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Show Does Salt Lake Own Utah Lake? By Geo. F. Shelley. A few years ago the writer had the privilege of serving in the State Legislature, and during one session a bill was introduced intro-duced making it unlawful to seine Carp and other common fish from Utah Lake. The arguments in favor of the bill made by the members from Salt Lake were to effect that in the seining of carp from Utah Lake many of the better fish were being destroyed, destroy-ed, and that Utah Lake was to be made a Fisherman's Paradise, presumably so that the sportsmen from Salt Lake could come down and fish to their heart's content. "When the writer objected to the bill on the grounds that it was unfair to the people of Utah County to deprive them of the use of the common fish of the Lake, one of the leading members mem-bers from Salt Lake arose and said "Do you people of Utah County think you own the Lake? "He was informed that we did not claim ownership but that we were vitally interested in it. Now it appears from all outward evidence that Salt Lake City and County have . assumed full and absolute ownership of , the. Lake, inasmuch as they are apparently claiming the right to dry up the lake by the installation of pumps and to dictate by , means of dyking just how large the lake shall be if any of the l water remains. The question is shall the people of Utah County go to '. sleep and permit their once beautiful lake to pass out of ex- i istence? Salt Lake undoubtedly acquired a right by appropriation and use to the natural flow of the Jordan river, but they never had the right-morally or legally-to dry up the lake, depriving Utah County and the state as a whole of a beautiful fresh water 1 lake, a natural resource and a material help to the joy of living. We grant that last year was an emergency year and called for ' emergency measures, but this drying up process of Utah Lake has been going on for a number of years practically ever since the Salt Lake pumps were installed. Gradually from year to i year the Lake has been pumped down. "When the water got 1 doAvn then dredging of the lake was resorted to that the water might be brought to the pumps. And now to make a complete finish to the Lake, large pumps have been installed at Pelican Point. Fellow citizens of American Fork and of Utah County, ' what have we been doing while all this has been going on? Are . we going to sit idly by and allow Salt Lake to rob us of our : birth right? 1 True, last year was an emergency year, but we are inform ed that while a great quantity of water was 'taken out of the lake by the Pelican Point pumps yet on account of the lateness of 1 their installation but little benefit was realized by the farmers L of Salt Lake County. i The report now comes that the water came in handy to fill up the duck ponds of one of Salt Lake's millionaire gun clubs. Mr. Editor, with your kind permission I should like to continue this subject in your next issue with a view to calling L the attention of our people to the serious consequences to Utah I County of the drying up of Utah Lake. |