The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1926-10-21
DRAINAGE is
NOT SETTLED
Meet Again Saturday to
Solve Water Problem
of District

Another drainage meeting called
for October 23rd.
About fifty land owners turned
out to the meeting last Saturday,
called to discuss the proposition
that the irrigation district under
take the revision of the Finley
drain system. There was an ac-
tive and interesting discussion of
all ghases of the matter. Senti-
ment seemed to be more or less
evenly divided, tho most of the
speakers expressed the belief that
the irrigation district ought to
have the handling of drainage
work thruout the district and that
ultimately it would have to do so.
A number voiced the opinion
that it would be unfair to extend
general district aid to the Finley
drain system unless the same sort
of aid were extended to all other
communities having drainage prob
lens. Since the meeting was called
specifically to consider the Finley
drain situation and since the chair
man felt that no decision on the
broader policy of general drainage
should be taken without full no.
tice to the land owners and free
discussion, a resolution was car
ried to adjourn the meeting to
Saturday afternoon, Oct. 23rd at
1870 at the Commercial club rooms
in Kennewick, and at that time
to discuss the proposition that the
irrigation district adopt gener-
al policy of taking care Of any and
all drainage problems within its
boundaries, so far as economy shall
permit. In this connection, a good
deal of time was lost at the last
meeting by lack of a general un-
derstanding of some of the facts.
The following comments are of
fered:
The irrigation district board is
not asking for the power to do
work of this sort. The laws already
give it that power. The members
have not used it because they rep
resent the people, and they do not
feel justified in doing anything ex-
cept things that are for the gem
eral good of all the people and
are desired by a large majority
Of the people. If it should make
up its mind that such work were
'to the interest of the district as
WHOLE" the board could proceed
with such work and could levy
assessments to pay for it, year by
year. Further, it would not have
to make these assessments flat
levy over all the district. The law
says that assessments must be
levied "in proportion to the ben
efits accruing to the land assess
ed," so the board must pass judg-
ment on the benefits to be derived
from such work and levy accord
lngly. So the board may make
these levies any way it sees fair
and just; either as flat assess
ment, if it believes each tract of
land in the district is equally BEN
efitted, or it may spread part of
the amount over the whole district
and the balance by variable assess
ments on the lands it feels to +.
specially benefited. The board is
left to use its common sense and
judgment in the matter.
The same thing applies to the
work the board may undertake,
it is not expected by the law to
forget its common sense. 1t may
do certain work on one project,
should it be satisfied that the ben
efits resulting will largely exceed
the cost, and it may refrain from
carrying out another proposed
project if it appears that the cost
Will exceed the benefits. Since it
has the power to levy according
to benefits, it does not have to
assess the man who has an un-
solved seepage problem to pay for.
solving the other fellows problem.
Good law usually conforms to
good sense as we'll as to good bus
mess.
So the immediate problem is a
matter of policy, whether the
board should use the machinery of
the irrigation district in this way,
whether there is anything to be
gained by it, and if so, whether
the present situation, with all its
facts considered, justifies the irri-
cation district in extending gen.
eral aid to any or all seepage ar
eas in it's territory.