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Show 95 Agencies During the first few years of statehood, the Board of Land Commissioners and the Office of the State Engineer were created; these offices were the state's first efforts to provide state institutions to administer and develop water. The Board of Land Commissioners functioned as a development institution, while the Office of the State Engineer evolved into an administrative institution. Later actions of the state also established promotional institutions. Both the Arid Land Reclamation Fund Commission ( 1903 to 1905) and the Utah State Conservation Commission ( 1909 to 1917) were created to increase Utah's ability to attract federal funding for projects considered important by Utah law makers. These projects utilized joint development processes where the federal government provided much of the financial backing and technological input, but cooperated in the planning phase with the State Engineer and various other state planning agencies. Recognizing the need for state- wide water planning to bring the goals and objectives of the many different water resource administration, development, and promotional institutions into harmony, the legislature established the Utah Water Storage Commission in 1921. In addition to fulfilling the role of promotion that the Arid Land Reclamation Fund Commission and the Utah Conservation Commission had earlier played, the commission also functioned for twenty years as the prime water planning and prioritizing agency concerned with Utah's water development. As the growing economy and population demanded new water resources, more efficient systems were necessary. In response to urban and industrial needs along with federal developments, the 1941 Utah State Legislature shifted the responsibilities of the Utah Water Storage Commission to the newly established Publicity and Industrial Development Board. This board approached water planning and development from the broad context of economic and industrial planning and development. It conducted and published studies on the potentials for growth in the Utah economy, and attempted to identify those areas where water shortages could be the limiting factor to continued growth. The Industrial Development Board then worked to have the water resources in these areas developed. In 1944 water users organized the Utah Water Users Association. This organization was designed to represent the interests of more traditional water users. One of its first goals was to have a separate agency established to deal specifically with water planning and development In response to lobbying from this group and others, the legislature in 1947 established the Utah Water and Power Board. Special Districts and Institutions As early as 1897, the legislature had made an attempt to provide for drainage districts. By 1913 it had provided workable drainage district legislation. In 1909 the legislature passed an irrigation district law which was refined many times until 1919. These districts were attempts by the state to provide institutions for privately or locally motivated water development. After 1930 the state made legal provisions for a variety of developmental institutions. In 1935, 1937, and 1941, respectively, the legislature established metropolitan water districts, soil conservation districts, and water conservancy districts. These new water development institutions |