378 DISCUSSION : FORESTS, RESERVOIRS, AND STREAM FLOW 
big trees are scattered through the basin. On the lower elevations of 
the foot-hills the covering is light. The gauging station is at the 
lower edge of the foot-hills. 
Kern River—Kern River drains 2345 sq. miles of the western 
slope of the Sierra Nevadas at its extreme southern limits. It has its 
source in the highest elevations of the range. The topography is 
extremely rough and broken in the upper reaches of the basin, becom- 
ing less rugged in the middle portion, where there is quite an extensive 
valley. The formation is of granite, which above the 10 000-ft. con- 
tour is bare. Between 3000 and 10000 ft., there is a good depth of 
soil, with timber and brush covering; the lower reaches have a light 
covering of brush and grass. There are several lakes and marshes 
scattered through the basin, but they are less numerous than in the 
case of the other rivers. The precipitation is very light throughout 
the basin, with the possible exception of the high elevations, where 
the snowfall is heavy. The gauging station % at the lower edge of 
the foot-hills. 
Owens River—Owens River has its source in the Sierra Nevadas 
in Eastern California and, flowing southeast parallel with the range, 
finally discharges its waters into Owens Lake. This basin has a 
length from north to south of approximately 150 miles, with a width 
of from 20 to 25 miles. Practically the entire flow of this river is 
derived from the Sierra Nevadas, as it drains the eastern slope from 
opposite the head-waters of Merced River on the north to those of Kern 
River on the south. The gauging station is above all irrigating canals 
at the head of Owens River Valley and near the middle of the basin, 
with a drainage area of about 450 sq. miles above the station. The 
elevation at this point is about 5 000 ft. 
The topography of the portion of the Sierra Nevadas drained by 
this stream is extremely rough and rugged. The formation is granite 
with very little soil covering, sparse timber growth, and scarcely any 
brush. Numerous lakes and marshes are found in the upper portions 
of this drainage area, above the gauging station, also a flat swampy 
country known as Long Valley. The precipitation is extremely light 
within the area of this basin, with the exception of the high elevations 
of the Sierra Nevadas, where there is a heavy fall of snow. 
The record of the flow of these four streams is available for three 
years, 1904, 1905, and 1906. These include a normal season, a dry 
season, and a wet one, and show the flow under greatly varying sea- 
sonal rainfalls. The daily flow at the gauging station is shown in 
detail by the diagram, Fig. 7. It will be noted that the minimum 
flow of these streams is about the same, with the exception of Merced 
River which has much the smallest winter flow. Especial attention is 
called to the great fluctuations in the flow of Merced and Kings Rivers 
draining a timbered area; the lesser fluctuation of Kern River drain- 
