Show CUP board strives to speed up benefits for Ute Indians 1 We are doing everything possible to speed up the benefits from the Central Utah Project for tor the Ute Indians the Board of Directors of the Central Utah Water Conservancy District were told Thursday of last week We agreed last year to enter into discussions on how to speed speedup up the benefits of the CUP to the Indians and now now it is time to convert that talk into action Edward Clyde CUP legal counsel told the board at Its monthly and annual meeting at atthe atthe atthe the Districts District's headquarters in Orem SPECIFICALLY what we weare weare weare are trying to do is to speed up the Indian benefits of the CUP If U the Indians desire It one program would bring irrigation water to the Leland Bench area to replace the irrigation of Indian lands deferred until the year 2005 under the Bonneville Unit Water can be delivered to the Leland Bench in the next few years The Leland Bench Benchland Benchland Benchland land due to climate and soils conditions would be very productive The District will ask the State of Utah to commit about acre feet of water in a a reservoir to be built on the White While River for meeting oil shale requirements and to provide water for irrigation and other uses on the Uintah-Ouray Uintah Indian Reservation We will push the Bureau of Reclamation to obtain Interior Department certification of the Uintah Unit of the CUP as soon as possible so construction can begin and we want to complete negotiations with tribal authorities concerning their benefits from Starvation Reservoir Clyde said WE WE ARE very much aware of the tremendous water demands in the Uintah Basin and we also realize that prompt resolution of the Indians' Indians requirements because of their water rights in the basin is necessary to the development of all of oC the required water waler in the area Lynn LYM Ludlow general manager of the District said In other action Mr Ludlow reported on a letter he sent to the Duchesne County Commissioners Commissioners Commissioners Com Com- missioners in response to toa a a call from them for a assessment reassessment of f the Bonneville n me Wasatch h Front Unit of 01 the CUP The District shares your concern for the growth that is taking place within your county and the increasing demand for lor municipal and Industrial water Ludlow told the Duchesne County officials This concern is consistent with District action which has placed so much emphasis on expediting the construction of the authorized units of the Central Utah Project he said MR MIt LUDLOW pointed out that a large portion of the capacity of Starvation Reservoir a feature of the Bonneville Unit Is to provide storage water to the water users of Duchesne County Mr Ludlow also pointed out that the major portion of the economic support for the CUP comes from the Wasatch Front and this support which makes the entire CUP possible would not be forthcoming If it were not for the trans-mountain trans diversion diversion diversion diver diver- sion feature of or the project The trans-mountain trans diversion is the transfer of water from the Uintah Basin to the Bonneville Basin But the CUP does not really take water from the Uintah Basin and give it to the Bonneville Bonneville Bon Bon- neville Basin because the increased increased in in- creased storage capacity of the project means that the Uintah Basin will have more water than it presently has he said The District the Bureau of Reclamation and the Congress are not making shallow promises but are taking positive steps to meet the critical and essential water needs of Duchesne County The area of concern is that the construction of these units of oC the Central Utah Project must be expedited Ludlow said IT V WAS AS also pointed out to the board that the Jordan Valley Water Treatment Plant in southwest Salt Sall Lake County willbe will willbe willbe be ready for lor operation as needed to supplement the Ule water supply of or Salt Sail Lake County this summer according to Ludlow This will be the second year yearth th the 9 million facility will be available to Salt Lake County he said During the peak demand period last summer the new plant treated 36 million gall gallons s of water a day for lor distribution In Salt Lake County Ludlow said It must be pointed out however that this water actually actually ac ac- ac belongs to Salt Lake City not Salt Lake County and will not be available to county residents In a dry year when it itis itis itis is needed by Salt Lake City residents Ludlow said Needed water for Salt Lake County will come from the still to be constructed Jordanelle Reservoir THIS TillS NEW water from Jordanelle naturally would flow now into Utah County not Salt Lake County but it is replaced in Utah County by water from the Uintah Basin via the trans trans- mountain diversion which is in turn replaced by new water stored as a result of the Uintah Basin units of the CUP Ludlow said So the Central Utah Project is not a group of separate units but a coordinated whole which must have all its pieces to work he said The CUP Board also accepted the audit report of District expenditures for Cor the year 1974 |