Private Law 83–956

That subject to the requirements of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall issue patents to the occupants of the public lands in sections 9, 10, 15, 16, 21, 22, 27, and 28, township 8 north, range 2 west, Salt Lake meridian, Utah, upon payment of the appraised value of the lands at the date of the appraisal, exclusive of any increased value resulting from the development or improvement of the lands by the occupants or their predecessors in interest. In such appraisal, the Secretary of the Interior shall consider and give full effect to the equities of the occupants.

Sec. 2.

The Secretary of the Interior shall issue a patent for such land to any occupant only if the occupant (1) files an application to purchase the lands within one year after the enactment of this Act; (2) makes a showing satisfactory to the Secretary that he or his predecessors in interest were bona fide occupants of the tract and had adverse possession for seven years prior to the approval of the plat survey or the lands; and (3) pays the price of the lands, as required by the Secretary.

Sec. 3.

Nothing in this Act shall be construed as affecting adversely valid existing rights to public lands.

Sec. 4.

Any money paid by the occupants shall be covered into the reclamation fund for credit against the construction costs of the Weber Basin project, Utah. Any patent issued under this Act shall contain a reservation granting to the United States the right to repurchase the patented land, if the Secretary should find that such land is needed by the United States and the Weber Basin project, upon tender of payment for such land of the amount paid by the patentee to the United States under this Act plus the reasonable value of the improvements thereon in place at the time the land is patented. Such tender and payment shall be made from the reclamation fund.