The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-09-21
WATER USERS SHOULD
STUDY AND ACT

attracted to them or not. The ques-
lions present themselves, and the
people who operate irrigated lands
may face them or side-step as they
like, but the rewards or losses will
come to those who act or side-step,
according to what is done.
It goes without saying, that the
irrigated lands must still be irri-
gated as long as agriculture is at
tempted; canals and headgates must
still be kept in condition to control
the food and draw water at low ebb,
and to those who have water when
needed, goes the wealth Of agricul-
ture To those who have water all
the time excepting at the crisis OF
low water, goes the fate of those
who fail.
There are fifty to sixty canals in
the upper valleys, above American
Falls, that have more or less ex-
pense maintaining safe headgates to
hold back the floods during the
spring, and greater expense remov-
ing deposits of mud or gravel in
front of their headgates as the food
TCC0ucS. OOM0 VI SAC VouoAS now
an annual expense amounting to
thousands of dollars cutting thru
long gravel bars that lodge in front
of their headgates, and it has to be
removed or cut thru promptly when
the food goes down enough to cut
off their supply of water. In addi-
ton to the cost of the work, there
is always a sacrifice in crops by be-
ing temporarily without water or by
not having enough. Then at low
water there is always a sacrifice in
some measure all over the valley for
lack of water. There is the addi-
tional loss by having to water with
too small a stream and thus multi
plying the cost of putting the water
on the fields.
The remedy for all of these things
is in having more reservoir room
and storing the floods for use at low
tide. Storing the floods prevents
the shifting of gravel bars and the
deposits of mud. 1t saves all the
damages from floods and the sacri-
fees of the low water season. If a
census of these losses and gains
COulu Ut CdCu yCdI, IL
probably reveal some startling facts
regarding the amounts of money
being lost annually that might be
turned into gains if we built the
other reservoirs, filling the one at
American Falls with the winter flow
and those higher up stream With
the food waters.
After the construction of the
Jackson Lake reservoir, new prob
lens began to present themselves re-
garding the losses of water by eva
poration on the lake and how the
loss should be divided as between
the owners of the natural flow and
the owners of the stored water. The
same kind of problems arose regard
ing the loss by seepage and evapora-
ton between the reservoir and
Heise and between Heise and Black
foot. Then there was the question
of who owned the return flow aris-
ing from all sources, and as the
management of the water of the |
reservoir and the whole course of
the river was in the hands of the
men elected by the new settlers in
kuC IOWCl NuliCy, ChCy saw
selves the benefit of all doubts and
took great quantities of water which
the old settlers in the upper valley
claimed an interest in. The cleo
ton of the management was held
once a year, but all the lower val
ley acted as a unit and the interests |
in the upper valley have always
failed to act as a unit, land the house
divided against itself has never won
in the election. The proportion of
water used in the upper and lower
valleys is that of $4,000 second feet
to 5000 in the lower valley and yet
the lower valley elects it's men.
In the year 1911, some of the
men in the upper valley formed
what they called water users prob
tective association for the purpose
of working as a unit to secure their
rights, and in twelve years they have !
never been able to induce all the1
canals to join them, and altho they
have accomplished great deal for
all the settlers of the upper valley,
those canal companies that took |
membership have had to pay all the
expenses, and received no more LOT
the benefits than those who paid no
attention to it.
At the time this organization was
formed, law had been enacted, re-
quiring all canals to provide fish
screens to prevent fish from getting |
into the canals. It was claimed, and
correctly, that many fish lost their
lives by following down the canals |
and getting stranded. The organiza-
ton took vigorous action and con-
WINGED the state officials that it |
would be impossible to maintain |
fish screens against the Snake river
foods. The depth of water, the
trash and drift wood and mud
travelling in it, and the great volume
of water pouring thru the gates of
the large canals would crush or
tear out any fish screen and it would
be equal to shutting the headgates |
for part of the season or punish
ing the whole population for disre-
garding law that 1t was impossible |
to comply with.
Some further, information of vital
Importance to all water users will
be published in the next issue of this
paper.