HISTORY of the growth of Salt Lake City’s Water Supply

LINK to BOWEN - Image of SLCity... looking west... enhanced image... used with permission LINK

HISTORY of the growth of Salt Lake City’s Water Supply

For SALT LAKE ARTS ACADEMY WATER CONFERENCE – Genevieve Atwood, Ph.D.

MAY 12, 2011 – SALT LAKE ART CENTER

THE GOAL – imagine you are a raindrop destined to reach Salt Lake Arts Academy… perhaps for a drink of water for a thirsty student… or the flush of the toilet…

Where might you start your journey?? What are the legal ways you arrive as well as the physical ways??

THE PLAN

PART 1 – ORIENTATION –

A few concepts

A few maps

PART 2 – LECTURE… history using words and screen images… PLUS a chorus of “more water”

PART 3 – Go outside

(a) Directional yoga: stretch in the general direction of where major sources of Salt Lake City’s water come from.

(b) RE-ENACT the history, outside.

Meaning… each student represents water that will end up in Salt Lake City houses, businesses and schools. How does the student (the water) find its way to Salt Lake City? Follow instructions on the piece of paper. The “map” is laid out as flags on the lawn north of this auditorium.

PART 1 - ORIENTATION

A couple concepts and a couple maps.

BIG CONCEPT #1… Utah’s water is unevenly distributed. If a city needs water… it will get water from some logical places.

“Utah is the second driest state in the Nation" LINK to map of US States (Source: DNR H2O plan FIGURE02)

True… but some of the state gets a lot of water LINK to Utah Anual Precipitation (Source: Atlas of Utah p. 66)

Darkest blue is more than 50 inches / year:

Pale yellow is less than 6 inches / year

Where is Salt Lake City?

So… where are likely places for SLC water supplies to come from?

ORGANIZE CHORUS… “More Water!”

You’ve seen what areas of Utah get precipitation… here’s a map of how much water is in Utah’s streams. LINK to DNR H2O plan figure 4 - Average Annual Streamflow

CHORUS….

Where where are some streams with lots of water?

Utah’s major rivers by drainage basins: LINK to major rivers colored by drainage basin.

Hmmmm This will take some engineering!! CHORUS

BIG CONCEPT #2 -- WET WATER versus PAPER WATER…

Just because you live along a stream in Utah, doesn’t mean you own that water.

Utah’s water belongs to the state; you can petition to have a right to use it... and if you get that right... you get to use that water… after others (who filed ahead of you) have used their rights (first in time, first in right).

Water rights are based on

· Point of diversion (there has to be water there),

· Based on beneficial use (there has to be a human-based need),

· Based on an ability to put it to use (there has to be a plan to develop it).

For our example… Salt Lake City (SLC) could file for water anywhere in the State

· IF water is there to be filed on

· IF SLC can show it needed the water (CHORUS) and

· IF SLC can show it can get the water to SLC

PART 2 – LECTURE… history using words and screen images… CHORUS

SCHEMATIC of Salt Lake City’s water supplies… undeveloped. LINK to ESE Schematic

Another schematic showing the sources looking EAST across the Wasatch Rang

Opening image... LINK to BOWEN SLCo-DavisCo looking East

Another view showing DUCHESNE diversion team's path to SLARTS. LINK to PRWUA system

HISTORY OF WATER DEVELOPMENT – SALT LAKE CITY… What would you do??

You’ve arrived in Salt Lake Valley in July of 1847.

Water and safety determine where you settle.

Where would you establish the town of Great Salt Lake City? Would you rather drink water from one of the canyons east of here… or water from the Jordan River??