The Distribution of Water. 
9 
“Said superintendent of irrigation shall have the right to call out 
any water commissioner of any water district within his division, at 
any time he may deem it necessary, and he shall have the power to 
perform the regular duties of water commissioner in all the districts 
within his division.” 
In the 9th section of the same act (Sec. 2455, M. A. S.), 
each water commissioner is required to make reports to the super¬ 
intendent of irrigation as often as required by him. Such reports 
of a water commissioner must contain information concerning, 
(a) The amount of water needed to supply all ditches and res¬ 
ervoirs in his district, meaning of course, under each stream in the 
district. 
(b) The amount of water coming into the district to supply such 
needs. 
(c) Whether the water supply is on the increase or decrease. 
(d) What ditches or reservoirs are, at the time of the report, 
inadequately supplied. 
(e) The probability concerning the supply prior to the next re¬ 
port. 
•(f) Such other and further information as the superintendent of 
irrigation of that division may suggest. 
Printed blank forms prepared by Superintendent of Irriga¬ 
tion would be helpful in the matter of such reports. 
The 10th section of the same act of 1887 (Sec. 2456, M. A. 
S.) pertains in part to the duties of the water commissioners. It 
provides, in substance, that when any ditch or reservoir is not 
receiving its regular water supply, its owner may report such 
fact to the water commissioner of his district, who shall, if prac¬ 
ticable, apportion the water in his district to aid the ditch men¬ 
tioned, if he can do so, and shall, if necessary, by telegram re¬ 
port the situation to the superintendent of irrigation, to enable 
that official, if necessary and practicable, to supply the needed 
water at the expense of junior appropriators from some other 
district. 
In 1889 an act was passed, the first section of which (Sec. 
2293, M. A. S.) requires any person or corporation diverting 
water from a public stream, to erect and maintain headgates 
and waste gates in connection with his ditch, and provides that 
after five days’ notice so to do by the water commissioner of the 
district or by the state engineer, if such headgates are not erected, 
then the same shall be constructed by the water commisisoner, 
who is also vested with power to recover the expense thereof 
from the delinquent ditch owner. 
The second section of the same act (Sec. 2294, M. A. S.) 
contains similar provisions, with reference to the keeping of 
suitable locks and fastenings on headgates where water is taken 
from a public stream, and on failure of the owner so to do, it is 
made the duty of the water commissioner to provide suitable locks 
and fastenings, and collect the cost thereof from the ditch owner. 
