The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1913-08-16
WATER RIGHTS
Being ADJUSTED

Water rights litigation, which is re-
sponsible for the backward farming
conditions of most of Nevada counties,
is fast being relegated to the scrap
heap and common sense is taking the
place of animosity, says the Tonopah
Bonanza. Owners of land and water
rights are beginning to realize that
money spent in law does not make the
creek flow faster and that the same
amount of money expended for devel-
opment will accomplish the greatest
good of all.
News of the compromise of all diff
ferences in a famous Walker river
ease was received this morning by w.
NJ. Kearney, state engineer, who is in
Tonopah attending a law suit. Mr..
Kearney is delighted over the result
as it is in line with his policy in Hum
boldt and Esiko counties, where he has
tried to bring the farmers together on
plane of mutual understanding.
The settlement of the East Walker
lake case means adding $10,000,000 to
agricultural values on the border of
California and Nevada in Smith and
Antelope valleys.
ment of $250,O00 in the construction
of reservoir to conserve the storm
waters and the creation of a network
of distributing bitches and laterals to
reclaim 100000 acres of desert land
The farmers of the Walker river dis
trict of Nevada and Antelope valley
of California have settled their diff
ferences and are now united for the
reclamation of the desert After
years of litigation the dispute over wa
ter rights on Walker river has been
settled by arbitration and the verdict
approved. The parties to the contest
reached the conclusion that the money
which was being poured into lawsuits
would build a reservoir and canals
which would do away with the strin-
gency of water and give more than
enough to all.
This decision will mean the reclama-
tion of vast area of hitherto unpro-
ductive desert land and will add mil
lions of dollars to the value of tax
able property of the state.
The Walker river valley land is
very fertile and the value of land re-
claimed by this vast project will un-
doubtedly reach 800 per acre as soon
as water is available for irrigation
purposes.
The suit which has just been settled
has been pending since 1902. 1t was
first instituted for an adjudication of
the rights of the Nevada and Califor-
MIA users of water from Walker river
/ In 1909 the Nevada users agreed on
stipulation to have state engineer
Thurtell take testimony, render a de
cision and thus settle the question of
Nevada rights. This he did and his
decision was accepted. The suit was
then continued between farmers and
the Hickey interests. The suit was
bitterly contested and several at
! tempts to compromise were unavail
] ing until the T. B. Hickey interests
were acquired by Humphrey and Mof
fat Immediately after the transfer
of the property the Nevada interests
petitioned Moffat and Humphrey oil
the Antelope Valley company to stipu
late and settle the controversy. Rea
lizing that the sum of money whicl
would necessarily have to oe expended
would be large enough to build res
ervoir and canals sufficient to do away
that no lasting good would be accom-
plished by continuous litigation aftel
the testimony of the Hickey interests
had been transcribed, it was agreed
/. that disinterested party familiar
with water right litigation should in
vestigate, take testimony and rende
a decision in accordance Herewith
State Engineer Thurtell's finding
in the case was accepted as correetl,
deereeing the rights of the parties in
terested This decision was based OF
the normal flow of the river only.
A side stipulation requires the farm
ers to take over two-thirds of th
Alkali Lake reservoir and pay two
thirds of the cost of impounding th
flood waters in Alkali lake. The,
are to reserve for their use two-third
of the normal flow and two-thirds o
the flood water impounded. The An
!. telope company is to paw onethird o
the Alkali Lake reservoir. They will
take the remaining one-third of tn