THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY 



By FREDERICK HAYNES NEWELL, Director U. S, Reclamation Service 



THE problem of the Sacramento 

 River for years has been one of 

 absorbing interest to State and 

 Federal engineers. The commercial 

 and property interests are so vast, the 

 potential possibilities of the immense 

 areas embraced in California are so 

 great, and the engineering features are 

 so varied and stupendous, that the 

 problem of river control and utilization 

 naturally has received thoughtful con- 

 sideration by experts and engineers. 



Unfortunately, this consideration has 

 been devoted principally to local condi- 

 tions. The study of all the economic 

 problems involved has been more or 

 less desultory. Intelligent considera- 

 tion by various experts has been given 

 separately to questions of transportation, 

 removal of mining debris, and reclama- 



tion by drainage and irrigation. Re- 

 cently there has come an awakening to 

 the need of a more comprehensive 

 study of the whole drainage basin. It 

 is realized now that the investigations 

 of the past must be coordinated. The 

 problem must be considered in its en- 

 tirety and not piecemeal, if a satisfac- 

 tory solution is ever to be reached. 



A vast fund of information concern- 

 ing the Sacramento and its basin has 

 been gathered as the result of the num- 

 erous investigations in past years. 

 These data should be assembled and 

 studied by an efficient commission rep- 

 resenting all interests, but restricted to 

 none, in order that a comprehensive 

 plan of deveolpment may be laid out 

 and presented for the consideration of 

 the state legislature and of Congress 



Okanogan Project, Washington, Completed Portion of Concrete Lined Canal, Showing Lands on Pogue Flat to Be Irrigated 



under Canal 



