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Show Mutual Irrigation Companies Their Activities, Problems and Performance Orson W. Israelsen, J. Howard Maughan and George P. South Utah has 1973 diversion dams and nearly 400 storage dams which provide a surface-reservoir capacity for 3.4 million acre-feet of water. It has also 410 pumping plants and 8,750 miles of un lined earth canals. Utah's people have more than 42 million dol lars invested in irrigation works-a much larger additional sum is needed. More than 1.5 million dollars is spent annually for the maintenance of Utah's irrigation structures'. Mutual irrigation companies have the major responsibility for safe maintenance and efficient operation of Utah's dams, canals, spillways, wasteways, flumes, inverted siphons, and lateral gates-the 42.-million.-dollar structures with headgates which ir water is stored, diverted, and rigation to 1.4 million acres conveyed of productive land in the state. Clearly the task of the mutual companies is huge, and its performance vital. These companies vary greatly in size from small units serv ing less than 100 acres to companies serving more than 30,000 acres. Tentative figures indicate that perhaps 80 per cent of the irrigated land of the state, or roughly 1,000,000 acres, is served by about 700 companies. The average area per company is approxi mately 1,400 acres. More than 200 companies serve less than 300 acres each and about 500 each serve more than 300 acres. A study is now being made of these irrigation companies to report their activities, problems and needs. Participating in this study with the Experiment Station and Extension Service are the Division of Irrigation, Soil Conservation Service, State Depart ment of Publicity and Industrial Development, other agencies in terested in water utilization in Utah, and the irrigation companies. Field work, nearing completion, has included interviews with irrigation company officials to get pertinent information about each company. In addition, data on water supplies and related matters have been compiled from water commissioners' reports, state and federal offices and other sources. The tabulation and analysis of information are now in process. A preliminary check for one county discussed briefly below reveals, in general, the trend of the survey. ... ... ... . Sanpete County Sanpete County has approximately 87,000 acres of irrigated crop and pasture land. This land area is served by 49 irrigation companies. Data has been collected from 40 of these companies. Each of 28 deliver water to more than 300 and 12 less than 300 acres, acres. The 28 each to larger companies serve a total of Volume 22, Proceedings of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and 33 Letters |
