Report on the lands of the arid region of the United States, with a more detailed account of the lands of Utah

by John Wesley Powell; Willis Drummond; Clarence E. Dutton; Grove Karl Gilbert; A. H. Thompson

THE WHITE RIVER.

The White River enters the Green from the east, about two miles below the mouth of the Uinta. This stream rises in Colorado, and has only a small portion of its course in Utah, but lying within the boundaries of the Territory are 75 square miles of arable land which may be irrigated with its water. The river was measured in October, 1877, near its mouth, and flowed 734 cubic feet per second. High water usually occurs in June, and the critical period in the irrigation of the land is probably in August, when the stream should flow at least double the volume of October, or, 1,468 cubic feet per second. This would be greatly in excess of the amount needed to irrigate the available land in Utah, and, from the best information attainable, it seems doubtful if it could be used higher up on the course of the stream.