16 



which includes the South Platte from Denver to the mouth of the 

 Cache la Poutlre, was Un- ])ay of connnissioner, $1,800; pay of two 

 deputies, $1,350 — a total of $3,150. The acreage irrigated is estiiiiated 

 at 77,470 acres, making the expense about 4 cents per acre. While the 

 division engineer is paid by the State, his salary and expenses should 

 be charged to distribution of water. His salary is $1,500 i)er aimum, 

 and his expenses are limited l>y law to $500 per ainium. There are 

 approximately 900,000 acres in division No. 1, in whicli district No. 2 

 is located, making the cost per acre but 0.2 cent, and the total 

 expense but 4.2 cents per acre. 



The water commissioners and their deputies are ])aid by the coun- 

 ties into which the districts extend, the expenses for any district being 

 divided equally among the counties included, regardless of the acreage 

 irrigated in any county or the amount of work done. There is some 

 objection to this by the counties where there is little irrigation wdiich 

 are in districts with other counties having large irrigated areas, and 

 there seems to be just ground for this complaint. The law provides 

 that the expense be paid "pro rata" by the counties, which w^ould 

 give some ground for claiming that the original intention was that the 

 expense should be divided some other way than equally. 



DIVISION ENGINEERS. 



The ofRce of division superintendent was created in 1887, and in 

 1903 it was abolished by the creation of the office of division engineer, 

 the duties being practically the same. When the administrative sys- 

 tem was adopted in 1879, the State was divided into districts, and pro- 

 vision was made for adjudicating rights in these districts independ- 

 ently, and commissioners w^ere appointed to distribute water within 

 these districts. While the wdiole system of water rights in Colorado 

 is based on priority, this administrative system made no provision for 

 recognizing priorities except within districts, although there were on 

 some streams several districts. The creation of the office of division 

 superintendent was a recognition of the fact that priorities should be 

 recognized between all appropriators from the same source of supply, 

 as well as between those within a single district. It was made the 

 duty of the clerks of the district courts to send to the superintendents 

 copies of all decrees regarding water rights, and from these each 

 superintendent made a table of rights for each district within his divi- 

 sion and a general table for his whole division. As often as required 

 the water commissioners report to the superintendent "what ditches, 

 canals, or reservoirs are at that time without their proper supply." 

 "If it shall appear that in any district in that division any ditch, 

 canal, or reservoir is receiving water whose priority postdates that of 

 the ditch, canal, or reservoir (not receiving water) in another district 

 as ascertained from his register, he shall at once order such postdated 



