Carroll County democrat. (Huntingdon, Tenn.) 188?-1971, 1913-02-28
THE DRAINAGE PROPOSITION
AS Presented to the Public BY
the Association
To those citizens who are inter-
ested in drainage:


ested in drainage:-
Believing that enormous increase
in values in addition to numerous
incidental benefits will result from
the canalizing of Beaver creek and
tributaries, and believing that this
project is entirely feasible, a large
number of landowners in the i'm
mediate territory affected have be-
gun the agitation of the question
of forming drainage district
under the existing statute covering
the subject, and the association,
formed for the purpose Of further
ing this plan, herein desire to ex-
plain the proposition as briefly as
they can.
Lying along Beaver creek and
its tributaries are several thousand
acres OF fertile land, which now
have only a nominal value, and but
few tracts Of this land are yielding
the owners any income whatever.
Investigation has proven that such
lands can be thoroughly drained by
cutting a new channel through the
bottoms.
We make this statement without
qualifications because the same
thing has been done in all the states
bordering on the Great Lakes and
most of the Mississippi river states.
So far as Investigations have gone,
no reclamation project has ever
proven a failure in any sense of
the word, therefore, we dismiss
this feature of the subject as one on
which all will agree.
There may be a question in the
minds of some, however, as to the
practicability of the enterprise,
as to whether the benefits will be
commensurate with the cost. On
this subject we wish to state that
preliminary estimates received on
this work indicate that the canal
can be opened at a cost ranging
from $1,000 to $1,000 per mile:
the channel secured for this cost
being ample to take care of all our
ordinary floods and providing a
way for our largest floods to pass
off in a brief time.
Wherever drainage bitches have
been cut deep enough to 90 below
the hard-pan or first stratas of clay
it has been found that all stagnant
pools, swags, marshes, etc., in the
vicinity of the ditch, have disap-
peared. To make this ditch deep
enough for this service, it may be
necessary to go ten geet down, but
even Ia this event, the cost will be-
within the figures given above.
With this idea as to the cost,
those concerned are planning the
enterprise and proceeding with
their investigations.
Examination Of the drainage
laws of Tennessee disclose the fact
that to form drainage district it
is necessary to file a petition with
the county court. requesting said
court to grant the plea and form
the district. This petition must
indicate the limits of such district
and the reasons assigned for the
formation of the district must be
given. The county court then
proceeds to notify all landowners
within the given limits, of a day
set when they may appear before
the court and give their reasons
why said district should not be
formed. Then, if in the opinion
of the court, the reasons assigned
are not substantial or not sufficient,
the court may form the district.
This work is being proceeded
with and 4 petition setting forth
the benefits to be derived from
draining the creek will soon be
presented to the court.
Before this work is completed, /
however, we deem it proper to ex-
plain few features of the law.
The law provides that any party
damaged by reason of the con
struction of the canal shall be paid
a reasonable amount for such dam
ages. Each party owning land
through which the ditch runs may
also recover damages for the land
actually occupied by the ditch and
its embankments.
On this subject the law is very
similar to that governing railroads (
or any other public utility. The
authorities may force a landowner
to let the ditch cross his property,
but he must be paid for the right
of-way.
The law also provides that for a
oiven number of years, say six or /