e 



main, primary, and seconclaiy drains in the Fresno district would have 

 to be dug largely below the level of standing water in what is frequently 

 a quicksand. Such drains, if they are to stand, would have to be boxed 

 in at the bottom and sides and made very wide at the top. The plan 

 has been proposed of placing these drains along the county roads run- 

 ning east and west. There is not always room in these roads to permit 

 a 20- foot ditch being dug without encroaching on private property ; 

 hence over more than half the distance a right of way would have to lie 

 purchased. The building of bridges and the necessity for annual clean- 

 ing are items of expense to be included in the cost of open drains. A 

 comparison of the original cost of open and of tile drains is given below. 

 The estimates of open drains are based upon prices of similar work 

 in other parts of the country and are, if anything, rather low. The cost 

 of tile draining should vary little from the estimate given. 



Cost of open drains per mile. 



Ditch 4 feet wide on botton, average depth 7 feet, slope 1 to 1 $2,257.00 



Two road bridges at $75 each_- ]."><). (Ml 



Four farm bridges at $50 each __ 200.00 



Right of way, li acres at $150 per acre (half the area occupied by ditch) _ IS" .50 



Total cost per mile 1 2,"!>l .:(> 



The cost of the tile drain per mile will vary from $1,000 for 6-inch, to 

 $4,000 for 24-inch tile. The average cost per mile will be about $2,440, 

 a figure below the estimated cost of open ditches. AVhen it is seen that 

 no estimate can be made for boxing the open ditches and when the 

 greater convenience of the tile is considered, it is obvious that the tile 

 are far cheaper and far more desirable. 



A detailed study of the conditions existing in the district south of 

 Fresno at present most urgently in need of drainage has developed the 

 following plan, as the one most economical and practical: Parallel 

 lines of tile should be run through the district, following the maximum 

 slope of the ground in a general east and west direction, and at an 

 average distance of one-half mile apart. These lines begin with 6-inch 

 tile, and in the longest lines end with 24-inch tile, all laid at an aver- 

 age depth of 7 feet. The exact location of the lines, whether along the 

 roads or in the fields, will depend largely upon the surface conditions of 

 the soil. No attempt should be made to lay down perfectly straight 

 lines, for slight deviations from an east to west direction will frequently 

 be of great advantage. The tile are laid on a board bed to prevent 

 sinking in the soft subsoil, and at intervals of 500 feet redwood silt boxes 

 are placed with the bottom lj feet below the bottom of the tile for the 

 collection of sediment and debris. Each line of tile is supplied with a 

 one-quarter inch galvanized strand-wire rope so that a cleaning brush 

 can be drawn through two or three times a year to remove roots and 

 stir up sediment. 



