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Show Thursday, April 15, 1959 Messenger-Enterpris- Page 5 e x riX , A Sy , : 0. 4?, ' , t 'sWJk j. J i -- .., v. V VyBt hJZ 'tr " .iiYV A V, J Sf -- Sr- c ' S--r l?,''''"!s? r v f An .? rjr j !&Cf"r' 4 j?- -' - -- r','r Jr ?w ssl - s v j -- 2r-5: I 'v V 4 v3 pipe is placed on the ground below the storage pond, awaiting the backhoes and New storage pond will greatly enhance the present pond, adding significantly to the scope of the project. The existing pond will be retained for additional storage. pipe layers. 24-in- ch Manti Irrigation Company modernizes system By Karen Buchanan Someone else besides the city water crew and Johansen Construction is digging up Manti. Do you have the feeling were under siege? Huge blue pipes are everywhere and there are probably more backhoes in the area than have ever been seen m one place before (except on This beehive of activity means more progress, the kind that will benefit us all. Manti is an agrarian society, raising animals; sheep, turkeys and cattle, and fields of feed to accommodate them. These farmers have long contended w ith problems keeping their fields adequately watered because of the irrigation system presently in use. Late season water shortages have always been a problem, open dirt ditches leach out too much water, and because of lack of adequate pressure, some farmers are forced to use inefficient flooding of their fields instead of the more productive voir Company, irrigate from Six Mile and Manti City Creeks, approximately 3,700 acres around the town of Manti. About 2,090 acres of this land are sprinkler irrigated and the remaining 1,610 acres are irrigated by flooding. Lands within the area are served by three separate systems. The Quarry Field, in the northeast sector and the South Field systems utilize gravity sprinkler irrigation. These serve about 1,440 acres of land. The third system includes approximately ,6 0 acres of flood irrigated land and 650 acres of pump operated Diversions from sprinklers. Manti City Creek supply water to the first two systems with the remaining being used for flood 1 1 and pumped sprinkler irrigation. The only water storage system available is in Palisade Lake from Six Mile Creek. There is no usable storage on Manti City Creek. Due to the lack of storage capacity, water shortages in the late summer and fall average each year. sprinkling system used by most. about 4,940 acre-feEven some of the current sprinBecause of these serious conkling systems require costly cerns, the Irrigation Company is pumping because of the low rebuilding its system. They have secured a grant of $1.9 million pressure. The farmers, members of the from the Water Conservation Manti Irrigation Company and Credit Act. They have also the Manti Irrigation and Reser received a loan for $1 .5 million to et ' back over 20 years. Members of the Company are contributing approximately 35 of the costs in labor on the project, giving of their time and sharing their equipment. In order to qualify for loans and grants, they needed to guarantee that most water losses in the present system would be eliminated. These savings will be equal to 4,820 acre feet of water, this measurement is the same as water one foot deep over 4,820 acres of land per year. This will be a great benefit to all of Manti Other benefits include the elimination of many hazardous open ditches within the city. And the Company will also build a new automatic desilting unit in Manti canyon which will help in removing the silt which usually accumulates in the present pressurized watering system following a heavy storm and high water runoff. A diameter pressure rated pipeline about 33,200 feet in length, is being constructed from Palisade Lake to serve the flood north and west of irrigated lands m, Manti allowing a pressurized paid : , , vaife- w city will be replaced with a low pressure pipe from the diversion at Manti City Creek to the regulating pond just east of Manti This pipe will eliminate the seepage that occurs along approximately 6.900 feet of open canal. The additional capacity provided by this pipeline will allow the lands north and west of Manti to convert to sprinkler The pipeline will irrigation replace the current open canal and follow its existing alignment Historically the water users 24-in- 12-in- is existing one near Highway 89 south of Manti. The pond will provide operational storage for of the Quarry Field the expansion sy stem vation They promote and de-- v elop w ater resources not only for their own use, but tor future " generations ot water users Mr Cox stated that environmental concerns have been addressed and that betore the loan could be approved it was necessary for the farmers to include in the plans ways to preserve, and even increase, wildfowl habitation Portions ot land will be left undisturbed, and improved, to ensure that wildfowl have an even better environment than prior to All of these changes will allow for more available water to the farmer for the summer months of Juiy and August, 65 irrigation efficiency . metered distribution which will allow for more equitable use. reduced maintenance and pumping cost as well as individual farm benefits The lower part of the system in the vv estern and southern part of the project Mr. Cox emphasized that he town is nearing completion and with the finished pond, will soon is particularly grateful for the be filled with water and ready for overwhelming support they have use this season The remainder of received from Manti City The the project will be completed in city crew has ottered their help the fall after seasonal irrigation is vv henev er they can and w herev er finished they are needed and the elected David Cox. President of the officials are enthused and anxious Manti Irrigation Company has to give encouragement m all been the primary iliaker and aspects ot the project He went on to express his mov er" of the project, enthusing and members, securing funding gratitude to the citizens who live generally keeping the whole thing or work in the areas ot the city running He has been working on where the construction is taking this for over three years and is place They have been incredelated to see it finally coming to ibly patient with anv necessary fruition disruptions ot their lives caused our are by our work." he said " e hav e Agriculturists nation's rue env ironmentalists." had little complamt " 1 vs , A'- - V S- V c ' " X x y '.'v i,V , sprinkler irrigate The Quarry Field Canal around the northeast part of the of 6 acre feet of water he said, and an important part of being constructed west of the that emphasis is in water conser- equiv alent , ", v' C' ( h experience shortages averaging ater 4,940 acre feet annually conservation through these new systems will amount to about 4,820 acre feet annually This conserved water will bypass the irrigation systems and continue downstream to users in an exchange at Gunnison Resen oir Early spring Hows from Manti City Creek will be stored in Gunnison Resen oir in exchange for additional diversions lrom irrigation system to be implemented. The existing both groundwater and Six Mile be will not but Creek in the late summer. pipeline replaced, will continue to serve the North A regulating pond holding the ' V ,, SixMilewaterusers The24-incpipeline will prov ide the pressure necessary' to allow water users to , I it be Vzlfj; i ' 't , Vs- X, - i X N v! i the Workmen, with the aid of heavy equipment, place one of the lengths of 24-iareas, a double pipeline is being installed, engineered to further increase of the trench. project. jncy ae COPY nt |