and at low c cost Like the Utah lake project the can be be built by units The TheMy My Myton ton bench would be the first un un- un- un By Dy buying out the Uintah Uin Un- Uintah tah Basin Dasin Construction company's holdings including its water rights enlarging and extending its canal acres could be Drought under irrigation without resort to storage Difficulties Shown Construction of the Pleasant valley valley valley val val- ley ley unit which includes South Myton Myton My My- ton bench Would lead to the reclamation reclamation mation df of e acres out Dut this unit calls for the construction of or the Cottonwood Cottonwood Cottonwood Cot Cot- g gulch ich diversion dam the driving of the first or longest tunnel and the building of ot the two first sections of the main cana canal Parlette bei bench h constitutes the largest single tract on the project with its O acres of excellent land compactly located This unit units is s almost entirely land embraced em em- braced in reclamation withdrawals as distinguished from the two first units which have largely passed Into in into iu- iu to private ownership The Parlette unit calls for the construction o of the third and fourth sections of the main canal the two smaller tunnels building of Starvation reservoir and anda anla a distributing i system Not until toe the Parlette unit Is will wIl It be necessary to resort to storage of or water Starvation reservoir however would impound water not only for forthe forthe the tho bench but for the Leland Leland Leland Le- Le land bench unit as well where 17 acres could be reclaimed by building a high line canal heading in a diversion dam In Pleasant valley Leland bench lands also are largely largel government land lands embraced in existing existing ex ex- withdrawals Acreage Cost l Figured It is s thought the project project project pro pro- would stand a construction charge of 90 to an acre if paid for on the tIle year twenty plan but reports received by the reclamation mation service indicate that private lands with water right and Improvements improvements improvements im Im- in the general vIc vicinity of this project can now be purchased ed for 75 an a acre re These lands are being successfully farmed b even though the principal crops are grain and forage with a limited amount of garden truck In tho the days when hay was bringing 30 to 50 a a. ton tOll these lands yielded a Handsome revenue revenue revenue rev rev- but with limiter limited local markets markets mar mar- which are understood to be adequately supplied with alfalfa and ami grain gran and with no economical means of getting such crops to a railroad eighty miles away the reclamation service will not look with favor on the building of the project project project until the tract has direct rail Tall communication with large markets n notably tably Salt Lake Cit City and Denver Just how much a railroad through the basin would reduce construction costs and how ho much it would enhance enhance enhance en en- hance land values is a matter of speculation but it appears to engineers engi- engi engi j who have investigated that I these advantages aided by a railroad might make an economically economically economically II cally feasible project |