What role can history play in saving the Great Salt Lake, solving Utah’s water woes?
John Wesley Powell offered a poignant message for Western U.S. communities when he was the featured speaker in a room full of developers and government leaders at a major irrigation conference held in Los Angeles in October 1893. … Powell began to caution his audience about the water limitations in the West … ”There is not enough water to irrigate all the lands. … There is but a small portion of the irrigable land which can be irrigated when all the water, every drop of water, is utilized,” Powell warned the crowd, adding that he foresaw a future filled with battles over water rights. … This context can be very important when coming up with solutions to any situation, such as helping the struggling Great Salt Lake, adds Jennifer Ortiz, executive director at the Utah Division of State History.
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