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Show for recreation and transportation. Most of the Wasatch Front Canyons as well as the mountainous areas, despite their rugged nature, receive fairly heavy usage for hiking, and other outdoor related activities on a year- round basis. The land use data shown on Figure 3- 4 reveals that residential lands are clustered primarily on the eastern half and central portions of the valley. Industrial lands are fairly well scattered throughout the valley with the most significant cluster in the northwest. Agricultural use is located in the southern and southwestern portions of the valley with some irrigated acres in the northwest. Conversion of irrigated agricultural ground to residential use, primarily at the southern end of the valley, is the current trend. 3.4 Water- Related History The history of water development and use in the Jordan River Basin covers a period of nearly 150 years. Initial water use was primarily to irrigate land to grow crops; only small amounts were diverted for culinary or community use. This has changed over the years and now the major demand is for municipal and industrial uses. The changes that have occurred are very complex and only a brief summary is given here. 3.4.1 Pioneer Developments The main body of Mormon Pioneers arrived in Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. An advanced company of men arrived two days earlier to prepare land for planting crops. Water was diverted from City Creek and conveyed in ditches to irrigate land near where the Salt Lake City and County Building now stands. By the spring of 1848, over 5,000 acres had been brought under irrigation. By 1850, farming communities had been established on Big Cottonwood Creek, Mill Creek, Little Cottonwood Creek, Parley's Creek, Emigration Canyon and along the Jordan River. During this period, many ditches and canals were constructed to divert water from streams entering the valley from the east and from the Jordan River. Some of these are in use today. Ditches were financed and built by those who used the water and owned the land. By 1860, practically all of the waters of the mountain streams had been appropriated for agricultural uses and by families dependent upon farming for their livelihood. Salt Lake City was almost entirely dependent upon City Creek, and the need for additional water resources was recognized. As early as 1864, Salt Lake City began looking into " boring artesian wells" and bringing water from Utah Lake and/ or the Jordan River to the city. Construction on the Jordan and Salt Lake City Canal was completed in 1882 and Jordan River water was brought to Salt Lake City. While this water was adequate for irrigation of crops, it was not suitable for domestic use. This led to the first " Exchange Agreement" in 1888 whereby Jordan River water was exchanged for a higher quality water from Emigration Canyon and Parley's Creek. Over the years, many other water exchange agreements were made in the valley. In 1892, Utah Lake was developed into a storage reservoir which made more water available in the Jordan River. From then, until about 1920, very little was done toward the direct acquisition of new water resources. Several small reservoirs were constructed including Mountain Dell Reservoir in Parley's Canyon which was enlarged in 1925 to a water capacity of 3,086 acre- feet. 3.4.2 Federal Projects For many years the Bureau of Reclamation, in cooperation with the state of Utah, had been involved in the planning and development of water supplies for local sponsors in the Jordan River Basin. In 1931, the first complete report on the Provo River Project, which was the largest unit of this general plan, was presented by the bureau. Construction of the Provo River Project began in 1938 and the first water became available in 1941. Major features of the project eventually included completion of Deer Creek Dam and Reservoir ( 152,600 acre- feet) in 1941, construction of the Duchesne Tunnel, enlargement of the Weber- Provo Canal, enlargement of the Provo Reservoir Canal, and construction of the 42- mile Salt Lake Aqueduct in 1951. This aqueduct delivers water from Deer Creek Reservoir to Salt Lake City. Construction began in 1967 on the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project, and initial delivery to Salt Lake County began in 1990. This project is managed to provide a supply of 84,000 acre- feet of water in times of drought and an average annual 70,000 acre- feet of municipal and industrial water. The Corps of Engineers completed the Little Dell project in 1993. The Little Dell Reservoir has a water capacity of 20,500 acre- feet and serves as a flood control and municipal water supply. 3- 11 |