Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1904-12-23
NATIONAL IRRIGATION LAW.
This Important Measure is Fully Ex-
planned by S. f. Wilson.
Continued from last week.
WATER USERS ASSOCIATION

owning or having claims to water or
lands to which water may be supplied
by the works constructed by the gov
ernment. They are formed in order to
assure the government that the land
owners will apply for water from the
irrigation works, and that they will so
adjust the existing claims to the use
of water that the administration of all
the water available for the lands in
private ownership, whether from pri-
vate or government irrigation works
shall be under one control, viz, that of
the water users themselve. This Or
ganization is necessary in order that
there may be supervisors over the dis
tribution of the water to lands in
private ownership, contemplated by
section of the reclamation act, Per-
sons joining the association agrees, Q)
to turn over to the management of the
association the water which they have
heretofore appropriated to be ad.ninis.
tered in connection with the additional
water supply furnished from the gov
ernment irrigation system. (2). They
agree to make sher former water rights.
as we'll as the government water rights,
appurtenant to the lands irrigated. (3)
They agree to pay the charges for the
water rights required by the reclama-
tion act. (4) They agree that their
land shall be a security for the govern.
ment charge for the water, and that
such charges are to be a lien on the
land which the association may enforce
it they do not pay for the water. (5)
They agree to dispose of the lands
which are in excess of the limit of lands
in private ownership permitted to ap-
ply for water from the government
system.
The association is managed directly
by the water users themselves and
through the officers elected by them.
Each water user will receive his ap-
portioned part of the entire supply in
the hands of the association, not in
excess of the amount necessary for the
proper cultivation of his land. Before
beginning construction the govern.
ment will make contract with the
association in which the latter will
guarantee the payments and agree to
enforce the collections from its share
holders by means of the lien on their
land, if necessary While this insures
the government that it will have re.
turned the money it advanced, it also
protects the shareholder against the
possibility of being required to pay for
a shiftless neighbor's water right, for
without the lien the association would
be required to assess each member
for any deficiency. The advantage
the land owner will acquire who
holds a large amount of land in
excess Of the amount he is permitted
to retain under the reclamation act
arises from advanced price resulting
from the large expenditure by the gov
ernment and the sure prospect of
water, and having, without expense, a
L 6OOA hAaA AOC AOl LIS l1uu UQdU uo COulU
have had under no other conditions.
The reclamation act expressly pro-
tects vested water rights. By joining
the association the owner of such rights
puts them in the care of the associa-
ton, and the water is to be delivered
to him as before, being included in the
Jo0r,n1ofo E,,n
government system. His priority to
whether he remain in tact, is protected
by the articles of the association and
may be eassessed il ever there should
be a shortage of water in the future. If
a tract to be subscribed for contains
lands which are not irrigable, the SUBJ
scription should nevertheless include
the entire tract. The department by
careful and expert examination de-
termined the irrigable area of each
tract. The shares representing non
irrigable lands will be cancelled, and
the government will make no charge
against them.
|
The difficulties that have been en-
countered heretofore in the private
irrigation projects by reason of an in
sufficient supply of water will be over
come in large measure if the govern
ment undertakes this work in the
Cheyenne valley, by means of extensive
reservoirs for the storage of the sur
} plus waters. Records have been kept
by the government officers of the
amount of water carried by this as we'll
as other streams every year. Upon
this record the government officers
) have made careful estimate of the
J amount of land that can be irrigated
: when this water is stored. The engi.
neer who has charge of the work for
) this state, Mr. Raymond F. Walter, OF
Colorado, stated to the writer that he