WSPC00104

• File Number: 8408
• Description: River Basin General Correspondence
• Date: 1/1/3000
• Title: Fourteenth Annual Report, Pathfinder Irrigation District
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Annual Report

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One organization, known as the National Reclamation Association
maintains offices in Washington, and has a paid secretary whose business
it is to keep the Districts informed as to any legislation that is intro-
duced regarding Irrigation, and work for the passage of favorable legis-
lation.

'"

The other organization, known as the Federal Irrigation Congress,
is composed of repre~0ntatives of all the Reclamation Projects. This
organization interests itself in the welfare of individual projects as
well as reclamation as a whole. Mettings of this organization are held
once a year, and the meeting place is changed each year SO that in the
course of tine each Federal Rec1~aation Project will have had the meeting
in its vicinity. Mr. R. O. Chambers was elected last year as president
of the Federal Irrigation Congress.

At a Board meeting held on August 5, the Directors invited Attorney
Williara M.:>rrow to be present and they discussed with hin the advisability
of bringing an acti0n to injoin the Bureau of Reclamation from releasing
stored waters from the Pathfinder Reservoir to .Iarren Act Contr~ctors,
during short water years. The matter was discussed at some len&th and
it was decided to hold a mass meeting of the water users of the project
and discuss the matter with them.

"

The mass meeting was held on August 7, and about 325 water users
attended. At this Deeting the president explained the law and the situ-
ation to the water users and the following resolution was adopted.

WHEREAS: The North Platte project is now suffering from a shortnge
of water, and crop production has been, and is being, curtailed cr,y the
shortage of irrigation water, and

ilHER.E.\.S: In the recent Federal Court action at North Phtte wherein
the United States attempted to compel the State of Nebraska to deliver stor-
age water to the Northport Irrigation District which was sent d.:>wn to it
out of the return flow of the Sheep Creek and other drains and the State
of Nebraska refused to make such delivery and claimed such return flow
water as "Natural Flow" water and not as developed or stored water, the
Court failed t.:> uphold the contention of the United S~:~tes, and

~\s: The mandates of the Ramshorn vs United States decision
and the Ide vs United States and the terms of the Warren hct'Contracts
are now being ignored and set aside by the State of Nebraska, and

WHERE;~S: This year Warren Act C"..tractors are being supplied
entirely with storage water out of the Pathfinder Reservoir and none of
the developed waters in the N,rth Platte River are L-eing delivered as
storage as provided in their contracts thereby reducing their available
storage for water users under the Pathfinder Irrigation District and
further curtailing ,the already inadequate qvailable supply of water for
the water users of the Pathfinder IrriE_tion District, and

VIHERE.,S: The Warren :'ct as passed by Cv::,"ress .:>n Februery 21,
19l1 pr<>vides as follows I

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