Letter to the Editor

Bureau asking for reimbursement for dam repair

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Dear Editor,

Open Letter to Irrigators and the Board of the Frenchman Cambridge Irrigation District:

The Bureau of Reclamation is asking by contract to be reimbursed or pay the cost of repairing the Butler Lake dam. The damage was caused by weak engineering. If a car maker has flaws in their cars, the car maker is responsible for recalling the car and making repairs at the car maker's expense. The irrigator is currently paying for the original construction of the dam through their per-acre toll. This I do not object to. I suggest that the present Board of the FCID ask the Bureau's help and have the State Game Commission collect, along with their camping fee from recreation people, a couple dollars to be placed in the reserve for building repair and replace structure according to the contract.

It is important for the Irrigators and Directors to keep themselves informed and ask the director to have a newsletter sent to every irrigator. Every irrigator should get the audit for the years 2014-2015 and read it. It is hard reading, but you will know how your money is spent. From and email from our manager, I understand that there are twelve full-time and two part-time employees in our district. It does not seem to be good business practice to employ TWELVE persons year-round when water delivery and ditch maintenance does not happen year-round. For example, would a farmer employ a thrashing crew year-round just to drive the combine at harvest time?

The State has asked the district to bypass one half of stream flow. We need the main canal in pipe to save all the storage water possible. The repair payment on the Willow can be delayed which has been paid by an appropriation from Congress. We will be reimbursing the US Treasury. The Board should get an itemized statement. The board meets at the Cambridge office the first Tuesday of each month. The next meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016. Please make every effort to attend and ask questions.

Cloyd Hoyt,

retired irrigator and FCID board member

McCook, Neb.

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