Pueblo chieftain., 1921-04-18
STAND D0VER
WATER DITCH
With SHOVEL

How would it do to adopt this kind
of state law: Prohibiting the use
OF water for irrigation except under
direct presence and personal super
vision?
Doubtless this thought often comes
into Tho mind of the Arkansas Valley
farmer at such critical time as tho
present when the flow Of water is
so small and when all the share hold
crs arc wanting it at the same time.
Tho river is lower than for many
years and the run in all bitches will
be stinEy till the annual May flow
CT snow water comes down.
Tho greatest loss of water in ir-
rtgation is when it runs all night. A
farmer turns water upon a field in
tho evening and docs not go and at
tend to it till next morning; in ten
hours the ground that needed wet
ting has been soaked and then
some" Three times as much water
has run out as was really needed. be-
| cause there was nobody TO direct II.
An alfalfa. field might in some such
instance have used it all, but in tho
case of a corn field tho water cut
into burrows already soaked and then
ran down into A neighbours land or
into the road where the automobiles
soon found 1t. Every farmer knows
all this to be true. Therefore we
may seriously consider whether it
clad rule against the running OF
| water without personal presence. We
, have never seen this idea in print be-
fore but you will sec it now.
How absurd to see several acres
on ono farm "wringing wet" and
water standing in pools a foot deep.
with tho soil below them drowned to
| a depth of many feet, when n half
| mile away is some shareholder on tho
same lateral. paying equal ditch
tax. who is getting only petty drib-
| let which has not head enouEht to
cover a cabbage patch! Night flow
is what caused tho most of the waste
| and therefore most of the injustice.
Already the irrigation laws arc
suprcmely dictatorial and autocratic,
therefore it will be idle to hold back
| against such a rule as the one hero
suggested. There are similar ordi-
nanccs as precedent such for in
| stance az tho prohibition of bonfire
less than forty feet from n building:
the support and defense of minor
children. etc. Irrigation laws may
as we'll go one step farther and pro-
hibit unguarded flow.
| At tho last meeting of the Twin
Lakes company Judge John H.
Voorhees, discussed tho condition of
| tho water business in tho Arkansas
valley as to suits which have come
up IN the past and some that arc still
vendinG or that arc likely to come
up. 1t is necessary he said that an
eagle eye be kept on water business
and the doinEs of somc OF the other
companies of tho valley in order that
the local company may be properly
safcguarded.,
One of tho things brought out by
Judge Voorhees, was tho cxtravaGant
use of water. He is of tho opinion
, that there is enough water on aver
age years to irrisate several hundred
more acres OF land than is now being
irrigated II the water could be used
moro judiciously. He stated also that
with n more conservative use of the
water the lands now under irrigation
would he in better condition. as much
OF the land is becoming watcr-loEgcd.
There arc increasing areas OF
water-loGEcd land. and expensive
drainage works in process or arc
badly needed. in every ono of the
large valleys of Colorado. not omit
ting Pueblo county. Far exceeding
all other wastcful and harmful
methods put together is that of tho
unsuardcd all night flow OF water.
NJ G.