White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1925-06-19
HOW The WATER right CASE LOOKS TO &C. SYFFORD

IN fairness the water user should be
charged only Is per cent of the oper-
ating cost of the power plant. The
item of SIC oc0 for operating the
ditch does not compare favorably
with the cost of operating other
bitches in the County This $4,000
tor delivering water to 1000 acres of
land is $500 per acre. The cost of
other bitches in the county for this
service is around $1.0O per acre. On
the Sunnyside, Richland and Kenne-
wick bitches each ditch rider has fif-
teen miles of ditch. The Benton High
lands ditch, thirteen miles long, de-
llvering water to 400 acres, has one
ditch rider. The Hanford ditch. is APP
proximately eighteen miles long, de-
l.vering water to 1000 acres. On none
OF these bitches, except the Hanford
ditch, are men employed to read the
individual wiers every day. The water
is regulated by flash boards in the
main ditch and at the intake of the
laterals.
In my opinion the cost of water to
the $500 acres of water right land
should be approximately:
rover ..................-.. so per acre.
Pumping ....................- LIS per acre.
Cleaning and repairing
ditch in spring ............ 50 per acre.
Delivery of water .... LOO per acre.
Administration ..... rs per acre.
Total .-.......-..........,...... $500 per acre.
Receiver Benson fixed the mainten-
~ "a 4.
administration and also the Public
Service Commission fixed it at $500
when an appeal was taken to them.
Both the Receiver and Commission
were disinte-ested. parties trying only
70 arrive at true, fair and just cost.
Regarding the amount of water to-
be delivered to the water user this
much might be said. The cost of de-
livering ninety-six acre inches is no
more than the cost of delivering
thirty-two acre inches. The Circuit
Court of appeal in it's opinion, and this
opinion was sustained by the United
States Court, holds that the instru-
mentalities of irrigation shall be held
by the Company and used for the
benefit of the water right holder. The
opinion" also states that the water
requirement varies from forty-eight to
nlnety-six acre inches. In the light of
this opinion" it seems hardly prob
able that any court would hold that
cutting the water allowance to thirty
two acre inches was proper admin
lstration of the trust by the Trustee
Tor the benefit of the water user.
The third course of action should
be pursued by the water right holder
it he wishes to have a voice in the
management of the irrigation system,
# he wishes the system improved, if
he wishes to be certain of a sufficient
amount of water at all times and if
he wishes to see economies practiced
in operation. Whether the Company
operates the system or whether the
water right holders operate it through
an Improvement District, or otherwise,
the water right holder must pay the
cost. Therefore the only question u.s.
will the water right holder do as
well for himself as the Company will
do for hirn?"
Out OF the mass of opinion, COM
rnent and criticism of the irrigation
system, this much seems clear at least
to me. The ditch was built to deliver
tf1irty-two acre inches of water to
10000 acres of land allowing a reason
able margin for seepage and cvapora-
ton. The pumping plant has the capac-
ity for pumping this amount of water.
Therefore the pumping plant and ditch
should be able to deliver ninety-six
acre inches of water to 5000 acres
of land, which is probably the maxi
mum amount of land that will ever
take water from the ditch. Owing to
defects in the system it is not able
| to deliver this amount of water. An
examination of the system will reveal
these conditions. The pumping plant
apparently is in as good condition as
the day it was first operated. The first
six miles Of the ditch, which is cement
ed, is leaky and looses so per cent
of the water pumped into the ditch.
| On the other twelve miles of the ditch
the banks are too low in places to
carry the maximum amount of water.
Otherwise these twelve miles of ditch
are in much better condition than
when they were built. The banks have
mostly grown UP in willows, grass and
other vegetation which greatly
strengthens them and this process is
going on each year. The bottom of the
ditch has collected a considerable
quantity of fine silt which mixes with
the sand to form layer quite imperv-
ious to water thus lessening the amount
Of seepage. This process is going on
each year. The laterals, particularly the
pipe line laterals, were built too small
to deliver ninety-six acre inches of
water to the lands served by them.
Moreover these pipe lines are so near
ly worn out that of necessity they will
have to be replaced in the near future.
am not competent to estimate the
cost of putting the system in shape for
the economical distribution of water.
/ However, I am Of the opinion that
these things should be done. The leaks
/ in the first six miles of ditch should
be located, plugged and cementcd. 1t
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