The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-04-29
Iconservancy District Will
Be Organized
LOW LANDS ON THE LIST
tearing Was Held Before Ten
District Judges In Mankato
Yesterday

With ten district Judges SltllnS III
on the case, an adjourned hearing
ON food control matters in the Min
nesota valley was held at the Blue
Earth county court house yesterday
afternoon with Judge l. M. Olson
acting as chairman. After listening
to reports of A. v. Willard, state
drainage engineer, and Adolpn r.
Meyer, consulting engineer, on re-
ports of surveys made in the valley,
which prove the feasibility OF the
plan of flood control, Judge !; NJ.
Olson announced that after taking
he matter under consideration for a
lew days he would issue an order
calling for the organization OF
conservancy district in the MIME MIME.
sofa valley proper. This district
will not include the high lands, and
will merely take in the low lands
actually benefited by control Of the
hood waters of the Minnesota river.
state Drainage Engineer A. V. VIII
ard gave the following list OF coun-
ties actually included in the propos-
ed conservancy district together win
the probable acreage benentted III
Lac aui Parle county, S5,s36.35
acres: yellow Medicine, 19,277.5s
acres; Redwood, 2l,S71.5S; Brown,
lS s03.7O: Blue Earth 13,325.57; LIE
5ueur, 11,SS567; Scott, 1I.l90,S5;
carver. 5.094.2S: Sibley, 10,1S0.31;
Sicollet, 33,532.25; Renville, 22.96S.23;
Chippewa, 40,71S.37; Swift, 4,15S:IO;
Bigstone, 23.629.4S:' Traverse, $500
acres, making a total acreage bene
iistrict along both sides of the Min
.asota river from Bigstone Lake to
point below Carver.
Would Have Provisions Cleared Up
AT the opening OF the meeting
senator Oluf Gjerset of Montevidio
was the principal objector TO me
scheme Of orga n a Souse pei9 of
New Ulm was another of those VINO
would have certain clauses OF the
provisions of the food control bill
Cleared up before he would be ready
20 accept the terms OF the same;
Senator Gjerset said that the Dill
as framed by its author, Senator
yIiff of Ortonville, does not PROVIDE
definite plan for public improve
nent. The senator from yellow
Wedicine county was very outspoken
n his belief that a survey or the pro-
POSED drainage area should be made
n determine whether the plan pro-
hosed In the flood control bill rules
ire adopted bv the Minnesota Val
lev Conservation association. IL
kuch a survey, for which the last
ktate legislature has appropriated
k35 900 proved that the plan is FEAST
BE than it could be gone ahead with;
Ind II not, the plan could be abandoned
As the law now exists Senator Gjer-
.et did not think that the bill pre-
tented a definite plan OF improve
Enent. His objections: he said were
based on the grounds that the Dill
hid not state sufficient facts upon
which to proceed under the statutes:
Ind would ask for a continuance or
he hearing until such time as the
survey were made. Judge /. NJ: Olson
hverruled the motion of Senator
Ejerset, and the hearing was pro-
Eeeded with.
hood control bill said that the law
Toes not require q, definite plan IL
brder to organize. All that is neces-
Lary and is expected is the callint
or the organization IF flood con
lrol conservancy district. and citine
reasonable remedy for the evil
sonnnIained nf. The judicial prere-
.uisites are. the organization of the
fonservsncy district. the anpoint-
nent of an engineer etc, and then
proceed along about the same lines
with judicial ditch.
Poth Stste Drainage Engineer VII
ard and Consulting Engineer Never
estifed that the system of impounrd-
ng dams at intervals along me
!Sinnesota river will control the
sood waters Of that stream on all
occasions With the execution Of perr-
ssps once in ten wears when there Is
n excentional flood which can not
"a controlled nv any system NJ dams.
As soon as Judge ]. NJ. Olson has
lied the order creating ccnser-
,arcv district in the territory men
ionea ne will call another nearing
which time definite plans Of i'm
royement will be discussed