The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1930-02-20
Land Owner Do
Not Have TO Paw
Water Bill in Full
Irrigation Assessments May
Be Paid in InstaIlments
This Year-Rate is About
S1.30 Less

The arrival of tax statements
from the county treasurer, one Of
the least welcome Of the "signs Of
spring." has brought to the local
office of the Columbia Irrigation
District a flood of inquiries as TO
the new method of paying water
assessments. The treasurer's state
ments, on farm lands, show some
thing less than half the usual wa
ter charges.
This is because, under the ar
rangement adopted by the district,
this season for the first time, the
bond interest only will be collect
ed by the county treasurer and the
maintenance charge will be coll
lected at the district office. This
charge will be $3.50 per acre on
all lands receiving water-will be
due on or before May /, and may
be paid in full, or in three INSTALL
ments on or before May /, June /,
and August /. ...-..s.. s-...
These toll charge payments, then
will amount to- $1.20 per acre, or
$1,000 on ten acres. .a.
While it might be thought con-
venient to collect the entire water
charge at the district office, this
cannot be done as the law does
not allow it.
The total water charge may be
found by adding $500 per acre to
the amount on the county treas
urer's statement. 1t averages
about S1.30 per acre less than last
year.
This $3.50 toll charge is partly
for current maintenance and part
ly to retire old maintenance war
rants, to the end that eventually
the districts expense fund may be
placed on a cash basis and heavy
interest charges may be saved.
The system has been in operation
at Richland for two years past,
and has worked out very well i'm
deed.
The law requires that water
shall be turned off if these pay
ments are not met when due. There
are no exceptions, and none can be
made. 1t is therefore important TO
landowners, who rent their lands
that a very definite arrangement
be made for the prompt payment
of the toll charges-it is up to the
owner to see that they are paid.
The district cannot enter into con-
troversies between owner and the
tenant, or between parties to land
sales or trades, as to who should
make these payments. The land
will suffer for the water If the
payment isn't made.
This new method does not affect
delinquent payments for former
years. They still run according to
the law under which they were
made, and do not affect the right
to receive water this season.
Delinquent 1927 charges must
be paid by July 70, 1880 and 1928
charges by July, 1881. The 1929
assessments on the treasurer's
statements just sent out are pay
able in full, or half by May 81,
and half by November 80, next.
If they go delinquent, however,
they have only one year of redemp-
ton instead Of two years as here
tofore.
Small. tracts of land. less than
half acre in size, have generally
not been placed on the toll charge
roll for the reason that the charges
are so small. They are normally
paid in full, and much extra work
and expense would be caused by
splitting them up into many small
Their full charge will
be payable to the county treasurer.
Statements and instructions for
payments will be sent out by the
district office about the first week