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Show UPPER COLORADO The most notable work in the Upper Colorado River District of the Board of Water Resources and its predecessor, the Utah Water and Power Board, has been construction of reservoir dams, especially in Emery County. One of these, the Mill Site Dam on Ferron Creek, soon brought a change in the economy of the area which was not visualized by planners before construction. The $ 3.5 million dam was conceived to add 12,800 acre- feet of water to the supply available for agricultural purposes on acres served by Ferron Canal and Reservoir Company. Not long after completion of the dam, the water became a catalyst for accelerated electrical generation along what is being termed Utah's " energy corridor" to take advantage of the vast deposits of coal in the State. Utah Power & Light Company makes a substantial annual payment to the canal and reservoir company for the water it uses for cooling purposes. The utility - 24 - IVER DISTRICT also is required to finance development of another 1,500 acre- feet of water or pay Ferron Reservoir and Canal a large lump sum which will be used to finance extensive canal lining along the system delivering water to agricultural users. This is an example of one use of water giving way to another capable of providing greater economic return to the most people. Culinary water projects constructed by the Board supply many residents of rural Price. Half of the projects completed in Carbon County were sponsored by domestic water companies. Projects built by the Board in the four- county Upper Colorado River District conserve on the average 23,875 acre- feet of water a year. This provides added water to 49,962 acres when it is needed by late maturing crops. In addition, water conserved by the projects makes cultivation possible of 550 acres which previously had no irrigation water. |