Local landowner takes on canal company he claims is harassing him

Years of legal battles that all started over mowing grass.

A local landowner is taking on a canal company he claims is harassing him after he sued them.

“It happened to me, it can happen to them,” Brad Morgan said. “I’ve gone through this, hopefully nobody has to go through what I’ve gone [through]. Hopefully nobody has to get the expenses that I have spent trying to solve this problem.”

It all started in 2009. Morgan said a New Sweden canal worker was mowing on his property along the canal.

“When they got to where this tree is, because of my well… they went out around, backed up and hit my well head. Did some damage to the well,” he said. “Their question was, ‘How did you know that?’ My answer was, ‘I went into the house that night and didn’t have any water.'”

So Morgan took the New Sweden Irrigation district to court for the damage. He didn’t win. Now, there’s a court order to remove the tree at the center of all of this. Morgan claims that’s only because he took New Sweden to court.

“This one tree does not make any difference. It’s strictly harassment. That’s the only reason they want it out of here,” he said.

The court ruled that New Sweden has the right to a 16-foot easement along the edge of a canal for maintenance. The tree, along with some other things on Morgan’s property, falls within that easement.

But Morgan said he’s being singled out. He said to look around town. He took us to several locations, showing similar situations within an easement.

“If they’re concerned about shrubbery on the canal, you would think they’d be concerned about that,” he said.

We did talk to the board chairman for New Sweden Irrigation district. He told us the board is not trying to single anyone out. He said the tree removal is a court order. He also said that the court has ruled in New Sweden’s favor multiple times and it’s “as simple as that.”