© Daily Sheeple The 2-acre pond is a vital source of water for an array of wildlife.
A couple from Oregon have been told that they must destroy a 2-acre pond on their land because the government said they have to. The pond on Jon and Sabrina Carey's 10-acre property near Butte Falls is the land's most attractive feature and has been in place for 40 years. In an
interview with the
Mail Tribune, Jon became teary-eyed as he stood next to the pond and said, "I basically bought a lemon. That's how they explained it to me." The couple, who purchased the property two and a half years ago, are desperate to keep this feature intact, and therefore
have "pleaded with the Medford Water Commission to adopt the pond and treat it as a municipal water source, something Jackson County Watermaster Larry Menteer has opposed because of the precedent it would set. The Water Commission has rights to the watershed around the Careys' property, where dozens, if not hundreds, of ponds are located, as well as Medford's primary source of water, Big Butte Springs",
reports the
Mail Tribune.Others in the area have also had trouble with water ownership in the past. Eagle Point resident Gary Harrington spent 90 days in jail for illegally harboring around 13 million gallons of illicit rainwater, according to
reports. This happened after he crafted several ponds on his property and insisted that the water would assist in fire control and prevention. However, the government was not satisfied with his justification since a "1925 state law dictates that the water belongs to the Medford Water Commission."
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