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Show ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF WATER DEVELOPMENT 39 r or many years, commencing about 1920, the United States Reclamation Bureau, in cooperation with the State of Utah ( represented by the Utah Water Storage Commission, under the leadership of W. R. Wallace), had been planning the ultimate beneficial use of all the waters of the Great Salt Lake Basin, supplemented by transmountain diversion of the surplus waters of the Duchesne and Weber Rivers. Each unit was so planned as not to interfere with the completed whole. The Echo unit of the Weber River, the Hyrum unit of Little Bear River, the Pine View unit on the Ogden River, and the Ephraim unit in Sanpete County had already been constructed. The Strawberry Project, completed some twenty years ago, fits into the general plan. OUTLINE OF PROJECT PLAN In the latter part of 1931 E. O. Larson, District Engineer of the United States Bureau of Reclamation, rendered to the Bureau his first complete report on the Provo River Project, the largest unit of this general plan. That project, of which we shall give the detail later on ( See page 68) included two divisions, the Deer Creek Division and the Utah Lake Division. INTEREST TO PAY/ The LItah Lake Division contemplates the diking of Utah Lake in such manner as to confine a large part of its waters now spread over a shallow area of 93,000 acres, into a much smaller and deeper enclosure, and BONDS TO ISSUE/ thus the saving of the loss by evaporation due to the present wide extent and shallowness of the lake. The Deer Creek Division contemplates the construction of a dam with a capacity of 150,000 acre feet on the Provo River and the storage there of the flood waters of the Duchesne River, the flood waters of the Weber River and waters of the Weber River which pass through the plants of the Utah Power & Light Company and thence into Great Salt Lake. The plan as reported by Mr. Larson required a substantial participation in the interest of Salt Lake City and others of some lesser extent by relatively small municipalities in Salt Lake County and Utah County. The Project cost was estimated, as to the Deer Creek Division, at $ 7,600,- 000, and as to the Utah Lake Division at $ 2,374,000; all to be advanced by the Federal Government and to be repaid in 40 equal annual installments without interest. It was possibly fortunate, as we have already suggested, that this occurred during a time of shortage of long duration, for that circumstance insured not only prompt but continued interest and action toward the consummation either of that plan or some other of similar effect. 76. Symbol featured extensively in the special water election of 195? to emphasize the attractive financing terms afforded by Metropolitan Water District work. EARLY MUNICIPAL INTEREST But however that may be, the Government proposal received the prompt interest |