Zion National Park Irrigation System, Oak Creek Canal, Springdale

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER UTAH,27-SPDA.V,2B-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Oak Creek Canal retains much of its structural integrity, as it follows its original course and retains significant examples of its initial equipment, such as the stone whowing drops located just to the north of the Nature Center. Researcher: James Jurale September 29, > Zion National Park Irrigation System, Oak Creek Canal HAER No. UT-58-B (Page 2) The head of the Oak Creek Canal is located on the west side of the north fork of the Virgin River, approximately 1/8 mile to the north of the Virgin River Bridge, The headworks consist of a concrete diversion dam, which spans the river; a single, screw-type headgate, and a cast-iron grizzly on the north end of an ashlar masonry diversion pier.

A hand winch and swivel boom with ball and socket hand crank is located on the recessed deck of the pier. The winch is used to remove or insert a metal slide gate (by means of a wire cable) into a grooved, 5-inch wide spillway located to the immediate east of the headgate and extreme west of the diversion dam. The dam was constructed in and repaired in Other structures located on the canal prior to its passage under the Virgin River Bridge include: a poured-conorete, 3x6-inch holding cistern with dual, metal, screw-type headgates and one wooden flashboard; a screening pumping station for the Visitor's Center and Pine Creek residential irrigation systems (constructed in March and a concrete, steel rod-enforced, measuring weir with a 3-foot drop.

The canal crosses the west side of the highway just to the north of the Zion National Park headquarters, and runs through a metal flume (replaced wooden flume on April 26, on the east side of the Oak Creek Bridge. It passes through stone whowing drops (constructed in north of the Nature Center, swings to the east and parallels the highway's west flank. The canal sends a series of laterals east to irrigate the South Campground area and terminates in a ditch which enters the Virgin River on the north side of the Watchman Campground entrance road. The canal is concrete-lined for much of its approximately 2-mile course. The Oak Creek Canal was enlarged to a carrying capacity of approximately one second food by Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees in under the supervision of Engineer Cowell.

The primary purpose of the canal was to convey water to a network of laterals which irrigated trees and shrubs planted in a reforestation program at the South Campground area. A siphon connected the South Entrance Plasa to the irrigation system. Firm, Howard. "Photo Documentation, Zion National Park Photo Collection. Rozell, F. R. "Civilian Conservation Corps Narrative Reports,