American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-06-13
, FARMERS MUST IRRIGATE
BEFORE JUNE 81 OR SUFFER
No Necessity for Alarm Over Water
Shortage if Users Are Careful With
Supply-River Falling Fast and Re-
ducing Normal Flow.

The gates of the Aberdeen Spring
field Canal Company at Aberdeen Will
be kept open until Saturday, June Il,
and in case there is not sufficient wa
ter to maintain the full supply, stor-
ed water will be used. The gates will
be closed June 81, unless there is a
normal flow coming down the canal.
After the 21st of the month the canal |
gates will probably be closed for a
period of two or three weeks. The |
board of directors will convene again
in special meeting June Both at Aber-
deem.
The alarm felt the early part of the
week by the water users of the Aber-
deem district over the shortage of
water in the canal, has been consid-
erably dissipated by assurance receiv-
ed from the canal company that there
will be sufficient water for all users,
provided each uses his share careful
ly and without waste.
At the meeting of the board of di-
rectors in Aberdeen yesterday the wa
ter master and engineer were authoriz-
ed to inforce all rules and regulations
necessary for the welfare of the wa
ter users. paying special attention to
the needs of the crops and their rota-
tion.
Water Master in Charge.
The engineer and water master in
charge of the canal, then passed the
regulations above mentioned. plan
now under consideration is to figure
the amount of water coming to each
actual user under the canal and then
allow him to take it whenever he
wants it.
Canal officials state that they do
not expect any normal flow in the
canal after the 21st of the month un-
less it rains O. R. Baum, attorney
for the canal company, states that at
Blackfoot which is ten miles below
the canal headgate, Monday night, the
normal flow of water in the canal was
short 200 second feet. The water was
being used in projects further up the
river. He believes at the present rate
of fall in the river, that there will be
no normal flow after ten days.
The North and South projects at
Twin Falls are both using stored wa
ter and have been for several days
Their normal flow is gone.
Users Protected.
Jackson Lake, this spring is 100000
acre feet, short in the usual amount
OF stored water The Aberdeen
Springfield Canal company is entitled
to 10000 acre feet of stored water ou'
of this lake, and since its stored wa
ter rights are in the bottom of the
lake, it is sure to get all the water thai
is coming o it, If carefully used the
stored water is calculated to be suf
ficient to care for all the needs OF thu
actual users.
The supply of stored water is suf
ficient to last twenty days under nor
NAL conditions or approximately fort!
DAYS if used on a fifty per cent basis
The normal flow will return abou
September l. according to the com
pany Officials.
The indications are that at no tim
during the rest of the spring or sum
mer will there be plenty OF water
Reports show that there Is not tn
usual amount of snow in the noun
tains and the Jackson's Hole reser
voir was only about three-fourths I'll
led when they began to draw off tn
water last week for irrigation.
River Dropped Suddenly.
The cold snap of ten days ago stop
ped the thaWing of snow in the noun
tains and few days later the rive
dropped suddenly and unless the wea
ther turns off hot it may not ris
again to where it was. Moderate wes
ther during the month of June wi
conserve the flow of snow water an
help matters during July. Very hC
weather in June such as we had la!
year will run the water off rapid
and make the famine worse in Jul
Reports have it that number {
canals have been short OF water ii
past week, because the river went s
low they could not draw the amour
the canal would carry and while son
farmers were short of water, or ha
none, others were using water lavisl
ly, supposing there was plenty of