Opinion ID: 1730855
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: additional information regarding canal

Text: In their brief, the Scofields clarify that the Canal at issue in this case begins at the point where the Wilkinson Diversion Dam diverts water from the North Platte River into the Canal. The Canal carries the water downstream until it reaches the Bennet Sand Dam. The Bennet Sand Dam then diverts some of the water from the Canal into a separate irrigation channel, while the water that was not diverted remains in the Canal and returns to the North Platte River. The Scofields' property is located between the Wilkinson Diversion Dam and the Bennet Sand Dam. For the reader's assistance, we have prepared a diagram depicting the North Platte River, the Scofields' property, and other features relevant to this appeal. The diagram is for illustrative purposes only and does not purport to be to scale. As previously noted, the Scofields, in their complaint, referenced the case of U.S. v. Wheeler, [3] which, like the present case, involved a question relating to the location of the boundaries of the Garden County refuge. However, although dealing with the same general area, the specific boundary at issue in Wheeler is not the same section of the Canal that is at issue in the present case. The question in Wheeler involved the boundary along what the Wheeler court termed the disputed channel. [4] The disputed channel in Wheeler was the separate irrigation channel that is formed when some of the water from the Canal is diverted by the Bennet Sand Dam. And, as will be explained below, the legal definition of the refuge's boundary has been amended since Wheeler. But while the boundary dispute in Wheeler was different from the one at issue here, the Wheeler court's description of the area provides some helpful context for the current dispute. As the Wheeler court explained, in the relevant area, the North Platte River generally flows south and east. The river has various channels, and it has a sandy bottom. The location of the numerous banks of the river change over time. New river channels are constantly being made by the course of the river, and old channels are filled by sediment deposits. When that occurs, the old channel no longer carries river water. Several irrigation companies divert water from the river, including the Midland-Overland irrigation company. The water ran into the disputed channel in Wheeler due to the obstruction caused by the Bennet Sand Dam. However, not all the water in the Canal is diverted by the Bennet Sand Dam. The Canal and the remaining water continue to the south and east at the Bennet Sand Dam, while the disputed channel runs in a more easterly direction. In the fall, the Bennet Sand Dam is breached by the Midland-Overland irrigation company. Most of the water then flows in the Canal as opposed to flowing into the disputed channel. The waterway at issue in this case is the portion of the Canal upstream from the Bennet Sand Dam. In short, the water flowing through the waterway disputed in this case is diverted from the river at the Wilkinson Diversion Dam, through the Canal past the Scofields' property, and then to the Bennet Sand Dam, where it either is diverted into the disputed channel discussed in the Wheeler case, or stays in the Canal and returns to the river.