State ex rel. Conly v. Riverside Drainage District

254 P. 366, 123 Kan. 46, 1927 Kan. LEXIS 62
Supreme Court of Kansas·Decided March 12, 1927·No. No. 26,949·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Harvey, J.:

This is an action for a mandatory injunction to enjoin defendants from maintaining certain embankments across a natural watercourse where it enters the drainage district, and to require their removal. The trial court made findings of fact and conclusions of law and rendered judgment for plaintiff.' Defendants have appealed. The findings and conclusions of the trial court tell the story of the controversy, and are as follows:

“Findings op Fact.
“First: This action is being presented by the state on the relation of,its duly constituted officer.
“Second: The Riverside Drainage District of Sedgwick County, Kansas, was organized as a drainage district under chapter 215 of the Laws of 1905, and the defendants N. Russell, Frank Oliver, Edw. Horner, T. W. Robbins and J. E. Driscoll were the officers of such district at the time the suit was filed.
“Third: The individual defendants, Josephine Mitchell, William Henry Barnett, E. M. Martin and Alfred E. Munch were owners of land in section seven (7), township twenty-eight (28) south, range one (1) east of the 6th P.M., Sedgwick county, Kansas, at the time the suit was filed.
“Fourth: The following are the boundaries of the Riverside Drainage District : Beginning on the west bank of the Big Arkansas river, 200 rods north of the southeast corner o£ section 34, thence south 120 rods, thence west 320 rods, [48]*48thence north 320 rods, thence west 160 rods, thence north to the center of section 28, thence west 160 rods, thence north 160 rods, thence west 160 rods, thence north 320 rods, thence west to the southwest corner of section 17, thence north to the northwest corner of section 17, thence west 80 rods, thence in a northwesterly direction to the center of section 7, thence due north to the north line of Riverside township, thence east along the north line of Riverside township to the west bank of the big Arkansas river, thence in a southeasterly direction following the meanderings of said river to the place of beginning. All being in township 28, south, range 1 east of the 6th P. M. The Riverside Drainage District comprises about 6,000 acres of land.
“Fifth: To the west of the Arkansas river and paralleling it. to some extent, is what is known as the Big Slough. The Big Slough heads in the eastern part of Reno county and follows a meandering course to the east and the south, entering section seven near the center of the west line of said section. The Big Slough drains a territory of approximately 50,000 acres.
“Sixth: To the west of the Big Slough and paralleling it to some extent is the Cowskin creek. This creek heads in the western part of Sedgwick county, somewhat south of the Big Slough, and follows a south and east meandering course until it empties into the Arkansas river in northern Sumner county, about twenty miles south and east of section seven, draining in all about 97,-000 acres.
“Seventh: Section seven is situated about four miles north of the nearest point on the Cowskin to the south and about two miles south and west from the nearest point on the Arkansas river. It is bounded on the west by the Meridian highway and on the east -by Seneca street, a much traveled road maintained by the county. A mile east of Seneca street is Lawrence avenue, now a paved highway, and two miles east is Hydraulic avenue. The last named street parallels the Arkansas river for about three miles, at a distance of a little less than one-half mile.
“Eighth: The territory surrounding section seven is comparatively level, there being no hills or prominent rises in the topography of the country. The land is agricultural, most of it being in cultivation.
“Ninth: The Big Slough crosses the Meridian highway from the west and entere section seven on the west line at a point about 80 rods south of the northwest comer of the southwest quarter of said section seven, and flows in an easterly and northeasterly direction to a point about six or seven hundred feet west of the center of said section seven, where, prior to 1912 it divided into two forks. The north fork flowed across the north part of the southeast quarter of section seven in an almost east and west line, turning to the south and east after crossing Seneca street at a point about 90 rods north of the southeast corner of section seven, crossing Lawrence avenue and Hydraulic avenue and emptying into the Arkansas river in the central north part of section thirty-four, a distance of approximately six miles from section seven. This fork or channel varied in width from six to twenty feet and in depth from one foot to two or three feet. In some places it spread out and became simply a low place or depression. Prior to 1912 this fork had a well defined channel through which water frequently flowed. Sometimes it would flow continuously for a period of months; at other times it would flow only for a short period of time during the year. The north fork was, from the earliest time, known as the Big Slough [49]*49and was in fact larger and deeper than the other fork, which was called the south fork. Por forty years prior to the trial of this action and prior to the building of the dike in question, whenever water ran in both the north and south fork of the Slough, seventy-five per cent of the water ran down the north fork. Before the dike was.built water ran down the north fork when there was no water in the- south fork. From the point where the Slough divided into the north and south forks, the south fork flowed in a southeasterly direction across the northeast corner of the southwest quarter of said section seven, across the east line of said southwest quarter at a point six or seven hundred feet south of the center of said section seven, and across the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of said section seven and across the south line of the southeast quarter of said section seven, about 60 rods east of the southwest comer of the southeast quarter of section seven; thence running in a southerly and southeasterly direction until it emptied into the Cowskin at a point a short distance east and south of Haysville in Sedgwick county, Kansas.
“Tenth: From the center of section seven to the Arkansas river, the fall of the land is 5.5 feet per mile, and the fall to the Cowskin is 4.26 feet per mile. The land from section seven slopes to the east and south.
“Eleventh: In the later part of 1912 and the early part of 1913, the Riverside Drainage District constructed a dike in section seven which was enlarged in 1923. The dike now is about two to two and one-half feet higher than the surrounding ground, and is about eight feet in thickness at the bottom. It starts at a point about 600 feet north of the center of section seven and runs about 1,200 feet straight south, then turning at an angle of about sixteen degrees to the southeast and continuing- about 2,100 feet to the south line of section seven. In 1923 a new earthen dike about 2% feet high and 10 feet in width at the bottom was built by the Riverside Drainage District, commencing about one yard south and 177 yards east of the center of section seven running in a southwesterly direction about 190 yards to a point about 72 feet east of that part of the old dike herein described, which runs north and south in length about 1,200 feet.

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State ex rel. Conly v. Riverside Drainage District, 254 P. 366, 123 Kan. 46, 1927 Kan. LEXIS 62 (kan 1927).

254 P. 366 (State ex rel. Conly v. Riverside Drainage District) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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