Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1923-02-09

This low figure will very readily
show that the water users faced
destructive year. By April 1st only
1900 acre feet of water had collected
in thu Magic reservoir. The decreed
users below the reservoir were ready
to demand their water which, at that
time was being held in the reservoir
to the credit of the Carey Act users
A joint meeting of the decreed and
Carey Act users was called at Good
inR and a plan was entered into by
which the entire flow of Big Wood
river was to be held in the reservoir
until some date in May, the exact date
was not determined at the meeting
And SIS second feet daily was to be
deducted from the total daily inflow
and credited to the Carey Act com
pany. The remainder of the inflow
was to be divided between the two
interests in proportion to their owner
sf,fp of amounts and dates of priority
RIGHTS. The water thus stored was
to be delivered in periodical runs and
distributed according to ownership.
In the upper Big Wood river valley
articles were published in the local
paper during the early part OF the
year advising the early use OF large
heads of water to try to build up the
eround water table, thus materially
Increasing the efficiency of water di-
verted on the land later in the season.
This plan would have helped the upper
vvater users to the great detriment OF
tbs the upper water users were IN
tsrviewed and promised that II they
vould allow the entire flow of the r1v-
~ TO go into the reservoir until May
18th their rights would not be cut OH
later to supply prior rights below the
reservoir. 1t may appear that plan
of this kind would be giving the upper
water users considerable the best OF
it. This was not the case however
In the first place the priority rights
las a whole are of a much earlier date
I'm the upper valley. There is consid-
>erable return flow below the last d.
version above the reservoir which the
upper water users could in no way
diminish.
The above described plans material
NED. and in addition, the upper Big
Wood river users on behalf of the
Carey Act water users, allowed their
water to be cut off on the evening of
June 4th and was not turned back on
until the evening of June 7th, this
ARRANGEMENT yielded approximately
1900 acre feet of water. The beneflt
8 the storage arrangement for all
parties concerned was very great
Under the cooperative system much
greater crop yield resulted than would
have otherwise been the case. Had
the continuous flow system been in
operation with the heavy channel
losses that occurred during the sea-
son of 1920 the Carey Act project
would have received only $4,000 acre
feet which includes the $4,000 acre
feet in the reservoir on April lst, while |
30. 500 acre feet was actually diverted
into canals for their use. And 2Z,0OV
acre feet was delivered to decreed |
priority rights below the reservoir
ofher tnan those owned by the Carey |
Act company while by the direct flow
method the amount would have been
but $4,000 acre feet.
Above the reservoir the water users
Were allowed the use Of water at a
most critical time which would have |
otherwise been cut OF, and which re-
suited In much greater crop produe-
zion. The two following years the
Same spirit OF cooperation has pre-
xa)led and the benefit 10 tle entire
tystep Is very apparent
A. has been stated, aboys the Magic
Reservoir oyeg 2 ,oqo seeapa feei ~ the
pafers o. 1873 Wood rlYeg hays neep
aecfeed. These deerees rance ln aafs
From 1880 a. lgl4 peleW the Fesef
golf oYsF 900 geeoaa feei has pseo
asef1e1 Biip pfloriies aallne from
lAhg ~ lgls. abopl % pel ssel "a lhs
eoo efeoHa fsei D oNps4 ng ihe caeY |
~ naief use'F ape ~ saaiipH plsy
erp fpQf smeea f'fi ~ permits ana
lleipfeH fhp hellp flaN eanN seH
ffsf " f''pea ffql N as'i'sa ralW