Show The Uintah Unit of the Central CentrO Utah Project This Is the fourth of a series of six stories on the Central Utah Project a major multipurpose multi multi- multipurpose purpose water resource development project authorized by Congress as part of the Colorado River Storage Act in 1956 1916 Water water all around but nota drop to drink Without the needed development of Utah's water resources the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner would be all too applicable to our state Water is plentiful throughout Utah during the winter months when the snow stacks deep in our mountains And it is plent plentiful ul in the spring when the runoff of melting snow joins with April and May showers Then torrents of this precious resource cascade down our creeks and streams and into the Green and Colorado Rivers to tobe tobe tobe be carried away to Arizona California and Mexico TilE THE TASK of public officials charged with the responsibility of providing adequate water for all sectors of Utah's growing economy is not to plan for those seasons of the year when water is plentiful but to plan and build so that we have the water during those dry hot days in July and August and into Utah's famous Indian summers It is during these summer and fall months that Utah's crops need life-giving life water And it itIs itis itis is during these summer and fall months when Utah's municipal and industrial needs are the greatest exactly the same time when the natural water supply is the lowest The Central Utah Project is a multi-million multi dollar water development project affecting 12 counties of Utah The CUP is isan isan isan an interconnected series of dams reservoirs aqueducts designed to store Utah water that now runs away away downstream downstream downstream down down- stream during the spring until it itis itis itis is needed in the summer and fall Through the construction of new water storage and development facilities on the streams flowing south out of the Uintah Mountains Utah water that now is lost lest to Arizona and California can be stored making it possible not only to transfer water to the Bonneville Basin but making even more water available for the pressing needs of the energy rich Uintah Basin TilE THE UINTAH UNIT located in Duchesne and Uintah Counties is one of these projects As presently designed the Uintah Unit of the CUP will provide an additional feet acre-feet of irrigation water annually and 1000 acre- acre feet of municipal and industrial water for the rapidly growing community of Roosevelt An acre foot of water is that amount of water that will cover an acre of land to a depth of one foot Two large storage reservoirs are the major features of the Uintah Unit of the CUP Uinta Reservoir is to be located on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation about eight miles northwest of the town of Neola It will have a capacity of more than acre feet Reservoir to tobe tobe tobe be sited eight tight miles north of the town of Whiterocks on the Ashley National Forest will have a storage capacity of more than acre feet The difference between the total storage capacity of the two major reservoirs and the amount of water to be available from the project approximately approximately approximately ap ap- ap- ap proximately feet acre-feet is what is called dead storage or that water which must be left Inthe in the Hie reservoirs to maintain fish and wildlife habitats and the recreational uses The reservoirs never will be drawn down completely Ie I.e. all of the water will never be taken out of the reservoirs They will never be completely dry Fishing camping and other forms of water recreation are important elements of the Uintah Unit of the CUP and these uses are considered along with the needs for water for irrigation municipal and Industrial industrial industrial in In- uses TilE THE CONSTRUCTION of the Uinta and Whiterocks reservoirs reservoirs reservoirs reser reser- will allow 13 natural reservoirs upstream to have less water taken out of them during the dry season thereby stabilizing them enabling better utilization of these small bodies of water for fishing and water recreation The basic idea of the entire Central Utah Project is to catch the spring runoff in new dams and reservoirs like the Uinta and the Whiterocks Reservoirs and to store that water until it is needed in the summer and fall Flood control then is an important secondary benefit of the Uintah Unit of the CUP as it itis itis itis is throughout the entire project Irrigation water to be developed by the Uintah Unit of the CUP will provide supplemental supplemental supplemental sup sup- water to more than acres of Indian water right land and will provide all the water needed for an additional ad ad- acres of such land The remaining feet acre-feet of irrigation water will be used an approximately acres of non-Indian non land IN THESE DAYS when increased increased increased in in- creased agricultural production is of such importance to us all it itis itis itis is critical that our Utah water be he delivered to Utah land to produce food and fiber for all Americans There has been much public discussion about the direction of and the urgency for development development development develop develop- ment of oil shale and other energy resources in Utah's Uintah Basin There is general agreement among politicians planners and the public that the development not only is coming but is already here and that we must develop the water resources necessary to accommodate this industrial growth and the needs of the people who come with it The Uintah Unit of the Central Central Central Cen Cen- Utah Project will play an important role in filling those present and future needs TOTAL COST OF the Central Utah Project now is estimated by experts to be e more than million with the cost having increased more than 15 percent percenta a year for the past three to four years Cost of the Uintah Unit alone was estimated in 1975 at million six Seventy-six percent of this money will be repaid to the United States Stales Treasury through revenues derived from water sales local taxes and the sale of power generated from parts of the project Money not to be repaid to the government are those expenditures expenditures expenditures ex ex- ex- ex considered to be for forthe forthe forthe the benefit of all such as the recreational facilities Fish and wildlife habitats created by the project and flood control are other elements of the project considered to be for the general good and the costs related to them need not be repaid If we are to provide a continually continually continually con con- improving standard of living for all which means a continually expanding economic base allowing us to provide new jobs for our children the officials of the Central Utah Water Conservancy Conservancy Conservancy Con Con- District the authorizing sponsor of the CUP believe that we must develop our natural resources in a manner that will enhance the quality of life in Utah They believe the Uintah Unit of the CUP will achieve that goal |