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Show An Appeal to Everyone Interested in the Future of Utah From the Utah Water Users Association .... More than thirty years ago a large group of the citizens of Salt Lake City and Og-den Og-den joined in providing a fund of $40,000 with which to promote the conservation ot the flood waters of the Weber, Ogden 2nd Provo Rivers. Many years passed before their efforts were rewarded with success. Surely these men may "point with pride" to an annual crop value of $10,000,000 under the Weber project and with greater pride to the tremendous help given by Utah to the war effort, which help was made possible ov the conservation of the waters of these rivers. A much greater task confronts us. Water users from all parts of the state are gathered together in the Utah Water Users Association and again they call upon you for aid. The total capacity of the three great reservoirs Weber, Ogden and Deer Creek is less than 300,000 acre feet. Aside from Deer Creek the total reservoir capacity owne.l by Salt Lake City is about 5,000 acre feet. The Utah Water Users Association is rurely and simply a promotional organization composed of a group of citizens interested in the further development of Utah, with -.u appreciation of the fact that the entire economy of the future of Utah is tied to the possibility of the development of our water resources. Rather than attempting make the organization a state agency it has been determined that the undertaking should be financed on the basis of local suoscriptions, with the state divided into six districts with representation from all of the six districts on the Board of Directors so that a complete and comprehensive promotional program of all water resources of the state may be developed. The association does not anticipate doing the actual engineering engineer-ing work on the various water projects but it does anticipate finding ways and means of providing either on a local, county or state basis, or by an appeal to the National Reclamation Bureau, to obtain the engineering necessary upon which the foundation ol all waters developed must be laid and then using all of its facilities and resources and all of the manpower associated with it to bring about the completion of the projects which are proven feasible. It is anticipated that through private subscription approximately $10,000 each year may be obtained and it is proposed that we request the Board of County Commissioners Commission-ers of each of the counties in the state to provide to the Utah Water Users Association Associa-tion an amount of money equal to two one-hundredths of one mill, based on assessed valuation of the respective counties. This would provide a total of approximately $20.-000 $20.-000 for the corporation to administer its a! fairs and would provide it with the necessary neces-sary office assistance, legal counsel and an engineer who would be responsible for the promotion of the engineering on all projects. The water problems of the State of Utah may be subdivided into five general problems: 1st More than one and one-half million mil-lion acre feet of water discharge annually into the Great Salt Lake, a large part of which can be conserved. The evaporation annually from the surface of Great Salt Lake is more than three million acre feet. 2nd It is believed that the efficient service of every stream within the State can be substantially increased in many by more than 50. Careful study and careful planning of water supply will point the way to an increased income in nearly every one of our more than six hundred communities. There is no surer way to aid in the prosperity of our people. 3rd Our share of the waters of the Colorado River can be made to produce untold wealth. California holds contracts for the use of waters impounded by Boulder Boul-der Dam that will permit an increase in population of seven million souls. Also California has plans and works partially constructed that will permit her to use part of waters allocated to us and by long years use set up a claim for permanent right thereto. Wisdom dictates we mu3t put our allocated share of the Colorado River to beneficial use. 4th At the close of this war there must be no return to "boondoggle." Every dollar spent in developing water supply in our semi-arid land will return a bountiful boun-tiful harvest, year after year after year and will provide work, real work. 5th Home ownership, farm ownership owner-ship are the basis of the finest civilization. civiliza-tion. Ours is the privilege to aid in assuring assur-ing opportunity to those we love who will return home duty done with the hope in their hearts that their lives may be lived in this blessed land, called Utah. That cannot be if we sit idly by and permit per-mit our precious waters to waste awav. The Utah Water Users Association at a meeting held in the State Capitol on June 19, 1944, organized on a temporary basis with officers, directors and advisers, and a permanent organization will be established in September of this year. We are very anxious to be able to report at that meeting that the financing of the undertaking has been completed. For that reason we would sincerely appreciate your giving this matter mat-ter your early attention. UTAH WATER USERS ASSOCIATION. By Wm. R. Wallace, President, A. W. Watson, Secretary-Treasurer, Gus P. Backman, Acting Manager. |