La Junta tribune., 1909-10-16
Irrigation BY Stop Watch.

The issue OF the Saturday Evening
Pos Of October sth contains the first
OF three papers dealing with the
whole subject of irrigation and water
rights in the west. The first article
recites the tale OF irrigation In south
ern California, where 81 900 an inch
Is the prevailing price for water In
that part Of the arid region having
attained the highest Development and
the highest prices. This article VIII
make good reading for farmers Nv-
ing in Irrigation districts who pay
taxes on land and water yearly OF
between 81 and 50 per acre. In the
orange belt OF California SO an acre
Is now paid oheerfully every season
for the use Of concentrated rain. In
one section they use stop watches TO
irrigRte with. and the tale is SO In.
teresting that 1t is herewith repro
duccd:
The inch and the foot are not
the only standards OF measurement In
the transfer OF water rights. Water
may also be sold by the day. the
hour or even the minute. The time
method Of dividing water originated
with the forerunners OF the modern
irrigation companies. the informal
groups OF pioneer settlers, who. with
out capital. engineering assistance or
bond issues. built their own crude
diversion works The experience Of
one Of these groups In California is
typical OF the methods employed by
thousands of others in all the arid
states. Several years before the civil
war eight settlers selected a piece OF
land In the San Bernardino Valley
and proceeded to look for irrigation
water. 4 creek four miles distant
seemed TO offer the most convenient
supply. 4 crude brush dam was
built In its bed by the eight the home
made reservoir was tapped and the
water conducted TO the land through
an open ditch.
Instead of dividing the water into
eight parts and giving each member
OF the pool constant flow of twenty.
five inches. the owners, like most Of
the irrigation pioneers. agreed that
each one should take the full flow
OF the ditch for twenty.four hours.
thus giving each member Of the asso-
ciatlon the entire amount OF water
taken from the creek every eighth
day.
As the number Of settlers In the
neighborhood grew and the available
water was taken up. the value Of
the ditch rose and the owners began
10 sell the right to use their surplus
water. \ quarter Of century after
the construction Of the ditch one of
the builders sold half Of his water
day. the right to use the contents OF
the ditch twelve hours, every eighth
day. for 81 800 After that the boom
began and sales increased. Today
the wobbly brush dam has been re
placed by a concrete structure. The
open ditch has been relocated along
a better route. lined with cement and
covered, thus preserving the fun flow.
foriy-three farmers. instead OF the
original eight. are supplied from the
ditch. The number OF irrigated acres
has grown from three hundred and
my 10 more than a thousand. and
the crops produced by the water ex.
coed one hundred thousand dollars In
value every year. The heaviest own.
er has the right to turn the water
into bis laterals ten hours every
eighth day. The two irrigators with
the smallest supply use a stop watch
10 see that they are deprived Of no
fraction Of the twcnty.nine minutes
the water runs upon their land Not
second Of the waters use do they
intend to lose II they can help H.
for they paid ten dollars a minute to
use the now Of the ditch sixteen
cents second or six hundred dollars
an hour