Imperial Valley press., 1920-06-10
PROVISIONS
{ 0FC0NTRACT
SOMEWHAT
DRASTIC
District Agrees to Furnish
Bond of S5O0,O00; Remove
Wier by December, 1921
When New Canal Is To Be
Completed.

According to members of the
Yuma Water Users AssOcis ton, the
Imperial Irrigation District has
agreed to make the Laguna dam con-
necticn before December, 1921. Mem.
bers of the board of directors of the
irrigation district in this city will
only partially verify the statement
Of the Yuma people.
lnsinuations to Director Mark Rose
this morning that the district had
agreed to the construction of the La
guna Dam connection, or in other
words. the ''frst Leg" brought Wig
orous denial, Mr.. Rose intimating that
all the district had done was to agree
TO place something before the people
before December, 1921, stating that the
district could not make this kind of a
contract without the sanction Of the
people.
Positive statements from members
OF the board of directors as to the ex-
act provisions of the contract have
been difficult to obtain, no one seeming
to care to talk for publication.
However. it is understood that the
district in bargaining with the Yuma
people is making arrangements for
next years wier also. The Yuma
Water Users association met Monday
and passed a resolution authorizing
the presidnt and secretary to sign the
agreement with the valley. 1t is as
serted i'll this city that the final draft
has not yet been approved.
What is to be signed, if it is not al
ready signed, is a working agreement
between the district and the Yuma
Water Users association. Walter
klbbey has obtained the permit from
the war department and is. expected to
reach this city tomorrow with it.
Telephone advices to Yuma this
morning brought ready statements Of
the status of the two communities with
respect to the contract. There appears
to be no disposition on the part of the
fuma people to keep the provisions of
the contract secret and the Yuma side
OF the controversy as given out this
morning may be quoted as follows:
This agreement was reached after
very much study and consultation. It
was agreed that the wier should be
built over the old rock wier and no
where else, and that it should be of
such a nature that it can be easily re-
moved. By the first of December, 1921
all of this wier, as we'll as all of the
rock remaining in the foundation Of
the old wier, is to be entirely removed
by the irrigation district.
The district gives the Yuma County
Water Users association bond of in
demnlty by q surety company in the
sum of $500,000, in addition to which
the district binds itself to pay dam
ages without limit.
The wier is to be under the strict
supervision of w. W. Schlecht, project
manager of the Yuma project, and A.
Y. Greer. president of the Yuma
County Water Users association and
their successors, and they will have
authority to remove the wier at any
time if their judgment should be that
it endangers the Yuma Valley lands.
"ln the contract signed by the I'm
perial Irrigation District, it binds it.
self to Immediately begin the con-
struction of canal and the connection
with Laguna Dam and to have said
connections completed and ready for
operation by the fall of 1921, or tho
first day of December. 1921. II Is also
tentatively agreed, that no wier shall
be put in the river at Hanlon's Head
ing after the year 1921, and that the
Imperial Irrigation District will take
their supply of water from the Laguna
Dam.
mo rock Of any kind is to be used
in the construction Of the wier for
which the contract provides and it is
to be supervised by the Yuma Pro-
ject manager in it's construction. All
of the cost of the supervision and in
spection is to be borne by the district"
Handkerchiefs are also going up