| Show WATER I 1 among the many improvements affecting the prosperity of utah permanently manent ly none have a brexter grea iter value than the question of the storage forage of water the writer many years ago drew attention in the columns of the N NEWS 8 to the necessity of holding backow back by artificial means a supply of water for the heated term and wished for the time when a territorial water corn com mias min ioner would vituld be appointed to look after the needs of settlers and point out the means where water storage could be safely adopted but the process of development seems slow and backward the citizens already in possession of prior rights have little time to think of the wants of another generation who need homes and lands and who might prefer to stay day near their birthplace rather than to wonder wander away to distant parts but we are getting there as the saying goes mauj mangy farmers tire are making reservoirs on a small scale and thus preserving a supply for the day of need but these movements are slow and insufficient for the wants of an increased population many of the readers of the NEWS will remember the broad expanse lf if in land nd on the borders of the sevier river west of fillmore and somewhat near the sink known as the sevier lake they may also know that a company of citizens projected a reservoir with a view to settling up and reclaiming this vast tract of arable land on the borders of the river before named A large sum of maney was expended some embankments made and measures adopted to hold bold back a part of the immense body of water that otherwise runs to waste waite but for some reason unknown to the writer the project WV was not realized although no do a apparent parent 16 reason can to be given save that the outlay was more than the original projectors anticipated the grand movement to construct what will be the W largest gest artificial reservoir in the united stated stakes la IS now DOW in other hands the 00 company is now oata posed of the foll following gentlemen lent gentlemen lemen namely W H rowe of C M 19 I 1 president Gl george eorge A LAW lowe P vice president frank knox president of the national bank of the republic secretary and tre treasurer C W aldrach Aldra cb manager directors li it britan D leach and J G sutherland this is in a strong team and in ton ten days the twenty square miles of water which is the area of the lake will be a fact accomplished nearly all of the dykes are completed the average depth of water will be twelve feet the survey extends beyond the old limits limit fl and brings into play many ancient basins basins so elarge that it if any part ol of the embankment should break away millions of gallons could not escape for they would have their old natural basins to hold water it is proposed to irrigate acres of very good land by means of the storage some of the volume will be flamed across the north fork of the sevier aegler to valuable lands on the western side aide the reder reservoir voir proper to is supplied by the south fork the bed bad of the same runs through and into the reservoir and is the escape valve also at the lower end nine miles mile of embankments are now being made and hundreds of are at work giving employment to many of the citizens in neighboring towns and using up their surplus supplies the headquarters are about seven miles from the union pacific at bait switch twelve miles south of oasis the project is no visionary scheme nothing can prevent the enter prize from being successful nearly will be expended before the completion of all the Imp improve roverne me to in some of the lakes embraced in the great reservoir and a part of the system immense numbers of carp are found I 1 am informed that black and kraft of deseret Dea eret placed them there in 1892 these fish are caught by the hetue and by pitchforks in the reedy portions As to the possibilities of successful farming the projectors seem am confident of vig victory tory for if no one should buy land they are capable of using it them selves and thou thousand sant of acres of lucet lucein n may yet be seen men where only ealy grease wood now abounds lucern means money and food feed for tho thousands wands of and nd cattle the men at the head are not novices such is a brief outline ol of a project in which the writer has no direct I 1 in n teresta dorest only so far asit points out the necessity of using all our available opportunities in the great subject of the economy of our water supply A careful examination of many of the be sources of the aqueous fluid auld will show that we have not as yet commenced to use one halfor our resources the water that will be stored will be only the surplus murph that always runs to waste of the sevier river the quantity quanta ty is calculated to lost four months for the number of acres brought into cultivation ti and should the river run dry lute late into in the season the immense lake will not C B R SAVAGE |
