Gone Fishin'.

• Author: Gothie, Roy
• Position: Letters - Letter to the editor

I was pleased to read that Trout Unlimited recognizes that purchasing water rights in Wasson Creek is not the long-term solution for resource use conflicts ("Gone Fishin'," October). The real issue is not how the market might be used to secure water rights but rather how society chooses to allow a property owner to use natural resources.

Simply put, what if the property owner didn't have the right to remove enough water to damage the stream? In the case described in the article, the Mannix Brothers Ranch was using the stream's water to irrigate grass for the purpose of feeding cattle. This depleted or eliminated summer stream flows. In return for the release of water during late summer and the corresponding loss of grazing, a deal was worked out under which the ranch received cash payments from Trout Unlimited.

Current resource law states that landowners can use their land and the water which flows next to or over it in ways for which it is not suited (long-term grazing and irrigation) with no fear of legal consequence if the activity fits within the current "reasonable use" standard. This favors more intensive uses of land and water over less intensive uses...