The Fight for Bear Lake Continued-2

1898 The Utah Sugar Co. and Mr. L. L. Nunn of the Telluride Power Co. propose to divert the Bear River into Bear Lake for water storage.
1911 The Dingle Canal and the Outlet Canal are completed. Water is diverted from the Bear River into Mud Lake and Bear Lake from May 1911 to July 1911 storing 25,000 acre feet. Water is released from Bear Lake from July 22, 1911 to mid Oct. releasing (natural flow) 41,000 acre feet.
1912 The project is taken over by Utah Power & Light (UP&L) and results in the construction of the Stewart dam(1916) on Bear River, the Rainbow canal and the pumping station at Camp Lifton(1917). The projects are completed in 1918.

1917 Law suits by UP&L against irrigators and other power companies attempt to secure UP&L's "power rights". Idaho irrigators file a cross complaint to insure their "irrigation rights". Settled by the 1920 Dietrich Decree which granted UP&L diversion rights of 5,500 cubic feet per second of Bear River water into the lake for storage.

1922 The Kimball Decree settles litigation by irrigators in Utah counties of Cache and Box Elder. The Decree also recognized UP&L's right to divert Bear River and store water in Bear Lake for downstream power generation.

1922-35 A drought and continued pumping at the Lifton Pumping Staion drops lake levels to 5902 ft., - nearly 22 ft below the natural level.

1935-36 Property owners try unsuccessfully to legislate a "minimum pool" in Bear Lake. According to Geo. Dunn, a former member of the Bear River Commission, the opposition by downstream water users won early legislative efforts.

1946 Congress consents to the formation of a tri-state negotiation to settle Bear River water disputes between the upper basin Wyoming users and the downstream users in Idaho and Utah.

1958 The 12 year negotiations result in the Bear River Compact and the formation of the Bear River Commission.

1986-92 Another extended drought and continued depletion of lake levels by UP&L at Camp Lifton drops the lake level from 5924 ft. to 5905 ft.

1991 During the Summer, Bear Lake citizens form several groups to protect their property interests and preserve Bear Lake.

1992 UP&L files an application to dredge a canal so that they can pump Bear Lake down to 5890 ft. - - a full 34 ft. below the natural lake level.