It was 100 years ago today, with no fan fare, that 50 cubic feet per second of water was released through the Bly Tunnel at Eagle Lake.  The $1.25 million project conclusion was bittersweet.  Earlier, in May, some 5,000 people gathered at Litchfield for a grand barbecue to celebrate the completion of the tunnel.  What the public was not aware was Grant Smith Company, the contractor to build the tunnel, only built three foot below the lake level at the inlet, versus the eight feet agreed upon with the irrigation districts. The company refused to allow water through the tunnel,, until an agreement was reached. The legal wrangling went on all summer until a settlement was made.  In the short and long term the Baxter Creek and Tule Irrigation District were big losers. First, they lost the 1923 irrigation season. They would spend a decade trying to correct the inlet problem, and finally gave up.

Tim