DESCRIPTION: J. L. Eldred, Watermaster for the Owyhee Irrigation District, is responsible for running and maintaining the system day to day, juggling conflicting demands, resolving water disputes, and overseeing water delivery. His day begins at 6:30AM, when he calls the 11 ditch riders for their customers’ water orders, then calculates the total and phones the dam superintendent to request the day’s water release from the reservoir.