Wright Act of 1887

The Wright Act of 1887 is a state law of California passed by the legislature on March 7, 1887, that allowed farming regions to form and bond irrigation districts which allowed small farm owners to band together, pool resources, and get water to where it was needed. In the state of California, this Act enabled the diverting of waters from the Merced, San Joaquin and Kings rivers in California's Central Valley.^[1] California made an amendment to the Wright Act in 1897, which stopped new irrigation districts from being formed.^[2] The Irrigation District Bond Certification Commission, which was created in 1913, is now responsible for forming new irrigation districts.^[3]

These irrigation districts are public entities.^[4] Irrigation canals in California's Central Valley, along with the expansion and creation of railroads, helped farmers to mass produce and transport agriculture nationwide.^[5]

See also

California Department of Water Resources

References

1. Godfrey, Anthony The Ever-Changing View-A History of the National Forests in California USDA Forest Service Publishers, 2005 p.18 ISBN 1-59351-428-X
2. Reclamation, Bureau of. "Bureau of Reclamation". www.usbr.gov. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
3. Fourteenth Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1920: Irrigation. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1922. p. 28.
4. Deering, James Henry Digest of the Reports of the Supreme Court of California: Volumes One to One Hundred Inclusive... Published by Bancroft-Whitney, 1895 p.1573 retrieved Nov.12, 2008 ()
5. "The Watering of California's Central Valley | Environment & Society Portal". www.environmentandsociety.org. Retrieved 2016-03-02.