Planning for the Weber Basin Project began in 1942, but was suspended during the war years. In 1946 with Watkins election to the Senate, increasing demand for municipal water, and need for irrigation of farmlands, he began pushing for a reintroduction of legislation supporting the development plan. Investigations were made in January 1948, leading to a report issued July 1949 recommending creation of a reservoir to store surplus water from the Ogden and Weber rivers that could later be accessed for use on farmland.