Can Wetlands Plants be Irrigated with Existing Irrigation Water Rights?
History often repeats itself. In 1902, the State Engineer, Addison McCune, wrote in his Biennial Report the following: “Under the conditions existing at the time appropriations were being made for the early ditches, and extending even to the time of the decree, the water was used quite differently from what it is at present. The crops were all early maturing and requiring little water. Now, however, both early and late crops are raised, the result being that instead of little use for water after July, it is now demanded for August and September as well. Formerly water was run on the land perhaps one week in the month; now with more diversified crops, it is run every day in the month. This, then, is an increase in the length of the season and of use from an intermittent to continuous flow, with the result of a largely increased . volume diverted though the number of cubic feet per second may be no greater.” Downstream junior water rights at the time believed that the change in type of c
