The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-03-30

will have no right to delay the water
on its way to the rightful owners. 1t
would manifestly be loss to the
state as whole to have the water
appropriated to the southwestern
part Of the state by the people who
would require 1t to be run directly by
the channel of the river to its destin-
alton without being used, but If 1t
were being stored in the upper val
ley and put out to use on the lands
and then 80 per cent or so OF the
water would return again to the
channel Of the river and could be APP
propriated and used again on land
lower down the valley. In this way
the water could be made to do SER
vice two or three different times and
that would multiply the value it
would have for the state as whole.
Reclamation Attorney
= B. e. Stottemeyer stated that it Is
clear that we lose the price Of the
reservoir about every five years in
crop loses when crops are planted,
but cannot be irrigated to bring them
to their full maturity. The govern
ment has subscribed for storagerights
for 10000 acre or $4,000 acre feet
and has spent half a million dollar
in getting ready to build the reser-
voir. The rights can be taken by any
canal company wishing to get storage
rights, by petitions to the county
commissioners to call an election for
the formation of an irrigation district
giving decription of the. land they
wish to have included for their own
benefit. That gets it before the Of
ficials so that an election can be
called to determine that they will Or
ganize such a district. AS the, pro-
posed storage reservoir district COM
prises several counties the petition
will be presented to the board Of
commissioners in the county where
the largest body of the land lies. The
whole mount of territory will then
be divided into seven districts about
equally interested in the proposed
reservoir and an election will be
held to elect trustee from each dis
tict, and the management Of the stor-
age matter will be in the hands Of
the trustees of the seven districts
1t will require two elections in the
various counties where storage rights
are and this will bring them up to
the bond sale to get the money to
finance construction work. This is
an exceptionally good time to sell
such bonds because they are exempt
from taxes, and it is expected that
legislation will be enacted before
very long to make such bonds tax
able, therefore the present summer
is good time to get those bonds on
the market. There will be plenty of
bidders for the purchase Of the bonds
not only because they are exempt
from taxation, but because the secur-
ity is so complete. The value of the
storage rights and the stored water
will be more than it will cost and the
land connected with the water is
also security for the payment of
So per acre or whatever the applica-
ton is made for. If a farmer has a
good water right and merely wants
to get some more stored water to
supplement it in dry years or the lat
ter part of the season and thinks that
half an acre foot will be sufficient
then he can make application for half
foot and the cost will be something
like 81 an acre for perpetual right.
When he becomes the owner of a
given amount of stored water he can
use it at any time he wants to, he can
use it all in one day If he likes or
distribute it's use over several weeks
or several months.
The Legal Man
Mr.. Stoutemeyer said he was there
to answer questions and people
asked all the questions they wanted
to and he aswered them. When
asked just how person was to get
water when his land lies above
American Falls he stated that an ex-
change was to be made with people
owing water in Jackson Lake. For
instance, the man on the Twin Falls
tract with water in the Jackson Lake
will draw from the American Falls
reservoir and the man above the
American Falls reservoir will draw
the water from the Jackson Lake be-
longing originally to the Twin Falls
man. They will make an even ex-
change Of the water two years after
the American Falls reservoir is put
into commission after the testing has
been completed. The man on the
Twin Falls tract will neither make
nor lose by the transaction for he
will turn the water in the Jackson
Lake reservoir over for just what it
cost to build the American Falls res
ervoir. The only thing that the man
on the Twin Falls tract will gain will
be that he will have his water closer
to him and it will work to better eff
feet If he is drawing water for irri-
cation and there comes on a rainy
spell he can shut off the supply COM
ing to him and lose less water run
ming in the channel than If he were