The Delta independent., 1914-11-13
Important Notice to Water Users

In addressing THIS statement 10 you,
the Reclamation Commission is actu-
ated solely by what it believes to be
the best interests of the water users
on Government projects.
From some source there has been
circulated amongst water users a ru-
NOR that by accepting the terms of
the Reclamation Extension Act, water
users pledge themselves to pay an In
creased construction charge. This is
not true in any sense. The only effect
of signing, the Reclamation Extension
Act, insofar as it relates to your pres
ent contracts, is to extend the time OF
payments thereon and to make 1t
possible for you (should it become
necessary in order to protect your
land and property to consent to ad-
ditional expenditures for drainage or
other construction purposes. without
compelling you to pay for the same
Immediately the work is completed.
The necessity for requiring the exc
cution of acceptances of the Reclama-
tion Extension Act was foreseen by
the Congress in order to make this
law effective. Otherwise Its effect
would have been to impair the obliga-
tion of your contract. making it un-
constitutional and therefore ineffec-
tive.
A. ha 1a.. uNa de NKTfsh asuN
the Reclamation Extension Act, any
construction expenditures made sub
sequent to the contract in which the
price of the water right is agreed
upon, can only be recovered by the
reclamation fund through charges
made against the annual operation
and maintenance cost, in the guise of
improvements or betterments.
If the cost of a drainage system. for
example, is charged to the operation
and maintenance expense of one irri-
cation season and this expense consti-
tutes las in some cases 1t has) an av-
erage of IS per acre. the result Is to
impose on the water user a charge
that is greater than he can afford to
pay in one installment II the install
lation of such drainage system is
proceeded with only as the water
users can afford to pay for it. and II
they can afford to pay only an av-
erage Of 81 per acre per annum for
this purpose, then the construction of
the drainage system is delayed for 5
years.
Under the terms Of the reclamation
extension act, the entire drainage sys-
tenn may be put in, even though 1t
costs $40 or more per acre to do 30.
in one irrigation season and the cost
of such system may be distributed
over the 20 years coincident with
other construction charges; or. IL the
secretary in his discretion desires to
do so, 1t may be distributed over the
several years beginning at the end
Of the first 20-year period during
which the construction charges are
being paid.
The above statement is made in or
der to remove from your mind any
belief that 1t is the purpose OF the
secretary of the interior or OF the
reclamation commission to fasten up
on you an obligation to pay more foI
your water right than your present
contract calls for.
The bords of review which have
proposed for the purpose Of revising
the costs of the various projects are
intended to afford the water users oi
all the projects an opportunity to re
view the items which have been
charged against the cost of their irri
CATION system, to enable them to OBJ
ject to the inclusion therein Of any
items which they think are unfair OF
unreasonable charges against such
system. The proposal to appoint such
q board came from the water users
themselves and was initially based
would result in decreased charge
But the insiduous rumor has been cir
culated amongst the water users thai
the purpose Of this board OF review
il to fasten upon them higher
charge. This cannot be done. It may
be that on some Of the projects the
cost as determined by this board o.
review will be found to be. greater
than that named in the contracts. ant
in the public notices heretofore issued
In such case, the doubt will be for
ever dispelled from the mind Of tht
water user that he has been over