CHAPTER III 

 INVESTIGATIONS IN MOJAVE RIVER AREA 



By Colin A. Taylor and Harry G. Xickle * 



Along the ]\Iojave River there are moist areas where the non- 

 economic use of water by natural vegetation is considerable. In Octo- 

 ber, 1930, the State Engineer of California requested that cooperative 

 investigations be undertaken as follows: (1) That the U. S. Bureau of 

 Agricultural Engineering establish an experiment station along the 

 Mojave River near Victorville for the purpose of measuring the 

 evaporation and transpiration losses from moist areas and of recording 

 meteorological data; (2) that the U. S. Geological Survey establish 

 additional gaging stations along the ]\Iojave River, and an effort be 

 made to determine consumptive use of water between stations by stream 

 flow measurements. The work as outlined was started in November, 

 1930, by the cooperating agencies. Stream flow measurements along 

 the river are still being made, but the experiment station has been dis- 

 continued. This chapter presents the data collected at the Victorville 

 experiment station on evaporation and transpiration losses from moist 

 areas along the IMojave River. 



The Mojave River** is situated in San Bernardino County, Cali- 

 fornia, and constitutes the chief drainage system of the northern slopes 

 of the San Bernardino Mountains. The mountain headwaters comprise 

 two distinct branches. East Fork, or Deep Creek, and West Fork, 

 which unite at the base of the mountains to form the main river. This 

 junction is known as the Forks. Below it, the river, in its course of 

 90 miles across the desert plain, receives no surface tributary of con- 

 sequence, but there is an underground contribution from springs. The 

 course of the river is first northward 30 miles, then northeastward 20 

 miles, and finally eastward 40 miles. The river ends in dry lakes at an 

 elevation of less than 1000 feet above sea level. The mountain water- 

 shed of the river, 217 square miles in area, extends from an elevation of 

 8000 feet at the summit of the range to 3000 feet at the Forks. The 

 upper portion has heavy precipitation and the main tributaries are 

 never dry where they leave the mountains. In summer the water sinks 

 in the river a short distance below the Forks but appears again as ^sur- 

 face flow several miles below, reaching the Upper Narrows at Victor- 

 ville, 14 miles below the Forks. The surface flow continues through 

 the Lower Narrows 4 miles farther down stream and during the 

 summer again sinks several miles below Oro Grande after supplying 

 several irrigation ditches. The water is then brought to the surface 

 for short distances at a number of other points, these points being 

 farther apart and the flow diminishing in ([uantity toward the lower 



* Prepared by C. A. Taylor, Assistant Irrigation Engineer, and Harry G. Niclcle, 

 Junior Hydraulic Engineer, Bureau of Agricultural Engineering, U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture. K. R. Melin of the U. S. Geological Survey assisted in conducting 

 field work. 



** Bulletin No. 5. Report on the Utilization of Mojave River for Irrigation in 

 Victor Valley, California. State of California, Department of Engineering. (1918.) 



(74) 



