Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-03-03
TIE CANAL AND DISTRICT NO. l

EDS. RECORD MON: l have carefully
perused your article touching the relation
between the city and the adjacent country
south in matters Of drainage. In my opinion
your paper but imperfectly comprehends the
real situation, and believe property owners
in the city viii draw conclusions from your
representations that will be unjust to country
property-owners
The people in the districts outside the city
take different view of the matter, and after
having studied the matter for two years, dur
ing which time l have personally investiga.
ted the drainage canal, foot by foot, from
the city to its southern terminus, | believe
the outside property-ownerS will be justified
il resisting every effort the city may make to
levy any contribution ON them.
The course taken by the canal is not the
natural outlet for water from this city. Sac
ramento has turned her drainage through the
high ridge extending south from the City Gene
terry, and in the absence of canal constructed
through to tide water, with high artificial
banks, would necessarily deluge some Of the
outside property. The canal, as originally
constructed was very imperfect. 1t simply
served TO do a great deal of injury to property
IA VIC l. SOlASb, NIitiC III " puOE re-
lief to the city. While prior to 1S6S-the
year OF the construction Of tine canal-the
land in the Pocket was annually in a high
state of cultivation, with houses and roads
interspersed, where low there is an impene-
trabie of tules. and profitable to its
owners, the partial completion of the canal
to that point is the commencement of long
series of disastrous years. The truth of this
can be established beyond controversy by the
evidence of many citizens who were cognizant
Of the value of land in the Pocket 1T that
time, as well as by the testimony of thirty or
forty owners, who have battIed with the
greatly Increased and facilitated flow of water
in rainy seasons. Now, if these are the facts
of this case, it is only just that the city bear
the whole burden of carrying off the water
that flows down the canal TO the Pocket No
water flows from the lands in the Pocket into
the canal, and therefore, as means of drain
age, it is of no value to those lands, and in
deed it does not drain any land in District
No. /, with tie exception of few acres on
Willow slough. But another, and as many
think, serious aspect of the matter is this
Instead of proving to be a benefit, as the City
Trustees allege, the canal, unless the city car
ries the work forward to Snodgrass slough,
will prove the greatest disaster TO the low
lands south of this city. 1t is well known to
those interested on both sides that the canal
runs into Sutterville lake at the north end,
and its continuation begins again at the south
end of the lake. The city has not taken any
steps toward building up the natural bank of
the lake so as to prevent the lake from over
flowing the low lands, as it is very likely
to do in extreme high water. Again,
where the canal is continued from the
south end of Sutterville there is depression
in the land through which it extends. Now
1T is clear that the city has not excavated,
and she did not need to excavate IS much soil
from depressed place as from higher point.
Inc consequence is that everywhere else she
has constructed canal capable of carving
three times the quantity of water that it will
contain at this depressed point. The effect
viii be that in high water it will overflow at
this point to the destruction of the low lands /:
and the canal, having been deepened and
widened and the banks raised from Beach's
lake up to the Pocket, and no canal having
been constructed beyond Beacb's, when, in
rainy seasons, that lake fills beyond its natural
capacity, as it frequently does, it will flow up
the canal and empty itself into the low land
Between having facilitated the flow down on
to and up against those lands from the oppo-
site direction, L submit that there is nothing
due this city from District No. l. think a
spirit of fairness win prevail.
DARWIN G. ALLEN.