The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1923-01-25
REPORT OF CANAL MEETING

Inc annual meeting VI tuc 5tOSh
holders of the Peoples Canal com
pany was held on January Is, 1928
and after finishing the routing bust
ness, Engineer w. o. Cotton OF
Idaho Falls responded to an invita-
ton to address the meeting, report
ing upon the activities of the Water
Users Union.
Mr.. Cotton explained how the
Union was acting as special repre-
sentative of each and every member
canal by checking up on gauge
height reports, measuring canals
and analyzing past and present
records and reports to see whether
the natural water users are getting
all the water to which they are en-
titled.
He then covered the important
points that the Union has been striv-
ing to have settled; one was the
matter of considerable natural
storage which, prior to the construc-
ton of the jackson Lake reservoir
and dam, was enjoyed by the
natural water users, but since the
construction of this dam and the
consignment control by the stored
water people, the right of the
natural water users was eviendtly
lost sight Of. 1t was explained that
this natural storage was created by
the inflow at the upper end OF the
lake or large amounts OF water
during the spring run-oh, which
builds up an inclined plane or grade
from that upper end to the lower
end of the lake, q distance OF fifteen
miles and according to the necessary
grades for running water in canals
and bitches the grade on the lake
would be approximately half foot
per mile or, in other words, this pile
up or incline plane would be seven
or eight feet higher at the upper
end Of the lake than the lower or
an average of three and one-half
,(3h) feet over the $4,000 acres
covered by the natural lake; this
amounts to $4,000 acre feet. Then
too, the evaporation on the enlarged
lake of 5000 acres, is being stood by
the natural water users instead OF
the stored water users who built the
dam. BY adding these two items to-
gether shows Q loss to the natural
water users of 1900 acre feet at
Jackson Lake, but upon an intima-
ton that there was some SUPPOSE
ton here, these figures were con-
d1rmed by showing graphically the
comparison of the actual measured
natural flow out of Jackson Lake
during July and August, before the
dam was built and the computed
natural flow for July and August the
past three years. This showed that
the computed natural flow each OF
these three years was $4,000 acre
feet less than the measured dis
charge before the dam was built,
and still the total run-on for the
whole year was about identical. Mr..
Cotton said that this water had been
lost to us mainly on account OF our
neglect of our own property; would
q farmer own stock very long II ne
allowed some one else to look after
It? Or would banker or merchant
last very long who paved as little at :
tention to checking up losses etc.
as we have?
Mr.. Cotton also said that it was
his opinion that the natural water
users we're being charged or per
cent loss on all stored water run
from Jackson Lake to Heise, simply
because the stored water people
were not standing all Of the loss on
their own water and as long as the
waters are mingled together and
the loss is there, II the stored water
people don't stand it, 1t simply comes
out of the natural water; even 6
per cent on the 100000 acre feet
run-off this year is $4,000 acre feet.
If the natural water users don't
really need this water they might at
least lease it a the market price OF
81 per acre foo or $4,000 per year.
Each and every natural water
user on the river pays tax into the
deputy commissioners office for the
delivery of and distribution of water
and the gathering of more complete
records on the river. These taxes
total over $4,000 and now it ap-
pears that some of this money was
used in 1919 to determine losses be-
tween Blackfoot and Heise. This
showed these losses to
be tremendously high; in fact,
they were a great deal higher than
The losses showed as being charged
% the stored water and this same
demonstrated a gain
o the river of 100 second feet, be-
ween the last diversion in this val
ey and the Blackfoot measuring
station; then Tie following year
when you would expect this data
O be followed up and used, the 100
econd feet was given to the Twin
Falls country and the losses on
forage water thru this valley were
lot charged at all, thereby forcing
he natural water user to stand the
oss on stored water.
The Peoples Canal was not cut
O it's record right so early in 1922
s in 1921 and its decree was not
ut in 1922, even tho there was less
yater passing Heise in 1922 than
n 1921; in fact, according to the
tate commissioner of reclamation
eport (Which is just QUIT there was
1000 acre feet less of water
valuable from the north and south
orks of Snake river in 1922 than
4 1921 and still the canals in this
ection used 107,096 acre feet more
han in 1921; think this over:
Tho mattdr Of securing suDDle-i