District Rules and Regulations

1. No water will be delivered to a landholding of two hundred and forty (240) or more acres unless the appropriate Reclamation Law certifying forms are on file with the District.
2. The Roza Irrigation District operates on a payment in advance system of collection and no water shall be delivered on any parcel until the assessments has been paid. Priming water may be available prior to April 1, but will not be delivered unless assessments are paid and any necessary certification forms have been filed. Water delivered prior to April 1st will not be charged to the operators total usage. Assessments will be collected according to Washington State Law and the United States Bureau of Reclamation contracts.
3. There will be a minimum charge of one acre for lots less than one acre.
4. Assessment is based on an allotment of water not to exceed three-acre feet per acre. Additional water shall be paid for in advance.
5. No water may be transferred to any delivery until all assessments have been paid on the unit where the delivery stands.
6. On landholdings of two hundred and forty or more acres, pooling of water will be allowed only within the landholding as it is certified under Federal Reclamation Law.
7. On landholdings of less than two hundred and forty acres, pooling of water will be allowed only within the landholding, provided;
   1. All assessments on lands within the landholding are paid.
8. No changes in pooling will be allowed after June 1.

 

1. The delivery point for all land shall remain as constructed and designated by the Bureau of Reclamation unless:
   1. Released in writing by the landowner;
   2. Revised by construction at the landowner’s expense with the District’s approval;
   3. As mutually agreed upon in writing by the District and the landowner; or
   4. When the District constructs a closed conduit delivery or a pressurized piped      system to deliver water to the property, the landowner and the District may mutually agree upon a new delivery point.
2. Additional delivery structures shall be constructed by the District or a contractor approved by the District at the landowner’s expense. The District will furnish the delivery hardware except as provided in Section D and E, below.
3. The landowner must agree to provide the easements to the District for access, and for installation, maintenance, repair, removal and replacement of pipelines to the delivery point in the form required by the District
4. At any delivery point, flowmeters may be substituted for delivery boxes when authorized by the District.
   1. The landowner will purchase the flow meter and the installation hardware from the District. The District will install the flow meter at its expense.
   2. The landowner will provide a worm gear driven control valve beyond the District facilities. Water will not be delivered to the property unless the control valve is in place.
   3. If the landowner does not pay the costs of the flow meter and installation hardware in full at the time of installation, the unpaid balance shall be added to the landowners current irrigation assessment and shall thereafter be paid and collected as part of the irrigation assessment.
5. When the District constructs a pressure piping project, every landowner served by the pressure piping project shall install a flow meter at the existing delivery point or a new mutually agreed to delivery point.
   1. The landowner will purchase the flow meter from the District and the District will provide the installation hardware and will install the flow meter at its expense.
   2. The landowner will provide a worm gear driven control valve beyond the District facilities. Water will not be delivered to the property unless the control valve is in place.
   3. If the landowner does not pay the costs of the flow meter in full at the time of installation, the unpaid balance shall be added to the landowners current irrigation assessment and shall thereafter be paid and collected as part of the irrigation assessment.
6. Weirs will only be raised at the expense of the landowner and the permission of the District.
7. No water may be pumped directly from the District canals, laterals or drains, or from boxes at an elevation higher than the landowner’s weir without a license agreement with the District.
8. The owner of any land which has been subdivided or platted into smaller tracts shall provide a water distribution system with water measurement devices.

 

1. 1.  Distribution of Water Supply as per Article 14 U.S. Repayment Contract

 

		Ac. Ft	Allowable	Monthly allowance
		Per Mo.	flow at main	based on District design
			canal headworks	of 3.4 ac. ft per ac.
			c.f.s.	delivered to the farm
				for the season
During April	10%	37,500	625	. 34
During May	15%	56,250	937	. 51
During June	19%	71,250	1,187	. 65
During July	19%	71,250	1,187	. 65
During August	19%	71,250	1,187	. 65
During September	12%	45,000	750	. 41
During October	6%	22,500	750	. 20
		375,000		3.41

 

• Water will be delivered on demand, modified by the designed capacity of the system and availability of the water.

1. Flow RestrictionsExcessively high flows through flow meters can cause damage to the District delivery systems when those flows are shut off. In order to protect the District property, deliveries by flow meter shall be limited to a maximum draw of 15 gallons per minute per assessed acre on any delivery where static pressures exceed 10 p.s.i.Violation of this limitation will result in the installation of a restrictive orifice plate being installed by the District. The cost of installing such an orifice will be charged to the landowner and will become a part of the landowner's assessment. The charges for the installation of the orifice shall be established by the Board and shall be in an amount to recover all of the District's cost, including, but not limited to, materials, labor, supervision, equipment and overhead.In the event of additional violations, water delivery to the landowner may be terminated, or at the discretion of the Board, a civil action may be commenced in appropriate superior court to obtain a restraining order to prevent violations of the rules. The District shall be entitled to recover its costs and attorney fees incurred to enforce these rules.

• In times of shortage or rationing, whether it's district-wide, on a given lateral, pump or pipeline, each landowner will be given his proportionate share of the water available at that specific time and on a continuous flow proportionate basis. Any water rationed will be computed on the basis of current assessed acres.
• Where a subdivision, or several small tracts of land, receives water from one Roza turnout the water delivery amount shall be computed as follows: the total yearly minimum delivery amount shall be divided by 200 days and this amount shall run continuously barring trouble in either the Roza system or the customer's system.
• Based on an inherent policy of fairness and equality to all waterusers, requirements of State Law and the District Repayment Contract, no special consideration can be given to those waterusers wishing to use irrigation water for frost control. All water deliveries of the District shall be made in accordance with the existing rules and regulations of the District as published in the District Handbook, except as may be amended by subsequent Board action.
• Damages to District Property

 

• In the event any landowner purposely causes damage to any District-owned property, if appropriate, the District may file criminal complaint against the responsible parties. In addition the District shall recover the cost of repairing or replacing the property and the costs shall be added to the landowners assessment. The costs shall be established by the board and shall be in an amount to recover the entire District's cost, including, but not limited to, materials, labor, supervision, equipment and overhead.

In the event of additional violations, water delivery to the landowner may be terminated, or at the discretion of the Board, a civil action may be commenced in appropriate superior court to obtain a restraining order to prevent further violations of the rules. The District shall be entitled to recover its costs and reasonable attorney fees, incurred to enforce these rules.

• • Damages.

 

• If a Roza landowner uses District water for aquaculture or any purpose other than irrigation, such use shall be at the landowner's risk.  Landowners who use the District water for purposes other than irrigation shall indemnify and hold the District harmless from any damages, claims, losses or expenses which arise from such use of the District water.  District water may be treated with chemicals which are not compatible for uses other than irrigation.  It shall be the landowner's duty to contact the district for information concerning chemical treatments of District water.  Solely as a courtesy to District landowners, the District may maintain a list of persons who will be notified in advance of chemical treatments.  Provided, however, the District shall not be liable to any landowner for injury to persons, animals or property which may arise from the landowner's use of District water for any purpose other than irrigation, regardless of whether the landowner makes an inquiry to the District or whether or not the District provides notice of the chemical treatments to the landowner.

Treatment of Aquatic Vegetation

In order to properly maintain the District’s canals and to deliver irrigation water, it will be necessary for the District to treat canals with herbicides to kill aquatic vegetation.  Aquatic herbicides may have adverse impacts upon the landowner’s crops or property.  

The District will notify landowners when the canal which supplies water to the landowner is treated.  Notice will be provided by the ditchrider, through the District newsletter or another method the District determines will provide notice to the landowner.  Landowners may contact the District office to obtain the District’s schedule for the application of aquatic herbicides.  

The District intends to use Endothall for control of aquatic vegetation.  The District, in its sole discretion, may use other chemicals or other methods to control aquatic vegetation.  Nursery stock may be susceptible to Endothall.  It shall be the responsibility of the landowner to control the use of treated water to avoid damage to the landowner’s crops or property.

 

The water right of the Roza Irrigation District is for up to 375,000-acre feet annually for irrigation of approximately 72,000 acres of land within the District. There are slightly more than 100,000 acres within the boundaries of the District with approximately 90,000 acres being classified as irrigable. By contract with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the District may assess no less than 71,000 acres, and no more than 73,000 acres of the irrigable acreage. Removal of assessments or addition of assessments from any given parcel of land can only be accomplished as an action of the Board of Directors of the District, within the terms of the contract with the U.S.B.R.

The Manager shall shut off water whenever tail water is damaging District property, running unreasonable amounts of silt into the canal or laterals or making District roads or County roads impassable, or adversely affecting another wateruser. Whenever a water user has lands on both sides of a lateral he must pass his tail water across the lateral at his expense. The above tail water regulations apply equally to canals and laterals of the Roza Irrigation District and to those of adjacent irrigation Districts and to the County roads. For violations of this regulation from a water source other than the District, legal action may be taken to enforce compliance as defined in Regulation 3F.

1. Pumping plants will operate whenever the demand is high enough to operate a single pump safely.
2. Restarting Pumping Plants. No Roza Irrigation District pumping plant which has been off more than thirty minutes will be restored to service between 5 P.M. and 6 A.M.

Delivery boxes, turnout gates and flowmeters will be locked at all times.

Every effort will be made to secure correct readings at flooded measuring devices, but it is the wateruser's responsibility for flooding and user must bear the possible loss of water. Water may be shut off if the water from the flooded weir interferes with lateral operation.

1. 1. Farming operations over pipe right-of-way are permitted, providing such operations do not damage or interfere with the routine operations and maintenance of said pipe. Routine repairs and maintenance, whenever possible, will be made in cooperation with the landowner, so as not to interfere with his operation. However, the District at all times reserves the right to enter upon said right-of-way to make any repairs and/or replacement it deems necessary.
   2. If the farming operations damage the pipe, regardless of the amount of cover over said pipe, the landowner shall be liable for all damages, to include direct and consequential damages, and furthermore, shall be liable for any cost, fees or disbursements necessary to collect such damages.

The following will not be allowed except when explicitly authorized by the Manager.

1. 1. Fences, bridges and pipe crossings across the canal and laterals and access roads.
   2. Obstructions, including but not limited to buildings, equipment, debris, etc.
   3. Birds and animals, etc.

Culverts under canals and laterals must not be plugged by leveling or damming channel below so as to interfere with free flow of water in structure.

The District may, at the request of the landowner, clean existing outlet drains, provided:

1. It is in the best interests of the District as a whole.
2. Time and funds are available.
3. Adequate right-of-way is provided.
4. Two or more Roza landowners are contributing surface flow to the drain.

Whenever it is in the best interest of the District, time and funds permitting, laterals will be piped by District forces, provided, the landowner shall pay the cost of materials, required as determined by District personnel, and further provided, the landowner shall pay 100% of any blasting costs which may be necessary to facilitate said installation.