New Ulm review., 1920-08-04
old PROBLEM UP
FOR DISCUSSION
NEW FLOOD CONTROL MEET
ING CALLED TO ORGANIZE
RIVER DISTRICT.
A. B. KAERCHER OF oRToN-
VILE, AGAIN AT HEAD OF
MOVEMENT.

For the purpose of obtaining a closer
cooperation among river bottom
farmers whose crops again were partly
destroyed by the recent flood a dele
gate meeting of the Tri-State Flood
Control Association has been called by
A. B. Kaercher, president Of the or
ganization. The announcement made
several days ago does not state where
the conference will be held except that
the delegates are to meet in New Ulm.
August 16 has been chosen as the day
for the meeting. The exact place will
be announced lateI.
Explains State Laws.
Attorney Kaercher, in a recent state
ment on the deplorable situation in
the Minnesota valley, explains the
necessity Of organizing the entire
watershed He also explains the state
law regarding this movement. Mr..
Kaercher says:
1T must be apparent to everyone,
who has given the matter any consider
alton that to control the floods of the
Minnesota river or any other stream
that the entire watershed must be con-
sidered and the bottomland can only
be redeemed and saved by retarding
the flow of the flood waters wherever
possible in impounding reservoirs and
therefore the entire watershed of the
Minnesota river should be included in
a single foodcontrol and conservation
district under the control of one board.
Law Is Explained.
'The Minnesota law is patterned
after the Illinois and Ohio laws and
provides for incorporating the entire
watershed into single district, max
ing it in effect, municipal corpora
tion with authority to issue bonds and
make assessments, pay damages and
to construct necessary dams ETC., and
to do anything to make it necessary
to carry out the whole project. The
affairs of the district are placed in
charge Of a board Of directors COM
posed of one from each county selected
by the district court and under the
direction of the district court. A pc
tition for the organization Of the dis
trict must be heard by all of the judges
of the district court in the territory
affected, and after the district is Or
ganized the law provides for raising a
preliminary fund to investigate any
project proposed and if the projext is
found feasible petition may be made
to the court similar to petition in
the judicial ditch proceedings and
hearing had for and against any petit
tion and if it is found that the project
lis feasible and practical and that the
benefits will exceed the costs and
damages the petition may be allowed.
Otherwise, it must be rejected.
AS to Benefits.
AS the bill was originally drawn, all
benefits derived from the reservoirs,
go to the district. These benefits in
cluded fisheries and water powers, if
any. The bill in it's present form does
not include fish, but it is hoped that
the law may be amended so as to give
the district the benefit of the fishing
industry. 1t has been demonstrated
that fisheries pay better rental per
acre than cultivated land. $4,000 in
rough fish have been taken from Lac
Qui Parle lake in a single season and
$40, 900 to 100000 worth of fish have
been taken from small lakes in the
vicinity Of Ortonville. It would seem
proper and just that where a district
constructs reservoirs and raises fish
that the district should have the bene-
fit derived from this expenditure of
district funds, and the plan contem-
plates going out on the tributaries of
the Minnesota river and constructing
lmpounding reservoirs wherever pos
|sible. These reservoirs would not only
prevent floods, but would store water
that might be used to considerable
extent for Water-poWer purposes, and
wherever water-power is benefited by
such Improvement, it may be assessed
for the amount Of benefit that the
owner of the power actually receives.
Assessing High Lands.
This law also provides for asses
sing high lands where natural reser-
voirs have been drained and dumped
on to the low land. In other words,
where drainage has been constructed
an tha hirh lands to +bo honn6+ ae