The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-08-09
ADJCDICATING WATER RIGHTS.

The remarks of F. 81. Newell. chic
of the United States reclamation bu
reau, as to the necessity of adjudicat
ing water rights as speedily as posi-
BILE, are worthy of careful c%onsidera'
ton by those interested in govern
ment irrigation projects in northern
Montana. Mr.. Newell makes it per-
fectly plain that construction work
upon these projects cannot be under
taken until the legal right OF each
water appropriation shall have been
determined, aud it is hoped the ad.
%judication of these claims will be ia
cilitated as much as possible by those
whose interests are affected. An in.
teryiew with Mr.. Newell, reported
from Great Falls, credits him with
this statement:
Speaking of their visit to the irri.
cation projects in this part of the
state, Mr.. Newell said that they had
found the work progressing satisfac.
torily SO far as the engineers were
concerned, and that the only real
danger in the stu atiou at the present
time was through the difficulties over
the adjudication Of water rights.
1--WE went over the ground at St.
Mary's, and from there over into
Canada. and made several sugges.
tions as to the q of the work,
and changes that might be made with
advantage to the Milk river project.
Our visit to Canada was one of in
spection only, and for the purpose of
gaining some further light upon the
subject, which we desired.
ION our way here we went over a
portion of the land to be covered by
the Sun river project. and while we
have been encountering some difficult
ties there that have not been looked
for, the project is generally regarded
very favorably. We cannot 0 say
anything definite about when it may
be built, but there appears to be no
doubt at all that it will be taken up as
soon as practicable by the govern
ment.
1.-THE greatest obstacle that there is
to either of these projects is the ques.
ton Of water rights. These must be
adjudicated before the government
can proceed. The difficulty Is not so
great in the case of the Sun river
project as In that OF the Milk river,
but still it exists in both places and
must be Strengthened out. 1t Is for
the people interested to do that. The
reclamation service can do nothing in
that direction, but l can say to you
from the present outlook-that the
government will be ready to proceed
with the work in the Milk river prof.
ect before the people of that valley
have adjudicated their water rights
sufficiently to permit it to start.
could almost say the same thing Of
the Sun river project, although the
entanglements there r not so great.
~ have been urging your state en-.
gineer Wade, who appears to be thor.
oughly DESTROYS Of helping in any
manner that he can, to take this mai.
ter up, as he can do under the Mon
tana laws, and force an adjudication.
l hope that he will do it, and the PEG.
pie here who are interested should do
all in their power to induce him to do
0
1.-The case is about the same as it
would be il someone attempted to buy
a piece OF property without knowing
whether there were any claims against
it, and without any possibility of find
ing out what these claims were. The
government might build reservoirs
and transfer the water from St. Mary's
river to the Milk river and then have
none to sell, for the water claims filed
against the river are far in excess of
the amount in it,, and possibly would
amount to as much as all VI could get
through u reservoir system. OF
course these water rights are not be.
ing used, but we do not know that they
could moi be used, if the owners de.
sired to take the water, and it was
there for them to take. Before VT
proceed we must know just who is en-
titled TO the water now running in
Milk river aud the claims which have
no foundation, or which no longe,
have a standing, must be determined
Then We can turn water into
Milk river. and it will be the govern
ment's to sell to settlers.
"This is the discouraging feature 0
our work in northern Montana, and i
is up to the people to remedy it. W.
have not encountered the same diff
Guilty along the Yellowstone because
in that river there is q great body o
water still unclaimed by anyone"