Sevier County Drainage District #4 records, 1918-1940

A drainage district is a quasi-public agency with legal authority over the finance, design, installation, operation, and maintenance of drains for drainage of farmlands. Under drainage district law, land ownership within the district is required for membership and participation in district activities. A majority of land owners in a given area must agree to the formation of a drainage district before the district can be formed. District taxation creates capital finances through the issue and sale of district bonds for drain installation and maintenance.

A board of three supervisors constitute the governing body of a drainage district. Supervisors are appointed by county commissioners after nomination by landowners at an annual meeting or by a petition signed by landowners. A president, secretary, and treasurer are elected by the district supervisor. In some cases, the offices of secretary and treasurer are filled by a single individual. According to the original petition papers for February and March of 1918, the original board of supervisors for Drainage District #4 were: George T. Holdaway (president), Alva Curtis (secretary), and Edwin Sorensen (treasurer), but in a document dated September 3, 1918, Alva Curtis resigned his position to work for the United States government in a military occupation and Willard Richard Johnson Jr. was sworn in his place. Johnson served as secretary from 1918 until 1940, and he was one of the original petitioners for Sevier Country Drainage District #4.

Drainage districts were first formed in Utah in the early 1900s as a reaction to the rising water table in several Utah counties. As the state's population grew, waterlogged land required reclamation for expanding agricultural practices and arid regions needed water for irrigation. Sevier County Drainage District #4 was established in 1918 and covered the general location of southeast Aurora, about 1,000 acres, in central Utah. The contract for drain construction was made between Brown & Kleinschmidt, drainage engineers of Salt Lake City, and the Board of Supervisors, Sevier County Drainage District on June 14, 1918. Like many drainage districts in Utah, District #4 occasionally suffered from poor management. Annual reports were not always submitted to the county commissioners and taxes were not always paid. In 1932 this latter problem led to the court case Sevier County Drainage District #4 vs. State of Utah and the State Land Board. Lack of technical expertise formed the main management dilemma of many district managers. Engineers constructed and oversaw the implementation of drains, but once the groundwork was laid, drains were often neglected and subsequently clogged or damaged. During dry years in the 1920s and 1930s, some farmers in Sevier County opposed drainage of their land and deliberately clogged drains with soil, straw, manure, and burlap to raise the groundwater level.