The Fallon standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1920-1958, 1924-10-08
Water Board Votes
On Power Service
Would Take Canal Water For Irrigation. Ask
For Orders To Take Flow Irrespective of
Small Amount For Power

With water being turned into the
Truckee canal on October l, which
concluded the irrigation season on
the project. the cities of Fallon and
Lovelock have been supplied with a
limited amount of power both for
lights and small power motors. This
electric power is generated from the
Truckee canal unit of the Lahontan
plant and no water is drawn from
the reservoir for this purpose.
The water after electic generatiye
use is being sent down the canals TO
those who are demanding winter
wheat and pasturage irrigation.
With the generation of power from
the Truckee canal Ii was believed
that this city and Lovelock would be
able to struggle on a while or until
such a time as the pumps at Tahoe
were taken off by the city of Reno
and Sparks, they paying for this op
Grafton at the rate of S25 per day
under a recent contract with the bu-
reau at Washington.
Farmers Protest
Farmers of the bench and Fernley
section at a session of the water
board held Monday entered a pro-
test to the use of the Truckee canal
water in generation of power for the
city OF Fallon and Loveloek. G. G..
Swingle and w. A. Pray, both water
users on the highlands and also mem
bers of the board. stated that they
must have this water for wetting
down their alfalfa fields before win
ter. or they feared that they would
be a total loss. In order to make
their demands pertinent a resolution
was framed calling on DIR. Mead to
modify previous orders and grant the
use Of canal water for the Fernley
and bench sections.
II viii be remembered that when
the recent contracts at Lake Tahoe
were entered into that the water
pumped from Tahoe was to be used
for sanitary and domestic services
only. A recent telegram from Dr..
Mead verified this opinion, and act
ing under such an order Mr.. Richard.
son has been using a portion OF this
water for power purposes while stock
water and the rest of the canal
stream has been applied to the farms
on the upland sections.
Mr.. Richardson stated that 80 acre
feet only was being used at the dam
and that the rest was being distrih-
uted TO the Fernley and bench peo-
Pile. Mr.. Pray and Mr.. Swingle both
stated that they believed that all Of
the water should be applied to the
lands. as they were satisfied that
this was paramount to power. Other
members OF the board agreed in part
and the resolution was passed de
manding the use of the water before
II reached the power plant.
Sets Precedent
Should this demand of the water
board be approved by the federal de
partment 1t will undoubtedly set up
a precedent that can be followed by
all of the farmers along the Truekea
river. as IL is through the financial
assistance OF Reno and Sparks and
not this project that the water is
made available.
II was stated at the water board
hearing that the waters of Lake Ia
hoe belong to the Newlands project,
but IL must be borne in mind that II
was through the courtesy of the ri.
parian owners about Lake Tahoe that
the project people and the city OF
Reno were allowed to pump one drop
of water over the rim of the lake,
which seems to make very loose own
ership to say the least.
Demanding Storage
Other farmers and members OF the
water users association are demand
Ing that all waters finding their way
to the reservoir be stored, as they
fear another seasons shortage. II IS
the insistant demand of this organi-
cation that all available waters be
placed in the reservoir for next sea