156 



IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 



a distance of about 8 leagues, and contained 9 square leagues. Below this the Guesisosi, 

 or Gordon, grant extended for 2 leagues down the stream, and contained 2 square 

 leagues. The Rancho Rio Jesus Maria, or Hard}' grant, extended from the east line 

 of the Gordon tract west to the Sacramento, and contained 6 square leagues. These 

 grants were subsequently confirmed b}' the United States Government. 



The land laws in force for several years after California became a State favored 

 the acquisition of large bodies of land by single individuals. Advantage was taken 

 of this by the earh' settlers, manj' of whom acquired large landed estates, and their 

 extensive holdings have, by keeping the popuktion sparse, been unfavorable to the 

 development of the countrv. 



CACHE CREEK. 



Cache Creek has its rise in the mountains of Lake and Colusa counties. Its 

 principal and most reliable source is Clear Lake, which occupies about 80 square 

 miles of Lake Count}' and has a watershed of about 420 square miles. It is also fed 

 during the rainy season and early summer by the north branch of Cache Creek, 

 which, with its tributaries, rises in the northern part of Lake County and the western 

 part of Colusa County. No continuous record of the flow of the stream has, so far 

 as I can learn, ever been kept, but during the i-ainy season it is estimated to range 

 from 500 to 1,200 cubic feet per second under ordinary conditions to 30,000 cubic 

 feet per second in time of extreme flood. This flood flow lasts for a few hours only. 

 During the winter the North Foi-k and its branches, with a watershed of about 200 

 square miles in the eastern part of Lake County and the western part of Colusa 

 County, discharge a large volume of water, but with the close of the rainy season 

 their flow diminishes, and after the middle of June their discharge is ordinarily 

 of little importance. On June 29, 1900, the discharge from the North Fork, as 

 measured by A. E. Chandler, of the University of California, was only 5.1 cubic 

 feet per second. On the same date he found that the flow in the main stream, which 

 is fed by Clear Lake, was 161.4 cubic feet per second. 



During the summer of 1900 we made gagings on Cache Creek, as follows: 



Gagings of Cache Creek, 1900. 



Point of gaging. 



Discharge. 



One hundred feet below bridge at Lower Lake . 

 County bridge at Rumsey 



Do 



On line between J. F. Hughes and Robert Boyle, in sec. 15,T.U N., R.3W. 



Sec. 0,T.10N.,R.2 W 



County bridge at Capay 



County road at Esparto 



County bridge at Madison 



Stephens Bridge 



Nelson Bridge 



East line sec. 12, T. 10 X., R. 2 E 



Cubicfeet 

 per second. 



39.65 

 166.77 



27.64 

 167.47 

 173.60 

 161.60 

 152.69 

 140.87 

 a 75. 88 



53.04 

 651.32 



a On July 3 the Moore Ditch was diverting 60. 52 cubic feet per second between Madison Bridge and Stephens Bridge, 

 making the total flow in this section of the stream 136.40 cubic feet per second. 



!> All water passing this point is wasted in the sink or passes- into Sacramento Slough. 



