| Show Reclamation Officials Meet Mere Here Discuss Feeder Canal y yv l v f e S v w ua Emery DIVERSION Johnson and Dick Tiffany inspect the diversion culverts which eni the flow of the feeder canal into the reservoir while canal repairs are being com com- completed M Rat n v M r rR R 1 W Pl 9 Y Shown RESERVOIR is water emptying into the reservoir one afternoon last week from the feeder canal The canal runs along the foot of the hills en the left The reser voir is at the dead storage level of acre foet 1 p t PERUSE PLANS Bureau of Reclamation officials check plans and specifications of the Vernal Project in at the Bureau office in Vernal Left to right are A S D Alessandro Chief Construction Branch Region 4 Salt Lake City Alton H Peterson Vernal Project construction engineer Grant Bloodgood Assistant Commissioner and Chef Engineer Denver and George W Birch leg Design Engineer for Canals Denver Staff photos placed highly officials of the Bureau of Reclamation held a press conference with The Vernal Express Thurs Thurs- Thursday Thursday day of last week and explain ed some of the problems in in- in involved In the construction of Feeder canal Attending the meeting in inthe inthe the Bureaus Bureau's Vernal office were Grant Bloodgood Assis tant Commissioner and Chief Engineer George W Birch Supervising DesIgn Engineer for canals both of Denver Alessandro Chief Construction Branch Region 4 in Salt Lake City and Al AI ton II H Peterson Project En En- Engineer for the Vernal Unit MR PETERSON said that repairs to the lower drops in inthe inthe the feeder canal should be completed this week and shortly afterwards the flow In the canal likely can be al- al almost almost most doubled At present the flow is 40 second feet which will be in creased to 75 second feet The canal Is desIgned to carry second feet Mr mood Bloodgood good said that the diversion which has bas been used to carry water around the canal and Into the reser- reser reservoir reservoir voir during the repair period has been sandbagged to pre pre- prevent vent erosion This may permit doubling the flow down the natural draw THE ASSISTANT Commis said that equipment for these kind of construction jobs was not so easily obtain able In Vernal as In some other places An Express reporter sug Bested to Mr Bloodgood that problems were in evidence last June but nothing was 1 ri l U r 1 replied that the Bureau may have been dilatory In that respect Mr Peterson said that the public has not been fully in in- in informed formed that new canals can give difficulties Mr Bloodgood pointed out that eventually the drops will wUl be under water He said that the job conditions had turned out worse than had been anticipated MR BIRCH commented on the unstable material upon which the canal was built and said there are many similar in California lie He that Mr Pet Pet- Peterson Peterson erson had done everything possible and Uan en Con Con- Construction Co of Altamont has done a good job lie pointed out that the contractor contractor tor had had to go to Salt Lake ake aketo to obtain some of his equip equip- equipment equipment ment Mr Bloodgood cUed cited ab normal conditions surround surround- surrounding ing the project lie said that if the project was to be done over again ho he wouldn't know what to do better HE FORECAST there would be continual frost trost ac- ac actions ac ground heaves and set set- settling tUng In answer to a question he replied that would would- wouldn't wouldn't nt solve solve the problem and a cementing job would have cost many times more than the job as it stands lIe He patell that eventually the can can- canal canal al will Out of a total of 25 drops 12 had been damaged to vars sous lous extents but the others were working fine Lining the channel where it will go under water is not an entire solution he said explaining that a heavily re concrete structure at al Grand Coulee sun still needed re- re repair repair pair work MR BLOODGOOD said that lias as good n a material as we know how has been placed In the Vernal Project Mr Peterson explained that there is too great grent a slope Continued on page 8 Continued from page 1 I and the terrific water velo- velo velocity velocity city would be too loo much for a concrete structure He point point- pointed ed out that each drop In six feet with a total drop of feet In 1 miles mUes There Is IH also a drop of 01 72 feet In the reservoir Itself he pointed out There will be acre feet of dead storage In the reservoir which has now been reached The dead storage consists of 01 water that will I not be drawn out Reclamation o officials said that nothing would make them happier than to run the full creek In IT WAS REPORTED that the contractor Is working all the daylight hours to speed the repair work Officials said that further work may have to be played by ear as conditions may change daily They said work will wUl still be done on the bypass which will take all aU It can stand Three culverts are Involved ed In the present diversion which can handle second feet of water A lair fair stream was forecast late this week A total of second feet will be the limit In the canal during the first year and that If nothing goes wrong they said Total capacity of the reser reservoir voir Is feet acre Mr Peterson said that a recent calculation showed that flows would not have been sufficient ent to fill the reservoir even If there had been no trouble with the canal It was reported that the service canal will be corn com to where It can carry carrywater carrywater water about July 1 but it will take au an administrative de de- de decision cislon as to whether water will be made available Mr and Mrs VerUn Verlin Vin cent and daughter Cindy who have been residing in Big PIney Wyoming for the past year are now moving to Rangely Mrs rs Vincent is a daughter of Mrs Ada Ander son of Vernal and Mr Vin cent Is a son of Mrs Les L s Mater Maler of Red Wash He will willbe willbe be employed by the nia Company In Rangely |
