The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1922-04-07

Should we go into the large irri-
cation district for American Falls
or should we organize our own irri-
CATION district for our protection
and the development of our own
lands for our posterity?
Remember the Arab and the camel
The Arab allowed the camel to put
his head in the tent to get in out
of the rain.
Soon the camel was in and the
Arab out-out in the rain.
That's exactly where We will be
if we continue to listen without in
vestigating thoroughly the oily
words of the gab-mongers of the in
ner circle Of the powers that now be
in the southern part of the State.
A few years ago a certain bill
was Matched up with the idea of
having it passed by the legislature.
This bill proposed to have all of the
water rights and water regulations
placed absolutely in the hands of
three water engineers to be appoin-
ted by the Governor. If the bill
had become law the three commits
sioners could have done just as they
pleased with the water and our old
water rights of the upper country
would have been worth no more
than any other right. Under this
proposed measure they could even
have taken our water and applied
it elsewhere under the plea that it
would do more good. Owing to sire
nuous efforts the bill was defeated
I'M the legislature. This proposed
bill was gotten up in and by the To-
wer or what is commonly called the
Twin Falls country.
Now this same territory comes to
US with proposition to throw our
canals into one big district togeth-
er with theirs for the purpose of is-
suing bonds and raising money to
be spent, and among other things is
included the American Falls dam.
The sane thing for us to do is to
look thoroughly before we leap.
Why should be put our heads in
sack? and anyway,
Why should we put our heads in
helping to build dam at American
Falls unless we are absolutely sure
at which end of the horn we are
going to come out?
They tell us from down there that
by doing as they want us to we
would have all the water we want
and the water question would be
forever settled. There is little
doubt that such a procedure would
settle the water question for all
time and for good. Because all of
the unused water in Snake River
and its tributaries would be absorb
ed in the transaction. -51
But, as there is more land than
there Is water to go round, it nee
essarily follows that some part of
the country is going to be left high
and dry.
Now one question among others
for this upper country to consider
in this grand deal is, are we going
to get water to irrigate our unde-
veloped lands or are we going to let
them figure us out of it and apply
it on lands down there?
AS we understand it, the people
of the lower country propose to give
us of the upper country the water
in Jackson Lake reservoir, provid-
ing we will go in with them and help
pay the expense of building the dam
down there.
Let us look into this little hit:
! Jackson lake capacity is about
$4,000 acre feet. The Idaho Fails
section in 1915 purchased 10000
acre feet OF this storage. Later on
after the shortage of 1919, the ma.
(tural water users in the Idaho Falls
section contracted for 287,170 acre
feet more Of jackson Lake storage
by signing contract to funndst
money as the American Falls dan
was built. This would indicate thai
approximately 100000 acre feet OF
nearly half the capacity Of Jacksor
Lake would ultimately be needed OF
lands in this valley which has beer
irrigated for long time.
BY this we see that about hal.
the storage water In Jackson Lak'
win be taken by lands already un
der irrigation. The other hal
would remain for the lands up herr
that have never been reclaimed. Th'
lsnds in this end of the valley tina
are susceptible Of irrigation from
Snake River are the Dubois Tract
the Idaho Falls West Side, the Ida