IRRIGATION PROBLEMS IN SALINAS VALLEY. 195 



necessit}' of irrigation, however, is now recognized by the intelligent and progress- 

 ive farmers of the Salinas Valley, and the waters of the Salinas River and its 

 tributaries will not be allowed to run to waste in the future as in the past. 



The volume of water carried by the river corresponds in general to the amount 

 of rainfall — a torrent in winter, it almost dries up in summer — and to make the 

 best use of it storage is necessary. The extent t« which this is practicable will be 

 determined by the results of the reconnaissance survey* for storage resei'voirs carried 

 on by the hydrographic di\'ision of the U. S. Geological Survey last summer. 



CLAIMS TO THE WATEES OF SALINAS RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 



In many cases the recognition of the value of irrigation shows itself onl}- in 

 the filing of a claim for water, since there is a large discrepancy between recorded 

 claims and projects actually carried out. The records of Monterey County show 

 that 70 claims to the water of Salinas River and its tributaries have been tiled. Most 

 of these filings make an attempt to comply with the statutory requirements as to 

 giving amount claimed, point of diversion, dunensions of ditch, and the proposed 

 use to which the water is to be put. But they fulfill the requirements in fonii 

 only. In many of the claims there is an attempt to make the area of the cross 

 section of the proposed ditch in inches approximate the number of "inches" of 

 water claimed, but in others it is hard to tell what dict^ited the dimensions for 

 these ditches. The Salinas Valley Water Company in one filing claims "50,00i) 

 mches under a J:-inch pressure" to be diverted bj- means of a ditch 30 feet wide 

 on top, 20 feet wide on the bottoui, and 5 feet deep. Five months later the same 

 company claimed 16,000 inches to be diverted by means of a ditch 40 feet wide 

 on top and 35 feet wide on the bottom, and 5 feet deep. In the latter case the 

 quantitj- claimed is less than one-third of that formerly claimed, and the ditch is a 

 half larger. There are two claims filed within three days of each other for 2,500 

 inches, under a i-inch pressure. In the tii'st case the water was to be diverted 

 through a ditch 25 feet wide on the bottom and 4 feet deep. The other claimant's 

 ditch was to be 2 feet wide and 2 feet deep. Another filing claims 6 inches of water 

 under a i-inch pressui'e, to be diverted through a ditch 12 inches wide on top, 8 

 inches wide on the bottom, and 10 inches deep. This ditch is large enough to carry 

 about 100 inches as their capacitj' is usually estimated. 



Presumably not more than ten of these seventy tilings have been followed bj- 

 actual appropriations, and even in these cases the amount claimed is in almost every 

 instance much bcAond the amount actually used or the capacity of both headworks 

 and ditches. Many of the filings represent the same claim and are repeated often 

 enough to keep the claim alive until the claimants are able to build their works or 

 give up their plans. 



