If you're going to do something illegal....

[ill-advised strategy]

Mega-Vibes to you and your mini-ranch/horses.

I will hold you and all other hobby-farming victims of rogue irrigation crime in my prayers tonight right next to the starving children, amputees, war vets and whatnot.

Hang in there, it's going to be a time of struggle, but I know you'll make it through this.

[zoin10]

Tell em you are going to blow the whistle unless he buys the water from you. Just put more to "beneficial use"" (see: mud wrestling pit) for a day and then sell per riparian rights.


Of course I am kidding
but not about the mud wrestling pit

If he ever do that, It's a blackmail. His neighbor might kill him for that lol... Just tell the authorities and get the fucking reward for it... lol

[User Name]

Mega-Vibes to you and your mini-ranch/horses.

I will hold you and all other hobby-farming victims of rogue irrigation crime in my prayers tonight right next to the starving children, amputees, war vets and whatnot.

Hang in there, it's going to be a time of struggle, but I know you'll make it through this.

hobby-farming in a desert, no less. good post.

[Egon]

quit bangin' your neighbors. bang jesus and rain dance

[A-wreck]

esp. something that is going to impact my land DON'T FORKIN' TELL ME! Man I hate secrets - don't ever tell me one.

Forkin' old man who owns 40 acres next to me WITH NO WATER RIGHTS is planning on watering this year. Idiot tells me "they'll never find out". Well they might now that I know esp. since we draw our water from the same river that is running very low this year. I just looked up the fine - up to $5k a day! Whoo hoo! I hope he gets nailed.

A$$HOLE.

To top it off he's planting a crop that is poisonous to horses.

/rant

Why dont you cry about it?

[Viva]

Mega-Vibes to you and your mini-ranch/horses.

I will hold you and all other hobby-farming victims of rogue irrigation crime in my prayers tonight right next to the starving children, amputees, war vets and whatnot.

Jealous 'cause you've always wanted a pony?

[ill-advised strategy]

That's it, that's exactly it! It's my secret desire for ponies worming its way to the surface again. Boy do I feel stupid now.

[milton]

[Big Snowballs]

What does this have to do with forks?

Now that makes me laugh.

"Forkin' old man who owns 40 acres next to me "
Be thankful its not a Knifing Old Man.

[Crass3000]

esp. something that is going to impact my land DON'T FORKIN' TELL ME! Man I hate secrets - don't ever tell me one.

Forkin' old man who owns 40 acres next to me WITH NO WATER RIGHTS is planning on watering this year. Idiot tells me "they'll never find out". Well they might now that I know esp. since we draw our water from the same river that is running very low this year. I just looked up the fine - up to $5k a day! Whoo hoo! I hope he gets nailed.

A$$HOLE.

To top it off he's planting a crop that is poisonous to horses.

/rant

Who cares about the water rights. It's bullshit. Maybe you pay for them and he's smart enough not to. We've got so many conformists on TGR that it makes my skin crall. So the guy shouldn't be able to get water water when he lives on the river? Cry me a my little pony

[iceman]

Who cares about the water rights. It's bullshit. Maybe you pay for them and he's smart enough not to. We've got so many conformists on TGR that it makes my skin crall. So the guy shouldn't be able to get water water when he lives on the river? Cry me a my little pony

Yeah, laws are for pussies.

Being from the East where water actually falls from the sky and waters things naturally (it really does, I'm not lying!), I never heard of ditch runners before - "heat-packin' ditch runners" (and their trials and tribulations) sounds like a good idea for a book or a movie. Hmm.

[waxman]

he grew wheat on 40 acres?
what can you grow on 40 acres (legally) that makes a profit?
40 acres is not even worth warming the tractor up for crop wise...

[Garrett]

he grew wheat on 40 acres?
what can you grow on 40 acres (legally) that makes a profit?
40 acres is not even worth warming the tractor up for crop wise...

See: Yetiman's excellent post.

[Conundrum]

Turn him in. Water rights are worth more than land around here. I doubt anyone on the board crying "conformist" would say the same if he wanted to use some of your land to farm on without reimbursement. "Oh hey, I just planted on ten of your acres because I don't have enough land to turn a profit". Does that sound any different than "Hey, I just used a bunch of your water because I can't turn a profit without it."

The fact that he doesn't know how to farm makes it worse. He's using a scarce resource and from the sounds of things, is going to waste it on a failed crop. He should rent his land out to someone who knows what they are doing. Many big farmers lease small pieces of land and water. They have the equipment and knowledge because they already operate bigger farms. It's an economies of scale sort of thing.

I'm not always on the right side of the law and don't always agree with water laws in the northwest but from what you said, this guy is a sheister. If you don't want to be involved, mention his plans to the downstream neighbors that have water rights and let them battle.

[Dantheman]

Who cares about the water rights. It's bullshit. Maybe you pay for them and he's smart enough not to. We've got so many conformists on TGR that it makes my skin crall. So the guy shouldn't be able to get water water when he lives on the river? Cry me a my little pony

Quoted for funny and astonishing ignorance.

[F.D.V.]

Shit, is there some sort of organization that is taking money to help this cause!?!?! Holy fuck, I had no idea this kinda shit was going down! WOW!

[jfost]

there's water under his land, he should just drill for it...

[farmguy]

there's water under his land, he should just drill for it...

He needs a permit for that as well, from the same agency he should get his "other" water permit from.

[SchralphMacchio]

At least your state has that much down. Even CA is pretty backwards as far as how well permits go. No subterranean flows? No problem! You can legally drain a river tributary if you drill in the right place. Love the total lack of groundwater regulation in California and other western areas.*





* I am only a novice hobbyist as far as western water goes and this statement is likely grossly oversimplified and inaccurate.

[LightRanger]

grossly oversimplified and inaccurate.

Yep.

We need comprehensive groundwater regs STAT, but there's definitely at least some caselaw out there that governs it.

See:
Katz v. Walkinshaw
Pasadena v. Alhambra
Los Angeles v. San Fernando
City of Barstow v. Mojave Water Agency

A bunch of court decisions is no way to run a water rights system, but that's what we've got in CA.