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Show 57 they continued to refine the institutions which helped water users organize to finance the large projects which were necessary to solve the reclamation and developmental problems confronting water users. Second, public officials became actively engaged in developing water resources. In this state, officials worked as direct developers as well as collaborators with the federal government and local water users in joint development efforts. State programs provided funds to private developers through a variety of loan and finance programs. Also part of the state's function were regulation of water rights and supervision of the process by which water was distributed. This chapter will examine the measures the state took to create new institutions to expedite water development on the part of others and the direct role played by the state in the actual process of water development ( In order to fully track the efforts and results of the state's initiatives, it will be necessary at one point to expand the analysis to the year 1937.) Refining the State's Water Management Institutions The Utah State Conservation Commission Several important organizational adjustments were made during the period. An effort was made at the state agency level to set up a coordinating body in 1909, when the Utah State Conservation Commission was established. The duty of this commission was to help integrate the activities of the state's water management officials with the federal programs and private efforts then underway. The State Conservation Commission was an attempt by the state to maximize water development, while at the same time keeping as much of the initiative and control in state hands as possible. Its mandate included the charge to gather data on potential water resource development projects and make data available to the legislature and other planning and funding agencies and groups. 3 The important issue of state- wide planning for efficient water use was also to be addressed by the commission. With several federal projects underway and with a wide variety of state and private projects in various planning or construction stages, fact finding, planning and coordination were important obligations. From the time of its creation in 1909, the Utah State Conservation Commission joined the Board of Land Commissioners and the Office of the State Engineer as part of the state's water management framework. It continued in this role until 1917, when the legislature repealed the law which created it4 On the Utah State Conservation Commission see State of Utah, Laws of the State of Utah Passed at the Eighth Regular Session of the Legislature of the State of Utah - which Convened at the State Capital, Salt Lake City, January Jlth, 1909 and Adjourned March 11th, 1909 ( Salt Lake City: Skelton Publishing Company, 1909), Chapter 103, pp 224- 225. The Act reads in part: Sec. 3 Duties of Commission. That it shall be the duty of said commission to adopt and carry out such policies and measures as will prevent waste of the natural resources of Utah and to co- operate with the national Conservation Commission and with conservation commissions of other states in any way that shall have for its object the conservation of the natural resources of Utah. . . . Sec. 4 Appropriation. .. . That the sum of $ 3000.00 per annum is hereby appropriated to be paid out of the State treasury upon the warrants of said commission. ... Second. To place before the legislative and executive departments and the United States, including the National Reclamation Service, data and facts showing die great value of arid lands in Utah when subjected to irrigation, and facts and information for the guidance of legislative and executive departments of the United States in establishing dams, reservoirs, and irrigation systems for die reclamation of arid land in die State of Utah . .. authorized by said Utah State Conservation Commission in die State of Utah... . ^ tate of Utah, Laws of the State of Utah Passed at the Twelfth Regular Session of the Legislature of the State of Utah which Convened at the State Capital, Salt Lake City, January 8th, 1917 and Adjourned March 8th, 1917 ( Salt Lake City: Century Publishing Company, 1917), Chapter 82, p 224. |