The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1923-05-11
Irrigation
Dist.Planned
A HISTORY OF IRRIGATION Dis
TRICT FORM OF ORGANIzA-
TION IN THE WEST
Believed This Plan Would Meet
Needs I'm Effecting Settlement on
the Oakley Project


Inasmuch as the proposed settle
ment of the litigation on this pro-
! ject between the bondholders and
settlers contemplates the organiza-
tion of an irrigation district, 1t is
thought the following brief history
OF such organizations may be OF
some interest to our readers.
Irrigation districts, as provided to
be organized under Idaho's recent
legislative acts, as the law has been
amended and with provision for GER
tifcation by the State Commissioner
of Reclamation, with provision for
all proceedings to be passed upon
by the District and Supreme Courts,
seems destined to bring Idaho's ir-
rigated lands securities into their
own again, for it is thought that un-
der the present law the bonds OF n
rigation districts in the State OF
Idaho will take their place among
approved securities of the highest
type in the investment world.
1t is now planned to finance the
construction of the Amrican Fails
dam under irrigation district organi-
zation and all of the projects that
are providing for the purchase Sf
this storage water are voting ana
organizing irrigation districts.
The irrigation district was first
adopted in the State OF California
under what was known as the
Wright act" A great many DIM
culties were encountered under this
act as it was first enacted, resulting
in much litigation and many disap-
pointments, but as the weaknesses
OF the law were discovered by nu-
merous amendments from time to
time, the irrigation district laws OF
California are now looked upon as
an almost perfect piece of legfsla-
tion.
The Legislature of the State of
Idaho passed the first act of this
kind in 1895. This was superseded
by the Act of 1897, which was
again amended and reenacted in
1899, repealed in 1908, and again
amended in 1907 and eenacted by
the revised codes. and some one OF
more amendments have been added
IN practically every session of the
Legislature since that time, all Of
which legislation has been in the
light of the experience of the State
If California with the Wright Act
Until it is now thought by the mem
,ers of the Legislature and the Com
missioner of Reclamation of the
State that we have a well nigh per-
ect law properly safeguarded for
he farmer as well as the investor
The primary object of the law l.
o facilitate the management and
overnment of water systems having
large number of users and also
D facilitate the financing Of i'm
and enlargement of ir-
igation projects.
There are now " irrigation dis
-icts within the State OF Idaho.
18th 1,732,650 acres OF IRRIGATED
Inds included therein. The law
rovides thatthe apportionment of
ny bonded Indebtedness shall be
)ead over the respective legal sub
visions OF land included in dis
let according to the benefits. Thus
! in the Nampa and Meridian irri-
ltion district the apportionment
'ainst the lands ranges from s15.
per acre against some lands to
high as $1,000 per. acre against
hers, all depending upon the pro-
rtion of benefits or proportion of
SITS each particular subdivisnoi
BY be found to owe toward any
ojected improvement or purchase.
If the history of such organiza-
ms and the experiences of other
oiects in Idaho may be taken as
guide for the Oakley project. it
'ms that an irrigation district
y be the better method for bring
! about a settlement