296 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 



othei" decisions its rights are made subject to the prior rights of other canals, deter- 

 mined apparently from conditions as the}' existed when the various causes of action 

 came to trial, rather than upon such conditions as actually prevailed at the time the 

 76 Canal work was inaugurated in 1882. 



The question as to the irrigation district's right to water has not been its only 

 source of trouble. The legalitj' of some of the recent acts of the district directors 

 having been called into question, a decision has been rendered bj' the superior court, 

 declaring district bonds to have been illegall\' issued on the ground that plans and 

 an estimate of cost of the work were not made before the bonds were issued. 



The annual expense of canal management and water distribution, including litiga- 

 tion, is $14,000 to flS.OOO. One-third of this amount has in the past been expended 

 for litigation. Twelve thousand dollars is thought to be a reasonable allowance to 

 meet district expenses and to operate the canal system. Monev is raised from the 

 property owners of the district to njeet current expenses bj' assessments based on 

 propert}^ valuation. Objection to this sj'stem seems to be raised only bj' nonresident 

 property owners. The best lands of the district are. for purposes of this tax, 

 assessed at $2.5 per acre, and the assessment on lands of this class ordinarily amounts 

 to 20 to 25 cents per acre. To meet interest on outstanding bonds this tax rate is 

 doubled. ' 



SELiytA IKBIGATION DISTBICT. 



Selma Irrigation District was organized in 1890 for the purpose of securing better 

 control and more satisfactory distribution of water throughout the territory com- 

 manded by the Fowler Switch and the Centerville and Kingsburg canals. The dis- 

 trict lay upon the north side of Kings Kiver, extending southwesterly from Sanger. 

 It had an area of 271,000 acres. It was proposed to issue bonds to the amount of 

 $1,000,000 for the purchase of existing canals and the improvement of distributing 

 works. The bond issue was, however, twice defeated at the polls and all proceedings 

 under the district organization have been abandoned. The existence of the district 

 has been legallj' terminated. 



SUNSET IRRIGATION DISTRICT. 



Sunset Irrigation District covered the lowest portion of the west-side plain of San 

 Joaquin Vallej', extending northward from the southern limit of Tulare Lake 70 

 miles to within 3 miles of the point where Fresno Slough unites with San Joaquin 

 River. Its width ranged from 1 to 12 miles, and its area was about 363,500 acres. 

 The district organization was effected in March, 1891. Water for the district was to 

 be obtained by gravity flow from the vicinity of Sunmiit Lake, where a large area in 

 the delta region of Kings River was to have been converted into a reservoir. Those 

 portions of the district which could not be covered b}' gravity flow from this source 

 were to be served with water pumped b}' means of centrifugal pumps to higher Ijnng 

 canals. For the terms of the contnact made by this district with the owners of 

 Laguna de Tache Rancho reference may be made to the paragraph relating to the 

 canals of this rancho (p. 308). The district voted a bond issue of $2,000,000; of this 

 amount $25,000 was paid for water rights, a reservoir site, and rights of way. 

 Although the directors entered into a contract for the construction of the necessarj' 



