| OCR Text |
Show The ulletin Ute Volume 9 Number 11 PuMshod by Ute Tribe Fort Ducheme, Utah I402S Thuriday, November 29, 1973 Full Benefits in 2005 Interior Official Promises Full Delivery of Ute Water Rights A fruitful meeting in the nation's capital with top Interior official Rogers C. B. Morton resulted in a harvest of promises reaffirming the federal government is committed to finding a practicable way to deliver water to the Ute Tribe as agreed in the 1965 Deferral Agreement involving the construction of the Central Utah Project. Tribe is unable to utilize these water Representatives of the Ute Tribe, rights during the growing season and the Homey Secakuku and Francis Wyasket water runs to serve the lower basin flew to Washington, D.C. accompanied and New Mexico. The hy U & 0 Superintendent William Streitz reservoirs-Whiterocthree proposed 'and Tribal Attorney John Boyden to Taskeech, and Uintah-w- ill give the Utes ascertain whether the Secretary was facilities. needl'd the storage going to secure the water rights for the According to officials, the first priority Utes or if he would forget the agreement in the next phase of construction must be between the Tribe and the Uinted States. given to the three reservoirs on the They were assured he had no intention of reservation and the canals to serve them. backing out on the agreement. The Upalco Unit is authorized for The 1965 agreement provides the Utes construction and this incudes Taskeech to . adequate water for the time being and Reservoir. reserve for the Tribe the full potential At the recent meeting, the Secretary water rights without having to go agreed to give priority to the Uintah through litigation. Unit. The Bureau of Relcamation needs The Agreement was entered and pressure to go ahead with the project, on said. officials signed May 6, 1965, by the Ute Tribe, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau Water from Flaming Gorge will also be of Reclamation, and the Central Utah diverted to the reservation lands via Water Conservancy District. canals. The major need now is for storage The Ute Tribe classified the reservato fully exercise and utilize full water tion lands into five groups according to rights. the irrigatability of the lands which is one Controversial Project of the major benefits of the Agreement. The other benefit is this classification is Several groups have expressed disaprecognized by the State of Utah through proval of the Central Utah Project. The main concern seems to be the diversion of the State Engineer and by a concurrant the water to the Wasatch Front. One resolution of the 40th Legislature of such group is the farmer. It will cost the Utah. It is reaffirmed by the Secretary of farmer more money to obtain the needed Interior and is recognized by Congress. water for their lands. In the past they C.U.P. Units states-Califor- nia ks, . The Central Utah Project is comprised of six basic units Jensen, Vernal, Uintah, Upalco, Bonneville, and the Ute Indian Unit which is the ultimate phase. The estimated cost for total construction of this phase is $620,000,000 which will be paid by the Bureau of Reclamation. The construction is then divided into several phases: The Bo'nneville Unit it the first to be constructed. Thirty-fiv- e percent is completed. Soldier Creek Reservoir is completed. Tribal lands flooded in the process of completing this reservoir was compensated by the Bureau of Reclamation. The Bureau paid $83,000 for damages. In addition to this sum, the Tribe has been given recreational access on the reservoir. Strawberry Reservoir will be enlarged. Authorization for the construction of the Current Creek Reservoir was given by the Secretary. Authorization was approved for the construction of the Strawberry Aquaduct which will take 20,000 acre feet of water from the west fork of the Duchesne River. This does not represent water which the Tribe needs for irrigation purposes. Starvation Reservoir is completed. have received water rather cheap through existing small dams and irrigation canals. Ecology groups and the Forest Service have expressed anxiety relative to the loss of fishing and the fear the streams will dry. According to different sources, the streams will not dry out. Tribal officials have indicated the Tribe will realize full benefits of the Central Utah Project at the end of the deferral period. The next generation of Ute Continued on page 3 - CONTROVERSIAL WATER PROJECT Determines Ute Unit the phase of the Central Utah Project. Construction is planned for needed water storage reservoirs on the northern area of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation. The Bonneville Unit is the first portion scheduled for completion, entire project is expected to be finished with-i- n the next 0 years. The several mi dollar project is under fire from ecology and conservation groups. Ufe School Reverts to Tribe At Brief, Informal Ceremony The keys to the historic Whiterocks School were returned to the Ute Tribe in an unofficial and brief ceremony last month. Accepting the keys from Uintah School District Superintendent Ashel Evans were Tribal Chairman Homey Secakuku and Lester Chapoose. Vice-Chairma- n The Whiterocks Indian Boarding School was closed in the 1950s after a colorful history of educating Ute children. The Uintah School District started operation of the school in 1952 when the title was transferred to the district. The end to the instructional institution was a result of the idea Ute children would receive a better education through the public school system. The halls of the Whiterocks Indian Boarding School are filled with the haunting memories and echoes of the generations of students who walked, ran, laughed, and studied during those days when the school was in full operation. The turn of the century saw the construction of the school which housed a regular BIA boarding and day school. It 0 is estimated Utes attended both sessions at any one time. Former students reminisce about their days at the school. One student stated the school taught good discipline because students were expected to be neat and orderly and this has carried to her adult 200-30- life. Memories of the laundry detail, dormitory detail, grounds detail, matrons, bed checks, lunch lines are remembered by alumni. The government issued dresses for girls also had interesting accessories -- - matching bloomers, black stockings, granny" hair styles. shoes, and bob-cThe one teacher most often remembered is Mrs. Henry (Laura) Wopsoek who taught several generations. Hundreds of Whiterocks and Tridell students have been educated at the public school for the past two decades. The changing times have also victimised the school. A recent decision to consolidate the Whiterocks School with Todd School has left the campus vacant. Three proposals to utilize the buildings ut have been submitted to the Tribal Water Storage Sought The critical point is for the Ute Tribe to get control of storage abilities on the Lake Fork, Uintah and Whiterocks Rivers. At the present time, the Tribe does not have storage facilities resulting in loss of water in the spring. Thus the lu 35-4- Uintah Mountains. The boys dormitory wss the homo of several generations of Ute young men. The solid structure of the old architecture has withstood the years with regal serenity. Business Committee. A decision has not yet been made to grant permission for the use of the facility. Vying for the authorization to occupy the school are the Head Start Program, the Juvenile Court system for a shelter home, and a recovery house. |
