Commissioners Commercial Waterway District No. 2 v. Seattle Factory Sites Co.

135 P. 1042, 76 Wash. 181, 1913 Wash. LEXIS 1800
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 25, 1913
DocketNo. 10781
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 135 P. 1042 (Commissioners Commercial Waterway District No. 2 v. Seattle Factory Sites Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commissioners Commercial Waterway District No. 2 v. Seattle Factory Sites Co., 135 P. 1042, 76 Wash. 181, 1913 Wash. LEXIS 1800 (Wash. 1913).

Opinion

Parker, J.

This is an eminent domain and special assessment proceeding, prosecuted in the superior court for King county, looking to the acquisition of a right of way for, and the construction of, a waterway in commercial waterway district No. 2, of King county, and the levying of the cost thereof by special assessment upon the property within that district benefited thereby. Some of the defendants, conceiving themselves to be aggrieved by the verdicts of the jury and the judgment of the superior court rendered thereon, upon the question of damages awarded for the taking of their property for the right of way, and also upon the question of the amount of maximum benefits resulting to their property from the construction of the waterway, have appealed to this court.

Commercial waterway district No. 2 lies at the southerly end of Lake Washington. It is approximately one and one-half by three miles in territorial extent, and includes the town of Renton, with some adjoining territory. The Black river flows through the district in a general southwesterly direction, and at normal stages of water, constitutes the outlet of Lake Washington, flowing out of Lake Washington at its extreme southerly end. The Cedar river flows through the district in a general northwesterly direction, empting into Black [184]*184river at a point about one-half mile from the southerly end of Lake Washington, the source of the Black river. At certain seasons, when the waters of Cedar river are at a normal height, the waters of Black river are so raised that they flow into, instead out of, Lake Washington; Black river at such times forming what might be termed the arms of a delta to Cedar river, one of which flows into Lake Washington and the other into the Duwamish river and Puget Sound.

The proposed waterway is about one and one-quarter miles long, and when constructed will divert and carry all of the waters of Cedar river directly into Lake Washington a short distance east of where Black river flows out of that lake. While this will not, under present conditions, lessen the quantity of water flowing in Black river, it will cause a more regular flow therein, especially during the seasons of high water in Cedar river, by reason of the fact that Lake Washington will constitute a large reservoir in which the waters of Cedar river may spread out and flow more gradually into Black river. By this method, flood conditions will be relieved within the district.

It incidentally appears in the record of this case that the government of the United States is carrying forward a project looking to the lowering of the waters of Lake Washington several feet below its present normal level. This contemplated project is to be accomplished by the building of what is known as the Lake Washington canal, connecting the northerly part of the lake with Puget Sound. Should such a project be completed after the completion of this waterway, it seems highly probable that little, if any, water will then flow from Lake Washington out through Black river, since the overflow of Lake Washington would then pass out through the government canal. This government project, however, is entirely independent of this waterway, in so far as we are here concerned with the question of damages and benefits resulting from the construction of this waterway. The manifest purpose of the construction of this water[185]*185way is to create a navigable waterway for the benefit of the town of Renton and surrounding territory, and also to relieve that town and surrounding territory from flood conditions existing during the high water stages of Cedar river. This is the theory upon which special benefits are claimed to result to the property within the waterway district, warranting the charging of the cost of the waterway to the property therein by local assessment. It is claimed by the waterway commissioners that a large portion of the property in the district will receive special benefits from relieved flood conditions, and that all of the property in the district will receive more or less special benefits by reason of its proximity to the waterway, from the commercial and increased value benefits thereby resulting to such property.

It will be conducive to an understanding of the problems here for solution to have before us at the outset the main features, so far as here involved, of the law under which this proceeding is being prosecuted. Ch. 11, at page 11, Laws of 1911 (3 Rem. & Bal. Code, § 8166a et seq.). By § 7 of that law, the waterway commissioners are given powers, among others, as follows:

“(b) Said board of commissioners herein provided shall have the right, power and authority to straighten, widen, deepen and improve any and all rivers, watercourses, streams, whether navigable or otherwise, flowing through or located within the boundaries of said district.
“(c) To construct all needed and auxiliary ditches, canals, flumes, locks, dykes, and all other artificial appliances in the construction of a commercial waterway system, and which may be necessary or advisable to protect the land in any commercial waterway district, from overflow, or to assist and become necessary in the preservation and maintenance of such commercial waterway system.” Laws 1911, p. 19, § 7 (3 Rem. & Bal. Code, § 8172a).

And to this end, may be exercised the power of eminent domain. It is manifest from these provisions that such waterways may be constructed, not only for the purpose of furnish[186]*186ing navigable waterways to the localities where constructed, but also for the purpose of drainage and protection of land within the district from overflow. This waterway is sought to be constructed to the end that the property within the district will be benefited more or less in both of these ways. Section 11 provides for the institution of condemnation and assessment proceedings as follows:

“Sec. 11. Whenever it is desired to prosecute the construction of a system of waterways within said district, said district, by and through its board of commissioners, shall file a petition in the superior court of the county in which said district is located, setting forth therein the route or routes over which the same is to be constructed, with a reasonably accurate description thereof, together with the estimated cost of such proposed improvement, showing therein the names of the land owners whose lands are to be benefited by such proposed improvement, the description of the land owned by each such land owner, and the maximum amount of benefits to be derived by each such lot, tract or parcel of land set forth therein from the construction of said proposed improvement, and that the same will be conducive to the public health, sanitation, convenience and welfare and increase the value of all of said property for purposes of public revenue. Said petition shall further set forth a reasonably accurate description of the tracts or páreles of land or property which will be taken or damaged by said improvement, and the names of the owners and occupants thereof; . . Laws 1911, p. 24, § 11 (3 Rem. & Bal. Code, § 8176a).

Section 13, p. 25 (Id., § 8177-1), provides for the issuing and service of summons upon all owners of property sought to be taken or damaged, as well as upon all owners of property claimed to be benefited, to the end that the former may be heard upon the question of their compensation and damages, and that the latter may be heard upon the question of their benefits. Section 14 provides for trial by jury upon both of these questions, and that,

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Bluebook (online)
135 P. 1042, 76 Wash. 181, 1913 Wash. LEXIS 1800, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commissioners-commercial-waterway-district-no-2-v-seattle-factory-sites-wash-1913.