DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUBERT WORK, Secretary UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director Water-Supply Paper 517 WATER POWERS OF THE GREAT SALT LAKE BASIN BY RALF R, WOOLLEY WITH AN INTRODyCTION BY NATHAN C. GROVER TM,COWI«PUBLIC PROPERTY.,.. be removed from the dfficial files, PRIVATE P*4 >. Sup. Vol. 2, pp. 360, Sec 749.) WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1924 ADDITIONAL COPIES OP THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OP DOCUMENTS GOVERNMENT FEINTING OFFICE "WASHINGTON, D. C. » AT 30 CENTS PER COPY CONTENTS. Page Synopsis of report_________-___-___-___--------____-------_----_-_- xi Introduction, by N. C. Grover____________________________________ 1 Acknowledgments.-._-________-_-___--______-_______---__-_------- 3 Geography, geology, and physiography of the Great Salt Lake basin, by W. T. Lee__________..__._.______.. ._.____._. _.____.__..._. 3 Location.____________________________________________________ 3 Problem outlines.-____________________________________________ 4 Geography.__________________________________________________ 4 Geology.____________________________________________________ 6 Character of the rocks_____-________-_.__-_-------__-j.-_--- 6 Structure and dynamics__________________________________ 7 Physiography__ _ ____________________________________________ 8 Climate _ ________________________________________________________ 9 General conditions.___________________________________________ 9 Temperature ___ ______________________________!._____________ 10 Precipitation.________--_-_____-________-_______--_-___----___ 12 Lake levels.._____.________________-_-__-_-_--__-____-_-___--_-_-. 16 General features__________________________________________________ 17 Bear River basin____________________________________________ 17 Weber River basin____________________________________________ 21 Principal features____________-_-_____--____--_-____----__- 21 Beaver Creek_________________________________________ 22 Silver Creek.______i_______________________________ 23 7 Chalk Creek______-___-___-_______--_-_-__-_-----_--____- 23 Echo Creek_________________________________ 23 Lost Creek______________"_--_-___---___________--__ 23 East Canyon Creek.______,_______________________________ 23 Ogden River_______________________________ 23 Jordan River and Utah Lake basins______-________---___------__ 24 Utah Lake____-_--_______---_-__-__._____________ 24 Principal features.__________________-__-----___-----__ 24 Dry Creek____________._______.______________________ 25 American Fork.______________________________________ 26 Battle Creek________.___________________ 26 Provo River and tributaries.___________________________ 26 Hobble Creek._____________________________________ 29 Spanish Fork and tributaries____-*----_-_--___,_________ 29 Payson or Peteetneet Creek.___________________________ 30 Santaquin Creek______________________________________ 31 Salt or Currant Creek_________________________________ 31 Jordan River.____________________________________________ 31 Principal features.___________________________________ 31 Little Cottonwood Creek_______-______----_-_------__ 32 Cottonwood Creek____________________________________ 32 Mill Creek__-________________________-_---_-_------__ 33 Parleys Creek______________-_--_______---__________ 33 City Creek_________-______________-___------_---__-._ 33 Willard, Farmington, and Box Elder creeks and streams in Tooele and Rush valleys-______-____________-_________-_--__----_-_ 34 in IV CONTENTS. Page. Stream flow._____________________________________________________ 36 Value of stream-flow records________________________ 36 Gaging stations_______________________________________________ 37 Publications__________________________________________ 39 Reservoirs and reservoir sites.._________________________________ 40 Bear|River basin ___________________________________________ 40 Woodruff Narrows site__________________________________ 40 Yellow Creek and Coyote Creek sites_______.___________ 41 Bear Lake reservoir...____________________________ 42 Conditions below Bear Lake_.__-._-_____-_-_______________ 43 Cottonwood Creek site________-_________-________________ 44 Reservoirs in Cache Valley______________________ 45 Strong Arm reservoirs._________________________ 45 Oneida reservoir._______________________________ 45 Newton reservoir_____________________________________ 45 Worm Creek site______________________________________ 46 Cub River site_______________________________________ 46 Logan River sites.____________________________________ 46 Blacksmith Fork site________---__-______--___--_________ 47 Little Bear River site____________________________________ 47 Malad River site________________________________________ 47 Weber River basin______________________________ _ 48 Larabee Flat site_______________________---_-____--____-_- 48 Beaver Creek site-----.--.-.---.------------------ ______ 48 Rockport site_________________________________ _ 49 Echo site_____________ _ 49 Smith and Moorehouse site___________________ __. _____ 50 Chalk Creek site_____________--___-_-___--_----___-_ _ 50 Lost Creek site__________________________ 50 Yellow Creek and Coyote Creek sites_________________ _____ 50 Ogden River sites___-_-_--_-------- ___- 51 Righthand Fork site. ____________ _______ _____ 52 Cobble Creek site____________ 52 Magpie site______________-_----_--_-_-_-_- ___ -___ 52 East Canyon Creek reservoir..-------------- -- _____ 53 Jordan River and Utah Lake basins.' _ __ ___ 53 Utah Lake.______________ 53 American Fork site__________-_- __. ______ _____ 54 Hobble Creek site_______ ___ 54 Provo River sites__________ _____ 55 Bates site.___ ___-_ 55 Deer Creek site________ __' _ _ ____ ___ 55 Other sites and reservoirs.______ _ _ _________ 55 Strawberry reservoir __ ____ __ - --- ____- 56 Mount Nebo reservoir__ ______ _ 56 Jordan River____ ______ __________ _ __ __ __ _ 56 Little Cottonwood Creek sites__ __ 58 Cottonwood Creek sites_______ 58 Mill Creek site___ __________ 59 Parleys Creek reservoir.____ -__ 59 City Creek sites ______ - 59 Willard, Farmington, and Box Elder creeks and streams in Tooele and Rush valleys____ _____ - 60 Summary. ____________________ -- 61 CONTENTS. f Page . Developed water power_________________________ '. 64 General features._________________________________________ _ 64 Bear River basin____________________________________ _____ 66 McNeice plant______________________________ 66 Swan Creek plant_____________________ ____ 66 Paris plant___________________________ ___ 67 Old Grace plant_________ _ _________________ 67 New Grace plant___________________________________ 68 Cove plant---___-_______________________________ 69 Oneida plant_____________________________________-___-_~_ 71 Wheelon plant_____________________________ 72 Georgetown plant______________________ _ __ 74 Soda Springs plant_______________________________ 75 High Creek plant_________________________ 75 Logan city plant______-_____________________--__---_- _ 76 Logan or Hercules plant_______________________________-_-- 76 Agricultural College plant__________________________-__--_-_ 77 Hyrum plant_________________________________________ 78 Hyrum city plant.____________________________ __ 79 Summary _____________________________ ____ ___ 80 Weber River basin___________________________________'____ 81 Weber or Devils Gate plant___-_-_________-__-_---_-_------ 81 Riverdale plant-__-____-_____J___--_-_-_-_______________ 82 Butler plant_______________________________ 83 Pioneer plant_________________________________________ 83 Summary ______ ________________________________________ 85 Jordan River and Utah Lake basins____________________________ 86 Alpine plant_____________________________________ 86 Upper American Fork plant_-___________--___-_____-___-__- 86 Lower American Fork plant___--_-___-___________________ 87 Battle Creek plant.___________________________ 88 Springville plant_____________________________-__-_--_----_ 89 Strawberry Valley project plant___________________________ 90 Santaquin plant________________________________________ 91 Nephi plant________________________________-___-_-__-_--_ 91 Nephi Plaster & Manufacturing Co.'s plant.________________ 92 Murdock plant_________________________________________ 92 Heber Light & Power Co.'s plant._____________-____ 93 Olmstead plant_______________________________________ 93 Park City or Ontario plant_______-___________________ 94 Snake Creek plant______________________________________ 95 Jordan plant____________________________________________ 95 Bennion plant______________________________________ 96 Columbus Consolidated plant__________________ ____ _ 97 Murray city plant____________________________ _____ __ 98 Stairs plant____________________________________________ 98 Granite plant_____________________________________________ 99 Knudson plant_______________________________________ 100 Gordon plant_____________________________________ 100 Lower Mill Creek plant_______________________________ 101 Upper MiU Creek plant_____________________ ___ 102 Summary-- __ _______ _ _ 103 VI CONTENTS. Developed water power Continued. Page. Willard, Farmington, and Box Elder creeks and streams in Tooele and Rush valleys.__________________________________________ 104 Brigham city plant______________________________________ 104 Willard plant_____ _ __ _ _________ _ ___________ 104 Davis or Farmington plant_________________________________ 105 Tooele plant___---_--_-_________-___-_-_-_______________ 106 South Willow