| Show irrigation WATER ITIs IT ia hoped that the work so well begun by the committee of statistics will be continued till a thorough and eye systematic exhibit is made of the develop ff 1 l r i ia ment of irrigation in U utah tah what it has baa accomplished for foi this territory and for the west and how this has been done what it ina may y yet accomplish and how the work of the future is to be curled carried forward with the data that the committee has collected only a small portion of which has been published combined with we the matter that will be furnished by the discussions in the irrigation congress whoever proceeds with this labor ought to be able to give the public the most valuable compilation on the question that has ever been printed such a work ought to be very near to a correct guide to the future development of irrigation in the west the importance attached to all reliable progress in this direction is exhibited in one item hem from the utah report according to the united states census bulletin there are am now under irrigation in utah a little less than acres prom from careful estimates made of the regular flow of water available during the irrigation season it could if properly husbanded hus banded be made to irrigate to advantage over acres but the flow during the irrigation season does not represent half the water that the springs and mountain streams of the territory yield during the entire year it is the judgment of thebert the best authorities oa on utah irrigation that if all this water was conserved for fuming farming ing purposes it would irrigate every foot of tillable land in the territory but to store this winter and spring flow so go as to make it a reliable source of summer supply will require a vast expenditure of money and labor and something besides which is quite as important to the success of so great an undertaking the knowledge and experience to apply them in the proper place and manner mander every cubic foot of water stored represents an equivalent amount of energy for destruction and when it comes to multiplying that destructive power by billions as would be done in storing a half years yeara flow of the weber river for instance it becomes something requiring deep consideration and careful treatment it is this class of questions that will call for the best wisdom of the congress now in session here the horror that has passed into history through the catastrophe as johnstown proves that no ordinary engineering will meet the requirement it is a work that will call for the best beat efforts of science skill and experience |
