IRRrOATION INVESTIGATIONS. 475 



River. On these streiinis there have l)eeii nuineroiis water-rig-ht con- 

 trovei'sies, and nmeh ill feelino- has l)een (MioHMidered ])etween ditch 

 owners and settlers because natural conditions niaUe a just division of 

 the stream's flow exceedingly difficult. The uncertain ([iu\stion is the 

 extent of seepage losses, both from the main stream and from the 

 ditches. Mr. Wright made an elaborate set of measurements covering 

 55 miles of the stream's length. He also measured all of the large 

 and many of the small ditches, and these, in connection with the 

 watermastcr's report of acreage, furnished data for the determination 

 of the duty of ^vater, which varied from 2 acre-feet to SO acre-feet of 

 water for each acre of land irrigated. 



The question which confronts the irrigators in this section is how 

 far head gates above should be closed to make up for seepage losses 

 below. There is one place in Lost River where a large part of the 

 water sinks and then reappears. Except during the flood season it 

 seems to make no difference with the flow of the lower part of the 

 stream whether the water in the upper part is diverted or not. The 

 settlers along the upper section contend that their right to div^ert the 

 stream should be independent of the rights on the lower section, while 

 only dcflnite measurements to show that closing the upper ditches 

 would not l)cnetit them will satisfy the settlers on the lower section 

 that this contention is a just one. The prior rights on the lower sec- 

 tion of the stream amount to about three times the average flow of 

 the river, and this year all of the upper ditches were shut off at the 

 request of the holders of these lower prior rights. 



Near the lower end of the river a large part of the water sinks. 

 Holders of prior rights along this section contend that it is the use of 

 water above that dries up the channel, although they admit that many 

 times as much water as they claim passes the up])er head gates. 

 Because of tiii^r contention the water master this year followed the 

 decree rigidly, closed the upper head gates at the demand of the 

 holders of prior rights below, and turned 80 cubic feet of water per 

 second back into the river, although the appropriations of these claim- 

 ants amounted to only H cubic feet per second. Not one cubic foot 

 per second of this reached the head gates of the holders of these prior 

 rights. 



The data obtained b}'^ Mr. Wright regarding the location and extent 

 of seepage losses will enable the owners of the lower ditches to locate 

 new head gates wh(n"e they can be sure of a constant supply and, as 

 this season was an average one, the investigations made seem to be 

 conclusive jind will not need n^petition. 



The investigations wer(^ begun too late to determine thi^ duty of water 

 for the season, hut as (his is altogether subordinate to the important 

 (juestion of distril)ution, it is pi-obable that duty-of- water measuriMuents 

 can l)e cairied on more econoniicallv and eflectivelx in other sections. 



