In the never ending quest for search for water in the Honey Lake Valley for irrigation a multitude of avenues were explored. A late entry was that of the Tanner Slough Irrigation Association that was formed in the late 1930s. This association was composed of the ranchers of the Tule District, the lower end of the Susan River and the various sloughs before they empty into Honey Lake. Those ranches included—Theodore, Mapes, DeWitt, Bailey, Fleming, McClelland, Gibson, Tanner and Dill.

They were able to impound 2,600 acre feet of water in Willow Creek Valley, and also flood waters of Horse Lake. The spring floods of 1938 caused considerable damage throughout the region. The Colony Dam on the Susan River near Standish was a casualty. The Colony Dam did not impound a great deal of water. One of its key components was a point of diversion of water to downstream users.

On April 20, 1938 the Tanner Slough Irrigation Association sent a letter to the California Governor Merriam seeking funds to repair and reconstruction of the Colony Dam. The flood damaged some 10,000 acres of land belonging to members of the Association. Not only delayed getting crops planted, but when summer arrives they might not be able to divert irrigation due to the damage of the dam, and the sloughs. They sought $3,500. In their plea, they wrote, ”We know of no other place to make an appeal for aid and assistance. You are about our last hope.” Their request was denied.

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Actually, it is somewhat of a misnomer, as it is actually more like a peninsula. What I am referring to is a large area that encompasses approximately 13,000 acres that is surrounded on three sides by Honey Lake. Between 1905 through 1919, there were numerous homesteads there. In 1911, the Honey Lake Irrigation Company constructed a water pumping plant and several miles of irrigation ditches on the east side of the Island to reclaim the sagebrush lands using water from Honey Lake. The project failed for several reasons. There was a federal court injunction that prohibited the Company from using governmenrt lands as right-of-ways to convey the water. This was a matter that first had to be resolved at the State level. California law had never addressed this issue—how water from a lake with no outlet could be appropriated for irrigation. It took the State two years to render a decision. By the time the legal issues had been settled, interest in the project had waned. Additionally, in 1917, Honey Lake went completely dry.

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