Bulletin No. 224 - Muck Soil Investigations: Progress Report, Sanpete County Experimental Farm 1927-30, Inclusive

The estimated area of muck or peat soil in Utah is approximately 21,000 acres. The muck occurs in many valleys of Utah. The largest areas are in the Sanpete and Utah Lake Valleys. The area in the former is estimated at 6500 acres and the Utah Valley area at 9000 acres; the other areas, all more or less significant in size, are scattered throughout the state. Investigations reported have been confined entirely to the Sanpete area which is located near the south and bottom end of the valley and is west of the towns of Chester, Ephraim, and Manti. During part of the year the lands involved are subject to overflow by the San Pitch River. Water covers most of the area early in the winter and during the spring months high water keeps it submerged until June. Before the neighboring communities were settled by white people, the area was probably submerged the greater part of the year. As the section developed, most of the water from the San Pitch River was diverted for irrigation purposes, resulting in an annual decrease of water which reached the swamp