HomeMy WebLinkAbout1902-001 Report & Opinion - Water Rights
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To tK7 Ton, Mayor and mcmbcrs of thC City Council of the City of
AMIand: Wnt:lemcn , As your commi t,tacc of one appoint: at your meeting
of two v ccks wo rclat,ivc to the purchasc of water ri0ts on Ashland
Creep for the City of Ashland with instructions to report on n4is the D
20th, day of May, A ,n ,1 902 ,T suhmit the following.
have hat many con+crencos with , ~ We partaics inter F d in
mat for of t_oc v:afi,cr ri_hYs and have thir day obt,aincd the followin_
propos,it.ion.
Pr-liminaiy r: {crct:o :i will r t;at c that the A ,E .L ,ana P .LO , Lavc,
rcccnt::ly purc lace,' -t::W quaifiz mill propcrt,y.
That:. Virgin Go. and t1h- A ,E ,L ,and Powci Co.will now deed to the
City the first.: ri_M to tho uFc of khc wagers of the crcck,covcrinE the
quartz mill prop rt'y an;' wat:;cr rl ;:t„~,t,he flourinE-mill propcrty and
its water ria lt,s anc the El:.c.t:ric LVAt, Company any'.. Us watcr ii?--.ills,
r, .c.
resorvinE the ri.It; to the suiplus,only as to said mills,s-LCbjcct, to
conditlon., con ',a in^,., in the former proposition of Virgin an,, the E.Li_fil
Co ,with t;?J" clause as to use of water: ni::_At,s Mina olininawl ,and in
nonsidciat,ion of this We City of Ashland to pay °3000,00.
This 17avcc only the Dobbins planinE mill right, to be adjust cd ,Ow-
in to the nond.it,ion of the t,iAlc to t,,_,.at crows ty,t.llc samc bcinE cover
by scvcral lion claims and lessee r i _-:t: s it is hard to V o anyt. lin-_.
about, That.,ant is lav- not, at:t cmpt cd it.
As ncar as can learn t . v:at or ridalt, of this still at, lov, st:aj,7
of wa t;cr produces only abut, 7 or ;lol: sc power. ' t. would probably be a
Mod idea for t h2 city to arran,_c vith Robbins to Eivc him a tap on the
syst•,cm su.fficienC, to furnish such power durin`_ the low st:alc of watcr
which is only about; two months conk yrar until Home arran;_emcn ,r can be
effcc-t,cd when the t,it,lc to the propcrt;y is in a cond.ion w47rnby _
fc.ct,ivc arranEcmcnt.s can be made.
Should the City Council accepts -t.hir proposition it will probably
talc about W Guys to perfect. We t,ranpact.ion as to the quartz t-,,ill px:p
propart,y as order to deed must b" dxxaxx obt:ainv from County Gou.rtr
`Tou have asked me as to bbcsc various wat cy riLh C„ shall not ata-
t -mpt; to pass on 14c validity or extent of any of K•>>-m ar that can only
b_ cr a-;ljr in c2,aYy cov_r t: W on
A_s 1 understand the law of the use of water and appropriation then
-of,it is this.
The prior appropriator of the waters of a stream to a beneficial
use has t hs prior right; thereto until alienation or abanj onmcnt•, .
Marc non-user of wa t;cr for ton or cvcn 20 years, if t v party has
not,,as a mat.ka of fact; abandoned it:,Cocs not forfeit a ri__Ut once ac-
1~~_irc.r any' vcCtcd ,
From mvidcnc7 obt.ainni in a prior carp w~ vrc W City of ArblaW
was intc.i c.sted it, was made clear to me that the flour mill right and t7a
gnai t z.mill ris_ht dates bank into t 4r 70s and early 60s ,and that noith-
er of said rights have eves been abandoned .
As to the Electric Lil%t Co,3 have 4alkV with several of the old
settlers and they claim it is on W old Saw-mill site of what; was
known as the Fargadinc Saw.mill,I.,Viller informs me that he came to
this cite/" about, !V17: Tbat the sawmill was then in operation and he
hauled lumber from there and was rnnninj for several years after he
c amc 1Lel:c: .gut;lcl:' informs me that for a number of years after hc
came hcrc,about;: Tq 79 water was run in the flu.?nc and ? urnod back into Ua
crcchAn 1887 Eloctrlc LiEht; Co, purchased 4W olf site of t;hs saw-
mill am in 1888 or 1889 b _;'_an to use t4c water for li_hVinj purpos s
and havo used it,, over since then.
As to thn amount of wager each mill vrnd,all ur:itc in sayin_ V. at,
-there was always a scarsity of watcr for about; two month durin`- the dry
scason.That would naturally imply KhAt:. ID-y urcr all 107 wat.ar in KV-
crac! farina the dry season.
Sam-_ rrcm to have an opinion that t:W ?prior apps: opriat;ol: for man-
ufa ctur ina purpor ° s ovens a better r i?ht than sub=-equcnt, apps opr iat;orc
on t47 same stream for manufacturing pu.rpoccc: Tvis is an trror,as there
might be many using watlc.r from We same stream for power pu.rposcs,7n
this case= each of the pai:tics,r.e=_ardless of the time or priority of We
appropriation tia ould ±:.avc rQht r to the extent of their user and none of
the upper owners could dcpriv,c the lower owners of the riEht, in the wa-
ter of the stream.
In 1898 R,P,ia ,il an§ W,a,VirLin bromkh vvit:, wainst CA— city of
Ashland to enjoin the City from u.s•inE any of the waters of An%land,Crck
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Before I
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71 r CGl1_ Ca Ill' on '7Y trial t,-,j, Ca11_Cc was sct,j,l~' y a CoIIl-
jJ1`or~1cC V;':ii.nr^~y n'P,7,T-il an,, ti^~,v .'~lr;__ln a~-r~_7cd to C ccd -f;C 1;76-c L1-r:y (e_jlC
rl 7i~, "f:,') 100 inC7i~S of wa"lcj for Ci-1;y arcs in Concldcrat.lon of f;jtc Li-f:y
d c-°din.~ -f.C -117icrm t7tc riLht, 1:o a "lap on -1,7ic city slain for power pu_rpocCs
for fio dcc:gr w rc *:~a'c an(' 'Aiat, is 1,7Ac. basis t.oday,oW,
it. iac, n-~-vcl b-'-n obs^rvcd .1 T-,A::_7if'1 ~lYfiLLc.r add t;7ia-1; in i,lj.a1:, a`YOC.Tncnil
from jump 1 1~7t fi:o Scp:f1,-riibCr 111:7a. of cac7a. yCar
on 111rc ?ayS and Fridays f - ifY'iL-aJAon,bllt. not, o11i' rVilCr .
Sonlc 4avc. smo:kcn of con'Cr_inat.ion }Di Cdln .S11C7t pIOC_ 'in`c
wo7l.1'7 i) CXP'cnciv^ and one '711.1' :itarcly f:r:ll W7tail dama'=_C:C -ii-lit a-
City and .
Y:aY'-1`cl .T71en again cit,~ l,. ^7n('r. nn f;Itc VraI Y for r'omc.st,iC 11.c c,
onlv.T,,i'~ ci-f:v vroul(', 7tavc no ri`71fi; t.o ^ondcmn Mic vra-1.'cr ri :7lt,c an' la.kc
i1; away fro on. an 'ror: pour' r plaxpocC an' c-11 power 1.o anol,7tCY.
nii 7.fi. v- ably. 11o con's In a i-cllr_:al;ion bu.t cool' not: con-
1n for _-nc-ral iii- i=_ation p;l.xpoc7~s.
A ^ omi.i Vr111 all r_?111 oV,ners on 1.71.^ CY _Ti wo,,i.ld 0 1,li
'7CCt, for ilic cit1y.L71,i,`=at.ion Nilrxilld be more expcnsiv'c 117tan w7iat, tli~ Ci1:v
be call, ec' anon 1,o pay at -1,71'.x. prccrnf. 1.inic for ViY1:,u.ally all 7tc
v:atcr ifi regll.ir~c ,an? a";: cnd of the llt.i,_at,ion i;71c. Ci1.y could no-F
°':-i; 1•i:,71'1::C. -C1,11-al i,7 Wha.-1-. is now off-rrd 1.71- Cl*i,y,!-y 171- mill owncrc
7, c. co7.fIllly r11br,i1:-1;cd 1. tic 20T7i gay of 7'ay902
~ ~,-r gf.f;or n- y,
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