United States v. Coachella Valley County Water Dist.

Water and water problems have caused much litigation in western United States. In desert regions he who owns the water or the water rights, in reality owns' the land, as .desert land without water is relatively worthless; whereas such land with an adequate water supply 'becomes • extremely valuable.

The Colorado River is one of the great rivers of North America. The rain and snowfall of the Rocky Mountain States, south of the Snake and Columbia Rivers drain into the ocean by way of the Colorado. After the snows of winter and the early spring thaws, waters from the high mountains rush down to the Colorado, and as a result the valley lands along the lower Colorado have, through the ages, been subjected to spring floods.

Prior to the coming of the white man, spring floods in the Colorado Rivet brought to adjacent valley lands overflow of water to such an extent that the Indians were able to raise a crop of maize or corn as the spring floods receded. But with the settling of- the white man along the banks of the Colorado, agitation commenced relative to control of the river and protection of the lowlands from annual spring floods. This agitation in part brought about enactment of…