Huntsville Forum Help1

You know when I mentioned that it could get hard just to get a drink? Well, it just might come to that - sooner or later. Here’s why, and you’re going to have to follow me closely down the Trail on this one, which will be easier than the last time, for some of you folks.
Do you remember the episode where the big guy in Town scarfed up all the water behind his own dam? I mean the cattle were starving, and dying of thirst. Why even the Coyotes were adroppin’ for lack o’ water. (The singing starts here . . . . Cooooooool, Cleeeeear, Waaaaater . . . .) It was pretty bad! Then Roy came along on Trigger – with Dale and Buttermilk following behind at a respectful distance, just because they wanted to be in the "Safe Zone", when the fists started flying. But ‘ole Roy just roped those logs, made that quick tie to the saddle horn, and Trigger pulled until the water was free and everyone was happy again. Of course, this guy’s attorney wasn’t around at the time. But that’s OK! ‘Cause Roy would've taken care of him too!
But Roy’s gone now – my husband’s stopped worrying. We miss him. Because he should have been to the Huntsville Secondary Water Board Meeting and Election night, last month. He and Trigger would’ve gotten a real kick out of it. You see, this is Thee West. In fact, if Huntsville was any farther West, we’d all be swimming around in the Reservoir trying to get to work in the mornings. So, we’re about as far west as we want to be. And, the biggest thing about living anywhere in the West – (which also includes Plain City, as you’ll soon see) is . . . do I have to say it? Yes: How far up the mountainside you can stick a house! No, no. Just kidding. You’re right . . . it’s good old H20. But the other ones pretty important – so don’t get behind on the trail too far, OK?
Water has been "an issue" (you pronounce that: iz you) . . OOPS, CORRECT THAT. . . an all out "slug-fest" - since they started writing things down around here. When you go over and check out the Huntsville History Library after your assignment from last time, (Historic district, take a right at the stop sign, second building past the Aldous Cabin, and The Yukon Grill, next to the cute little Beauty Salon, next to the Rendevous Lodge, which is next to the Shooting Star Saloon, which would have been right next to a pre-school, (but I guess they changed their minds. Which shows you how VERY UNIQUE Huntsville can really be with a pre-school and a Saloon next door to each other!) You’ll find a phalanx of information connected with the very gnarly problem of water distribution in the Huntsville, and greater Ogden Valley Area. (Which includes the guys over on the North end.) And after watching what THOSE people have been going through, from the relatively safe distance of Huntsville, Eden residents would be happy to know that we even went at it with THEM for a while, too! Let me quote from Remember My Valley, by Laverna Newey, an excellent and respected documentarian who’s written a very fine piece of history preserving all the information that was printable at the time about this Valley: "There were more contentions and bitterness over water and fencing rights in the early days than anything else."
(Boy! She should see it now! Let us continue . . .)
"Before the civil courts, water troubles were often taken to the Ward Bishop to solve. It was reported that in the West end of town there were some people who were practicing spiritualism . . ."
(oops . . . continuing on . . . )
"Bishop courts in both wards were in session over water and fencing rights. Some felt there were unjust verdicts given, and so bitterness followed."
(which means somebody got Ex’ed, . . .)
Now folks. This is really serious when people are giving up Salvation over a Water Share. So I think I’ve made my point. But for those of you who may have a problem projecting this forward – tighten your cinches – we’ll be climbing here:
If we’ve talked about Cowboy Roy, it’s only logical that we must also give equal time to the Native American. A couple of hours drive South and if you’re really in good shape, you can make these heart attack type climbs straight up canyon walls to see where somebody used to live. There are 1,000’s of them everywhere if you look hard while the Forest Ranger gives you CPR.
And while you’re wondering when the ambulance, or even a drink of water, is going to show up, you just HAVE TO ask the Ranger, who smells like squirrel breath, how come there’s nobody living in these luxury homes and condos, stuck way up on the sides of these cliffs, and how did they get down to their BMW’s, and you know what they mumble back between defibrillation?
"THEY RAN OUT OF WATER"
No kidding! In fact, one drought lasted 27 years! (And we thought 5 was bad?) You see, Roy went down there to rescue these people, but, guess what . . . there just wasn’t any water to rescue them with: Too many people had moved in. They sunk too many wells and used up the Aquifer (that’s underground water, for folks who lost me there. Get your donkey back up on the trail again . . .) The droughts, and there were many over the years, took care of whatever was suppose to come down from the Mountains. (WHERE does this sound familiar?) Not just for a couple of years. 27 years! That’s as old as my 3rd child, which would have meant that my 4th one would have been wondering around dead cows. (. . . coyotes are howling in the distance here . . .)
Back to Huntsville. Mrs. Newey continues to state that: "The year 1889 was a season of unusual drought in the Territory of Utah. In June that year, the Plain City Irrigation Company (remember them?) obtained through the District Court, an injunction restraining the settlers of Ogden Valley from using the waters of Ogden River for irrigation purposes. They had filed rights on it. In consequences of this injunction, one half of the grain in Ogden Valley failed to mature and the potato crop and vegetables were gradually burned up."
Unreal. There’s no water and people are still fighting over it! Now. No one really grows much up here anymore, but there are lots of green lawns just so we can forget we live in a ...
. . . DESERT ! !
And when Secondary water runs low (if you have anything up here like that, and Huntsville is one of the very few who does) and everything starts turning the brushy brown color that’s natural up here, people panic, and out comes the hose from the house and we’re using Clorox water on our grass. It’s really just too hard to resist. We’ve got a little Roy in all of us: Let that water free! But years ago, some really smart people got together. They formed a Water Company and each person who paid for a share became a stockholder in this private corporation. They formed a Board, made the investment, and many citizens of Huntsville continue to enjoy this luxury in the West. And they all lived Happily Ever After!
Wait a minute . . . say what? After 30 years of relatively quiet, efficient management, hard work, and love – about 17 of those dedicated by Leon and Bonnie Sorensen; who didn’t take a dime managing our Secondary Water and the Corporation who owns it; with every one in Town having faith it was being done as good as any human being could do it, year after year, until the system was finally paid off, someone decided it would be a good idea to have the Town of Huntsville do the billing and accounting of a privately . . . let me repeat that . . . a privately owned Corporation, from the Town Hall.
At this last meeting - if you looked closely – as Roy Rogers would - you’d take off your hat, turn it around slowly a couple of times in your hands, and with a squint in your eyes from ridin’ off into the sunset so many times, you’d realize that many of the people who are serving with, or employed by the Town, is showing up on the Corporation Board as well. Yep . . . there’s the Mayor, representing the Town Council. The Town’s legal advisor is the President of the Board. And look, there’s two former Town Councilman – one now being paid to help the Mayor manage the Culinary Water for the Town, and the other who serves as the Town’s Engineering Consultant. There’s a nice man no ones sure lives here, he’s so new.
Ok. This seems fine. All good men. Looking out for the best interests of the Town. I’ve asked a few people if they were ever informed of these changes, or if it was ever put up for a vote from the Shareholders. No one seems to remember. But, if the Town’s going to do the billing for a Private Company – even if it IS only once a year – which provides service to the Town’s citizens, then maybe Questar, and UP&L, and the phone companies should jump on this band wagon too?
After a time, many people, especially new citizens, may not even notice. Some citizens don’t even know - or even care about – who’s billing for what. Kinda like the "bundling" service Qwest is doing. The argument is that everybody saves money – ‘cause service doesn’t come as fine, and dedicated, and cheap, as the Sorensen’s provided all those years. Pretty neat. But . . .
Remember the guy in one of those episodes that went around buying up everybody’s water rights? Whether they wanted to sell them or not? Maybe one ole Sodbuster, who was down on his luck (I think it was excessive property taxes that did him in), got a couple of dollars thrown at his feet for his water shares, from somebody looking down on him from atop a black horse, and all his chickens run over while these guys rode away from the farm, to boot. Others just got a couple of sheep shot. And, as I recall – these guys wanted to re-sell these shares for big bucks, so they could retire in Tijuana, with fast women, cheap cigars, and Tequila. ‘Course Roy always caught ‘em first. But when it comes to water – it can slip away as fast as being called into bishop’s court. And then there’s no holds barred.
Now when government does this, it’s called "Eminent Domain", which in fancy words means that any Government can take what they want, and when they want . . . any time they feel it’s necessary for the benefit and welfare of the community. So you have to watch out for your sheep and chickens, from more people than riders on dark horses. Let alone handing them over your bookwork.
On the Tuesday, last month when Huntsville’s Secondary Water Board Meeting and Election was held, a lot of people who realized what was happening, felt like we needed to make some changes. The situation is making some folks a little nervous. So . . . they showed up! A lot of them. Since not much notice had been given, some people felt like our newest Town Councilman, Richard Sorensen, would be just as good, if not better, as the rest of them sitting there, and he knew a lot about our water because his good parents had spent so many years in the service of this Community. He’s been through the fire . . . er . . . water problems, over on the North end of the Valley, so he, seemed like a natural. He understood the experience of paying $1,200 a month for water – which all of us certainly want to avoid, because we’re all going to need it for Property Taxes!
WAIT! WHAT’S THIS? (we see dust rising in the distance).
Dastardly deeds were in the works!
Now, it’s hard to know all the rules over everything, (unless you have a Doctorate in Bureaucratic Messiology) – especially if you’re at the mercy of those who are making them. As soon as Richard was nominated, we learned very quickly from certain members of the Board that he was not eligible to serve in any position, because after a year and a half after buying his home, which included Secondary Water Shares in the Water Company, he hadn’t been issued his Water Certificate yet, and therefore, "He was not a Shareholder, and couldn’t be elected" Even if it was issued in the morning – they would not allow Richard to run for the open position on the Board – for lack of a certificate they themselves, had not issued. Richard hadn’t had time to realize that he was on the Family Trust that owned shares, but nice try boys! The Townspeople were ready! They had a couple of other people to draw, and hands to play, before the Showdown . . . ummm . . . meeting, was over. It was a landslide.
Some people still even wrote Richards’ name in – sure to make a point. While Richard should be getting his Certificate soon, we just want to tell you that: We have a new Sheriff . . . ah . . . Secondary Water Board President, in Town. His name is Lewis, and he needs a Golden Stallion with a white mane.
GOOD LUCK LEWIS! And may the good Lord take a liking to ya!.
(Queue in Sunset . . . bring up music . . . )
So Folks. Check your guns . . . er . . . your Water Share Certificates. Make sure you have them. Make sure they’re in your name or Trust.
Elections for Board Members are once a year with various positions opening up each year. We need to make ourselves aware, and attendant to, it’s business. Everyone needs to understand that all our Water Resources are the most valuable asset the citizens of this Town own. That both our Culinary and our Secondary water are SEPARATE. But that use of one directly impacts the availability of the other because there’s only so much water to go around. They come from the same sources – our mountains and our aquifers, which feed both the springs and the wells, but while the Culinary water is owned by "The Town" – which is everyone who lives within it’s borders, the Secondary is owned by a private company of Shareholders – who may or may not live here, and supposedly is limited to the current shares. But EVERYTHING can be up for grabs.
While good men serve, it’s a historical fact that governments mis-use and mis-appropriate tax dollars and power, squander public trust, and sometimes outright fail. Do we have to remind you about New Orleans? There is much to learn from that tragedy, besides the fact that: Too much, or too little . . . water rules.
Besides the forward thinking people who struggled amongst themselves to create this precious asset, this article is dedicated to Leon and Bonnie Sorensen. THANK YOU for your years of dedicated service to the people of Huntsville Town, and to this community.