Faught v. Platte Valley Public Power & Irrigation District

25 N.W.2d 889, 147 Neb. 1032, 1947 Neb. LEXIS 134
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 31, 1947
DocketNo. 32122
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 25 N.W.2d 889 (Faught v. Platte Valley Public Power & Irrigation District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Faught v. Platte Valley Public Power & Irrigation District, 25 N.W.2d 889, 147 Neb. 1032, 1947 Neb. LEXIS 134 (Neb. 1947).

Opinion

Wenke, J.

Carl E. Faught brought this action in the district court for Dawson County against the Platte Valley Public Power and Irrigation District, a corporation.

The purpose of the action was to obtain a mandatory injunction requiring defendant to increase the carrying capacity of the outlet provided under its canal to an extent sufficient to carry off all waters flowing down the draw on plaintiff’s land and to obtain a judgment in the amount of $2,653.27 with interest at six percent from March 1, 1943, because of damage to his 1942 crops caused by flooding due to the defendant’s negligence in failing to provide such sufficient outlet.

The trial court found that plaintiff’s crops had been damaged by flooding to the extent of $1,944.93 because of defendant’s negligence in installing an underpass of insufficient capacity to drain off such waters as could and should have been reasonably anticipated to flow down Spring Creek during periods of heavy run-offs, but found that injunction relief should be denied. Judgment was entered thereon for $2,285.13, the additional amount being interest from March 1, 1943, to the date of the judgment, but the mandatory injunction was denied.

Both parties filed motions for new trial and from the overruling thereof the defendant appeals and plaintiff cross-appeals.

For convenience herein the appellant, Platte Valley Public Power and Irrigation District, will be referred to as the district and the appellee, Carl E. Faught, will be referred to as the plaintiff.

[1034]*1034This being an equity case, both parties correctly requested that under section 25-1925, R. S. 1943, this court try the case de novo. See Robinson v. Dawson County Irrigation Co., 142 Neb. 811, 8 N. W. 2d 179.

Although the plaintiff leased the land lying east of the draw for the crop season of 1942, however, he had an assignment from the tenant of his interest therein and any question herein of damages relates to the entire crop.

This case involves the same 70-acre tract, canal, and draw as in the case of Faught v. Dawson County Irrigation Co., 146 Neb. 274, 19 N. W. 2d 358, but relates to damages, caused by flooding in June 1942, whereas the former case involved floodings of this land in May and June 1940.

There are, however, two distinct changes that occurred in relation thereto after the floodings of 1940 and before the flooding of 1942. In March 1942, the district purchased the' canal from the Dawson County Irrigation Company and thereafter, in May and June 1942, increased the size thereof and changed the outlet through the canal. This change resulted in the elimination of the two six-foot spillway openings into the canal which, in case of excess flood-waters, permittted such waters to enter the canal, and of the two underdrains consisting of a concrete box two feet by six feet and a 24-inch pipe. In place thereof the district put in an underdrain 42 inches in diameter at a one-foot lower level and, for some distance below the canal, straightened out the draw to speed up the flow through the under-drain.

With reference to the district, whose canal is immediately south of and adjacent to the plaintiff’s 70-acre tract of land and whose canal crosses the draw here involved, we stated its duty in regard to providing an outlet for waters flowing down said draw as follows: “It is the duty of those who build structures across natural drainways to provide for the natural passage through such obstruction of all waters which may be reasonably anticipated to drain there. This is a continuing duty.” Faught v. Dawson County Irrigation Co., supra.

[1035]*1035While it is self-evident that the one 42-inch drain put under the canal in May 1942 does not have the capacity of the two drains that existed thereunder prior thereto; nevertheless, the district offered evidence to show that the two previous drains were partly clogged and that by reason of the increased, flow, due to the lowering of the drain and the straightening of the ditch below, the capacity1 of the outlet to carry off the water was as great.

While there is doubt if this is true, even if it were we would be confronted with the same situation as in our former holding wherein we said: “It appears quite obvious that the underdrains were not adequate to permit the passage of all waters which the defendent should have anticipated might drain there.” Faught v. Dawson County Irrigation Co., supra. In addition, the floodgates have been removed which were for the purpose of handling any excess.

That this is the situation is established by the evidence. Spring Creek, the draw which crosses the plaintiff’s land, has its origin in the Roten Valley some 25 miles to the north in southern Custer County and flows generally south until it empties into the Platte River. On the date of June 19, 1942, and on into June 20, 1942, considerable rain fell in this valley. One and nine-tenths inches fell at Cozad which is about one mile west of the land here involved. This water collected and came down the various draws and creeks in the valley and reached the plaintiff’s land sometime Sunday forenoon, June 21. While the draws in this valley overflowed their banks at various places before reaching the old Lincoln Highway, which is north of Noel Cover’s land, it there, after passing through two openings and also over the road itself, returned to -its channel. It then flowed south through the Noel Cover land. No water reached plaintiff’s land except as it came down within the banks of the creek across the Noel Cover land, which is north and immediately adjacent to plaintiff’s. It then crossed the plaintiff’s land. It there stayed within its banks until it reached the north bank of the district’s canal. There [1036]*1036the underpass or drain was insufficient to carry it and it backed up and flowed over its banks onto the plaintiff’s lands, both to the east and west thereof. That the underpass, although flowing at capacity, was unable to carry the water coming down the draw seems undisputed. The water came down this draw over a period of two or three days and for that, and a longer period of time, stood backed up on these lands.

We think here, as in our former holding, that the under-drain was not adequate to permit the passage of all waters which the district could and should have anticipated would reasonably drain there. Because thereof the plaintiff’s lands were flooded. We find that the district was negligent in installing an underpass of insufficient capacity to drain off. such waters.

The district contends that there was other water commingled with the floodwaters which contributed to the damage plaintiff suffered and therefore it was incumbent upon the plaintiff to allocate the damages arising from each of said sources and that no competent proof of such allocation having been shown, the judgment cannot be sustained. See Seibold v. Whipple, 143 Neb. 167, 9 N. W. 2d 154; Snyder v. Platte Valley Public Power & Irrigation District, 140 Neb. 897, 2 N. W. 2d 327; and Robinson v. Central Neb. Public Power & Irrigation District, 146 Neb. 534, 20 N. W. 2d 509.

The application of this rule was properly explained in Faught v. Dawson County Irrigation Co., supra,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Lambert v. Holmberg
712 N.W.2d 268 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2006)
Peterson v. Nebraska Natural Gas Co.
281 N.W.2d 525 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1979)
Baum v. County of Scotts Bluff
109 N.W.2d 295 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1961)
Wischmann v. Raikes
97 N.W.2d 551 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1959)
Kuhlmann v. Platte Valley Irrigation District
89 N.W.2d 768 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1958)
Cover v. Platte Valley Public Power & Irrigation District
75 N.W.2d 661 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1956)
Shepardson v. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
69 N.W.2d 376 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1955)
Platte Valley Public Power & Irrigation District v. Armstrong
68 N.W.2d 200 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1955)
Lackaff v. Bogue
62 N.W.2d 889 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1954)
Ricenbaw v. Kraus
61 N.W.2d 350 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1953)
Hanson v. City of Omaha
59 N.W.2d 622 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1953)
McGill v. Card-Adams Co.
47 N.W.2d 912 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1951)
Skolil v. Kokes
37 N.W.2d 616 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1949)
Jack v. Teegarden
37 N.W.2d 387 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1949)
Smith v. Platte Valley Public Power & Irrigation District
36 N.W.2d 478 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1949)
Olson v. Roscoe
30 N.W.2d 664 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1948)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
25 N.W.2d 889, 147 Neb. 1032, 1947 Neb. LEXIS 134, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/faught-v-platte-valley-public-power-irrigation-district-neb-1947.