The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1926-10-07
CLAIM MOULTON
SAVED IRRIGATION DIS
TRICT OVER $500. 900 ON DAM
AND WATER RIGHTS DEAL

i
AND WATER RIGHTS DEAL
observation-disclosures
CONTINUED from front page)
fixed at eighty to eighty-fve thou
sand dollars. The board settled
with the Taylor interests for $42,-.
10000. That condemnation suit ana
settlement gave to the district
the full and complete right to oil
vert all the waters OF the Yakl-
! ma river except such as might De
owned by the United States gov,
eminent. up to twelve hundred
cubic feet per second. The water
rights alone which were acquired
from the power company and the
/ TAYLOR interests at cost OF ap-
proximately $4,000, wiuld have
cost the district approximately
$5OO,OOO if purchased from the
United States government as stor-
age water. We acquired from these
two sources, in addition to the dam
and all flowage rights, diversion
right of 226 cubic feet per second.
/ Our contract with the government
calls for 4SO cubic feet per second
at cost of $1,005 100000.
Soon after the disposal of the
water right cases the district Sc
cured by settlement and by con-
demnation approximately ten miles
of right of way through some OF
the best orchard districts in the
Prosser territory. These condem-
nation proceedings involved suits
against the owners of nineteen
different tracts of land, nearly all
of which went to final trial. The
various condemnation cases In
volved property having a value
of approximately $300,000.O0, and
in addition thereto involved the
determination of the rights of the
| City of Prosser, which if allowed
to stand as claimed would have
been fatal to the district.
During the time when the mat
tiers lust described We're pending,
the district had entered into a
contract with the State of Wash
ington. under which it was or
iginally hoped that the state might
aid in the construction OF the r.
rigation project. When the govern
ment urged upon us the acqulsl-
ton of the water rights and the
rights of way. the state program
was entirely abandoned, under an
arrangement by which the state
agreed to take sufficient bonds OF
the district to enable it to carry
on the condemnation proceedings
In that manner the district Sc
cured the funds with which to
pay for the water rights and rights
of way thus acquired.
In the late winter of 1928 Mr.
Moulton was requested to jOir
with the district counsel of the
reclamation service at iPortlanc
in the preparation of contract
providing for the proper handling
of land in the district and for ths
construction of the project. Tha,
contract was substantially com
pleted at the time the condemna
ton proceedings were closed, IL
the summer of 1923. The matter
of final execution of the contrac
was under consideration by the
directors of the reclamation ser
vice and negotiations were pend
ing therefor between the director
and Mr.. Moulton. as secretary O.
the district. when early in July
1923. the director resigned. which
resulted in a complete change il
the organization of the service a
Washington. In the fall of 1872;
Mr.. Moulton was again sent t.
Washington, accompanied by MI
Rudkin, one of the members o
the board. for the purpose of urg
ing upon the department the fina
execution of the contract. No 9th
er division of the Yakima pro
ject was making any effort or at
tempt to secure contract wit
the government. The Kittitas di
vision was then engaged in a
effort to secure contract to
private construction. After Mr.. a
P. Davis. the director. was re
moved other projects took up thei
own fight, with the result that
the late fall of 1923 the depart
ment decided in favor of the XII
titas division.
In spite of the discouragemel
resulting from the selection
another project for constructio
the district continued in its effo
to secure recognition. In the ia
of 1924 Mr.. Moulton requested Il
department, with the aid OF Sc
ator Jones, to cause an econom
survey to be made of the thr
remaining divisions of the Yakln
projects for the purpose OF q
termining the order OF constru
ton. That request was grants
Survey was commenced IN {
spring of 1926 and it is now e
pected that it will be compiet
about the first of January. ~;
IT is the hope of the directors tt
as a result of that survey this
vision will be selected as the {
to be preferred and the one TO
~ first constructed.
All the work and office expe.
connected with the efforts detail
in this statement has been p
formed and borne by Mr.. Moult
He was paid and accepted =
fee for the original organlzatt
~ of the district. notwlthstano