Show HARD PROBLEM IN UTAH'S NILE Adjudication of or Water rater Rights I Will rill Be De Long Process Impressed by what he lie saw while inspecting with Judge Ellas Elias Hansen I of 01 Provo and a party of lawyers and I engineers the wide areas made productive pro pro- I by water mater drawn from the Sevier Sevier Se- Se vier river Alonzo B. B Irvine said yesterday yesterday yesterday yes yes- that the river being to the Interior of Utah what the Nile is to Egypt the problem of recognizing and protecting the rights of all water users is not one that can be quickly worked out He thought that it its I would take four and possibly six months to hear all sides when the tho I hearings are resumed in December I making It probable that a decision In the suit now pending may not be reached until next spring or later This decision will be of Importance Import Import- import 1 ance ante to every water user from the head of the Sevier Sevie river to Its end Mr Irvine spent four days with Judge Hansens Hansen's party getting back to Salt SaIl Lake yesterday Judge Hansen Hansen Hansen Han- Han sen is acting as Judge by stipulation In the important suit pending and accompanied by attorneys representing represent represent- ing the water users made a trip of over the entire Sevier river drainage system beginning at atthe atthe atthe the Millard Ullard county end of the river and going to the h headwaters adwaters above Panguitch then crossing to the east fork Members of Part Party In the party were Mr Irvine Irvine and Alexander Melville attorneys for or the water users In the lower regions Watered watered watered wa wa- b by the Sevier John Jensen At Athol ol Rawlins and Judge II H. N. N Hayes of Richfield attorneys f for r the Piute Plute project and special counsel counselor for or the tho state and some Bome of the water users in the upper Sevier region Bryce McBride river commissioner Elmer port Porter r former river commissioner commissioner commissioner commis commis- who now is engineer for Millard Millard Millard Mil- Mil lard county projects and Fred Cottrell Cottrell Cottrell Cot- Cot Coti i trell chief engineer for the D Delta Canal company The Tho Sevier drainage system is fa J 1 the greatest in the the state said Mr Irvine and in many respects is the most remarkable source of irrigating irrigating ing water in the United States It ItIs Itis Is unique in that the water la is bused used many times There are arc a number o of water is dl- dl dams where all of the ii if i but a few miles lIes below such sucha a dam is another built to hold Water water water wa wa- ter which comes back by return flow low and seepage and make it available again for Irrigation Owing to the drouth In inthe the last two years water conditions are the worst in history of the Sevier river The big Sevier bridge dam which furnishes water wafer for Millard county Is practically empty The fhe Pluto reservoir reservoir res res- a state project and the Otter creek reservoir on the east fork I have only vonly small amounts o of water remaining Crop Outlook Good Because of timely rains and careful careful careful care care- ful conservation o of water the tho crop cr l conditions are good notwithstanding the tho drouth This is particularly true of the Sevier valley where bumper crops will be harvested excepting gar lr beets beets The beets have been al almost almost almost al- al I most total failure due to the presence presence presence pres pres- ence of some kind of insect Many farmers have havo plowed up their beets not thinking it would pay to dig them Different phases of the Sevier water water water wa wa- ter problem already have been presented presented pres pres- at nt hearings held here I In the chamber of the house of the the state stale capitol As every water right on the tho Sevier river from end to end will be adjudicated In the suit now pending there is a great volume of matter still to be bo presented present ed cd when the hearings are resumed I In December The fhe case no now v before Judge Han lIan Hansen Hansen sen involves some fine tine points of Irrl- Irrl gation law and will bring the first adjudication of So vier water rights aa as S a whole The Tho Higgins decree about twenty five ye years yearn N ago dealt deall mith water rights on tho the lower end I. I of the river and the Morse decree a n few years cars later d dealt lt with rights rightson I Ion on the Upper upper river Tribune |