THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



121 



RECLAMATION IN CALIFORNIA. 



Negotiations Between the Government and the Owners of Cache 

 Creek Rights Have Failed. 



SACRAMENTO, CAL., February 10th. 



Within the past year water rights of Cache Creek 

 have been concentrated under one holding by certain 

 parties living in Woodland, their intention being to de- 

 velop Clear Lake as a reservoir site for the irrigation of 

 the lands of Yolo County. It was the understanding 

 that the object was the general development of the 

 county. 



"The agents of the Geological Survey have held 

 numerous conferences with these gentlemen with a view 

 to having this work undertaken under the Reclamation 

 Service. The Survey was inclined to make favorable 

 recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior bear- 

 ing on this subject, provided a favorable adjustment of 

 water right questions could be arrived at with these 

 owners. After negotiations had been carried on for 

 several months, assisted by the Governor of the State, 

 it was found impossible to reach a conclusion with 

 these gentlemen that could be recommended by .the en- 

 gineers of the Government to the Secretary of the In- 

 terior. It was a matter of regret that this adjustment 

 could not be accomplished, as it is believed natural 

 opportunities of marked merit exist here, and the broad- 

 est development of these lands and prosperity of the 

 community would be accomplished in this manner. 



"The entire project hinges on the use of Clear 

 Lake as a storage reservoir. This body of water, cov- 

 ering 40,000 acres, has been declared as navigable by 

 several acts of the California Legislature, and it is a 

 serious question whether it can be used legally without 

 the consent of the Government. It was not deemed 

 advisable to legally contest this point at present. The 

 California Water and Forest Association, as well as the 

 Woodland Chamber of Commerce, co-operated with the 

 Geological Survey in the investigations of Cache Creek. 

 The Government is maintaining physical records of 

 streams and lake. 



STONY CREEK. 



"Stony Creek is a western tributary of the Sacra- 

 mento. In co-operation with the California Water and 

 Forest Association, as well as with the Willows Cham- 

 ber of Commerce, the Stony Creek basin was investi- 

 gated by the Geological Survey; numerous reservoir 

 sites were found thereon, and gaging stations estab- 

 lished, the records on which are still being continued. 

 A report on this drainage basin has recently been issued 

 by the Geological Survey and is known as 'The Stor- 

 age of Water on Stony Creek, California,' by Bert Cole. 



"Puta Creek, another tributary of the Sacramento, 

 has been explored during the past season; a reservoir 

 site found thereon, and a gaging station established. 



UPPER SACRAMENTO. 



"A general reconnoisance has been made of the 

 upper basin of this river, and a number of reservoir 

 sites of marked value have been found, notably at a 

 point near Red Bluff and at Biebor. These great reser- 

 voir sites could be used in connection with the general 

 program mentioned above for supplementing the avail- 

 able late summer water for irrigation in the Sacra- 

 mento Valley. Other sites have been found, particu- 

 larly on the south fork of Pitt River. Gaging stations 

 have been established at all of these sites to determine 



their available water supply, and during the coming 

 season detailed surveys will be made of them. In all 

 there are being maintained records of flow at ten gag- 

 ing stations in the valley of the Sacramento River, and 

 the entire time of an engineer has been assigned to the 

 maintenance of these records. These will be continued 

 until a complete report is made outlining the general 

 possibility of developing this great valley in a compre- 

 hensive way and so as not to interfere with navigation. 



"It will be desirable in connection with this gen- 

 eral study to investigate the overflow problem of the 

 low valley lands and consider the subject as a com- 

 prehensive whole. There is a very small area of public 

 land available for irrigation apparently in the drainage 

 basin of this stream, and the general development of this 

 situation will be dependent upon the organization and 

 co-operation of a great number of individuals who are 

 now landowners in this district. It is a matter worthy 

 of note that both the National Irrigation Association 

 and the Trans-Mississippi Congress during the past 

 season have passed general resolutions favoring the con- 

 struction of great public irrigation works on the Sacra- 

 mento River. The undertaking will be a vast one, and 

 the province of the Geological Survey is to make a 

 complete report to the Secretary of the Interior as well 

 as the Governor of California outlining the latent pos- 

 sibilities. 



"Probably no section of arid America has greater 

 natural resources or has left them in a more undeveloped 

 condition than the Sacramento Valley. Favored by geo- 

 graphical location, climatic conditions, soil and water 

 supply, this valley should be one of the densely popu- 

 lated districts of the United States, rivaling in wealth 

 and prosperity the famous valley of the Po in northern 

 Italy, which it so closely resembles. 



OWENS VALLEY. 



"Owens Valley is situated in a district that is 

 sometimes called 'undiscovered California.' It lies on 

 the eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas in Inyo County 

 and is flanked by the most rugged and picturesque range 

 of mountains on the continent, blessed with a copious 

 water supply, but isolated because of imperfect transpor- 

 tation facilities. Mr. J. C. Clausen is the engineer 

 assigned to the study of this district. Probably a ma- 

 terial area of arid public land may be reclaimed here. 

 All the remaining public lands in this locality have 

 been withdrawn subject to entry only under the Recla- 

 mation Act. 



"An extensive reservoir site has been found on 

 the main river above Bishop, and this has been surveyed 

 in detail during the past season. The irrigable lands 

 are now being mapped and classified. The whole situ- 

 ation is dependent on the factor of the remaining avail- 

 able water supply. In order to determine this the 

 capacity of reservoirs must be found, the flow of the 

 streams determined and the present diversions of canals 

 closely gaged. Mr. Ralph S. Hawley is devoting his 

 entire time to these water measurements, and is main- 

 taining eighteen gaging stations in the Owens Valley 

 district. The people of this community are extremely 

 anxious to have the Government store the surplus flood 

 waters and regulate the stream flow, not only for the 

 benefit of their lands, the supply of which is now 

 somewhat irregular, but also for the extending of the 

 irrigated areas. It is probable that a drainage system 

 in connection with the general development will have 

 to be constructed, as large areas of land in this valley 

 have now been ruined by the excessive use of water, and 



