50 BULLETIN 11*77, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Although the marked effect of wet and dry years upon district history 
in Nebraska has continued, all of the districts- formed since 1900 are 
active to-day. The latest complete district law is found in the 
Revised Statutes of 1913. 
All but three of the operating districts lie in the North Platte 
Valley from the Wyoming State line to the city of North Platte and 
depend for their water supply upon the North Platte and two northern 
tributaries. The other districts are on Lodge Pole Creek and on South 
Platte and Republican Rivers. Most of the now inactive districts 
were located along Platte River and in the Loup River drainage basin. 
The geographical position of Nebraska on the border line between 
the humid and semiarid regions of the United States has had much 
to do with the character of irrigation district activity in the State. 
The influence of droughts upon early district activity has already 
been pointed out. Since 1900 the recurrence of seasons unfavorable 
for dry farming has not stimulated to any extent the formation of 
districts for new development. But due to the fact that irrigation in 
some years is not necessary to the successful production of crops, 
many farmers accustomed to use water only in dry years refused to 
pay assessments to the canal companies in seasons when water was 
not needed, with the result that the finances of the companies suffered 
severely. This situation led directly to the formation of irrigation 
districts to take over the canal companies and by the use of their 
taxing power to compel the payment of assessments in every season. 
The districts so formed have been much more successful than were 
the companies they replaced. Then the districts often bought out 
these s} T stems at cost or less than cost, so that there were no large 
promotion profits to be absorbed. The district enterprises for the 
most part are small, there being only one in operation covering more 
than 15,000 acres and most of them ranging from about 2,000 to 
8,000 acres in size. Engineering problems have not been complicated, 
the supply of water has been generally sufficient for the amount of 
land to be irrigated in an average season, and maintenance expenses 
as a rule have not been high, with the result that interest on outstand- 
ing obligations has for the most part been paid promptly as due and 
a large part of the principal indebtedness lias been retired. 
Nevada. — The first irrigation district act was passed March 23, 1891, 
and the latest complete enactment was in 1919. Activity has been 
confined to the past few years and has been quite limited, in extent, 
only two districts being in operation, of which one covers the lands 
of Newlands project. All districts organized have been designed to 
cover partially irrigated areas. 
New Mexico. — The first law was enacted March 18, 1909. In 1919 
two separate acts were passed, one relating to irrigation districts not 
cooperating with the United States and the other to districts formed 
for the purpose of such cooperation. 
There has been no period of great activity along irrigation district 
lines in New Mexico. The two earliest districts were abandoned 
without material accomplishment. Three of the four districts now 
operating were formed for the purpose of taking over existing irriga- 
tion works and the fourth to succeed the water users' association on 
the New Mexico portion of Rio Grande project. 
North Dakota. — This State, the most recent to enact irrigation 
district legislation, placed its law on the statute books March 8, 1917. 
