. WATER APPROPRIATION FROM KINGS RIVER. 305 



EMIGRANT DITCH. 



This canal was a few j'ears ago classed as- being almost out of senioe. It is the 

 uppermost of the north side Kings River Canals of the lower group. It originally 

 took water from the north side of Cole Slough, about 2 miles below the head of that 

 arm of Kings River, and still receives a portion of the water to which it is entitled from 

 this source. (Fig. 15 B.) Its course is southwesterly, nearly parallel with Cole Slough, 

 for about 3 miles, thence northwesterly to and beyond Wildflower. The canal was 

 constructed bj' an organization of farmers who wanted water for their lands, and was 

 to be managed for mutual benefit. The interested parties formed a corporation 

 late in 1875, with a capital stock of |»20,000, in shares of $1,000 each. The canal 

 company soon laecame involved in disastrous litigation, and for a number of years it 

 appeared as though it Would be denied the right to maintain headworks at Cole 

 Slough. An arrangement was made by the canal company with the owners of the 

 Fowler Switch Canal under which the main canal and distributaries of the Emigrant 

 Ditch Conipanj- were made to receive and distribute Fowler Switch water. When 

 an injunction was issued by the couits against the Fowler Switch Company, restrain- 

 ing it from taking water from Kings River, a portion of the water right of the 

 Emigi-ant Ditch Company was floated to the head of the Fowler Switch Canal. The 

 water taken through the Fowler Switch Canal, together with that entering the 

 original head of Emigrant Ditch, is distributed to the stockholders. Each stock- 

 holder of the Emigrant Ditch Company is entitled to the use of canal water in 

 proportion to amount of stock owned. He is allowed to sell or rent his water at 

 pleasure. Each consumer of water is required to build his own delivery gate, 

 subject to the approval of the director. The distribution of water is in charge of 

 a canal superintendent, which office is annually let to the lowest bidder.; The canal 

 has a bed width of about 16 feet, and delivers its water to a number of branches, 

 which cover about 7,000 acres. The capacity of the Emigrant Ditch is about 155 

 cubic feet per second. 



LIBEBTT CANAIi. 



This is a canal which was constructed about 1882 from the north side of 

 Murphy Slough, its head being about 5 miles above Riverdale. After experiencing 

 much trouble in obtaining a satisfactory supply of water from Murph}' Slough, which 

 is the extension of Cole Slough, the original head of the canal was abandoned sev- 

 eral years ago, and the canal was extended easterly about 7 miles to a connection 

 with a high-water escape way from Cole Slough, known as the Sutherland Canal. 

 The inflow into the canal is controlled by a regulator placed in the Sutherland Canal 

 about one-eighth of a mile from Cole Slough. (Fig. 15 C.) The canal is about 15 miles 

 long, has a westei'ty course for 7 miles and thence a northwesterly course, is about 20 

 feet wide, and its branches cover about 5,000 acres to the north of Riverdale. The 

 amount of water received by this canal is controlled by the owners of the Laguna de 

 Tache Rancho. Irrigators from it have never felt sure of receiving the necessary 

 amount of water, yet have at times received enough, or rather applied enough to por- 

 tions of their lands to permanenth^ injure considerable areas. The rising of the water 

 table and the consequent wetting up of the surface soils with moisture from below, has 

 brought alkali in undesii"able quantities to the surface, ruining many acres of land 

 and sometimes proving destructive even to such cultures as vineyards and orchards. 



23856— No. 100—01 20 



