IRRIGATION PROBLEMS OF HONEY LAKE BASIN. 75 



civil engineer, on whom he chiefly depended for such information as lay beyond the 

 reach of his own hasty study, is a professional man of integrity and ability and of 

 long experience in this locality. 



HONEY LAKE SERVES TO MEASURE THE SUPPLY. 



Mr. Hall based his estimates of the water supply of the basin upon a study of 

 Honey Lake. In the absence of exact data, verified by stream gagings extending 

 over a long period of years, there could be no better basis for a rough calculation. 

 This is true because Honey Lake becomes the sink of all the waters flowing into the 

 valley from any direction — Susan River and its tributaries from the west. Willow 

 Creek from the northwest. Balls Canyon Creek from the north and northeast, and 

 Long Valley Creek from the south and southeast. In like manner various smaller 

 streams and large quantities of storm waters reach the sink. Thus practically all the 

 water available for the irrigation of the valley lands, with the exception of that 

 stored in Eagle Lake and other natural reservoirs at a considerable elevation above 

 the valley, now reaches Honey Lake, and it is here that we can best form an estimate 

 of its quantity. 



Mr. Hall estimates the area of Honey Lake at its normal stage as 60,000 acres.' 

 He says: "It has been known to carry its waters to a materially higher plane and. 

 consequent greater area and greater volume of loss per year; but it has also been known 

 to recede to a very much lower level, much smaller area, and consequent less volume 

 of loss per year." These variations are due, of course, to differences in precipitation; 

 that is to say, Jn wet years, and especially after a series of wet years, the area of the 

 lake is largeh- increased, while in dry years it is proportionately decreased. At rare 

 intervals the lake has been known to go almost entirelj^ drj% so that teams were 

 driven across it. But 60,000 acres of water surface was taken by Mr. Hall as its 

 normal area, and upon this he based his calculation of evaporative loss. It is clear, 

 of course, that whatever amount of water the lake may lose by evaporation and still 

 retain its normal area in years of average precipitation may safely be taken as the 

 amount which, if properlj^ saved and distributed, could be made available for irri- 

 gation. Mr. Hall says: 



It loses by evaporation the equivalent of 3J feet in depth from this surface per year, so that as 

 much water is carried into the atmosphere from it as would cover 210,000, say 200,000, acres of land 1 

 foot in depth, or as would amply serve in irrigation, allowing for loss in transit, over 100,000 acres 

 each season. * * * The evaporative loss furnishes the key to the estimate, for it is not likely that 

 there is any loss by seepage or percolation from it, except that necessary to keep the soils of its shores 

 saturated, which is insignificant in amount when compared to loss by evaporation, as they do not 

 support a heavy vegetation and are not of percolative character, being all of fine alluvium with a large 

 portion of clayey matter. 



Mr. Hall's estimate of loss by evaporation is conservative and rather below that 

 which has been demonstrated elsewhere under similar conditions." He is thoroughly 



'United States Government survey shows its area to be 64,000 acres, which is regarded as 

 correct for its normal stage. 



^ Experiments of the California State engineering department over a period of five years show 

 that the evaporation from Buena Vista, Kern, and Tulare lakes, which closely resemble Honey Lake 

 in general character, ranges from 3.50 to 4.75 feet of depth per year. The evaporation from shallow 

 fresh water lakes of Utah, as determined by United States irrigation survey, after five years' experi- 

 ments, was from 3 to 4 feet per year. 



