Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-02-04

the Feather itself is backed up and forced to run
over into the basin at point above. and where il
has Jet the elevation SO to do.
THE THREE DRAINAGE PROBLEMS OF THE
VALLEY.
From what has been said it will be seen that
there three main problems in the drainage Of
this valley.
First-To insure a sufficient outfall from the foot
OF the lower valley flood region, that it may be
drained without flooding the delta islands
Second-To insure a sufficient water CARRYING ca
pacty from the foot of the upper valley through the
lower valley flood region, in order that the former
may be promptly drained without causing damage
below and
Thrd-To provide drainage way sufficient to
bring the waters of ordinary food volume from the
upper Sacramento, near Stony creek, through to
the head OF the lower region without Overlooking
The upper region of present foods
Certain circumstances eomplicate the first two
problems, and make it necessary to consider them
Tor moment as one. For instance, ii by divertIng
water from the river the head of, or at points
m the lower food regiOn-that is, at or below
Knights Lauding-we might conduct it by sepa-
rate channel to the bay, and in such volume as to
efectuay rel eve the river below the point OF devil
alton and Feather river mouth, without causing in
undation Of the low lands, then the first and second
problems would apparently be solved at once.
consider this mode OF possible relief first.
FIRST AND SECOND PROBLEMS.
The Yo,o basin lies west Of the Sacramento, and
extends parallel 10 the general course OF the river
from ne2i the mouth Of Feather to the els ern foot
slope of that high land known as the Montezuma
Hills, against aud near to whose southern base
the main river channel is situated for nearly
the entire division Of its course from Grand Island
to ColnsviIe. The line of lowest depression in this
foio basin, near its upper end, is about one mile
from the river. Thrtytwo miles below, opposite
C0urtland just sbove the head OF Grand Island it is
about two miles from the river; while opposite
sacramento, nearly midway between the extreme
points, 1t Is fye N les away In the middle twenty
mules OF this distance the bottom Of the depression
iaIls fifteen feet, giving an average grade OF nine
inches per mile. Thence the surface OF the ground
IN the bottom of the basin is about level to near its
lover end, ten miles further where il raises TO the
mus on the west and south, and to the bank of the
Steamboat slough channel Of the river on the east
and south.
The average grade OF the bed of the river opposite
the portion OF this basin whose bottom line has
mile.
At its extreme southern end the basin is drained
by Cache slough which joins the Steamboat slough
channel of the river about half a mile above the
lower end of Grand Island. This drainage slough
extends across the low, level portion Of the basin
and comes to the river at right angles to its general
direction. From the fact that there is not any sand
brought into 1t, Cache slough is deep and commo-
dlous chahnel-more so than the river Immediately
above It-and is kept open by the swell and ebb Of
the tides which have free action in it, especially at
times of low water
This basin receives the drainage from the Coast
Range on the west, brought down by Cache and Pu-
tab creeks, principally, and also the overflow waters
from the Sacramento, which escape over its west
bank and through the crevasses below Knights
Landing. These waters for the most part enter the
basin near its head. When not in very large volume
they are held back by the growth OF tules, and do
not lind their way rapidly down the steep grade Of
the basin; but after filling the deeper depressions
thereof they are delivered adually through Cache
slough, to be drained away by the below Grand
Island.
When m tbn ofFar tba baci has aa,
partially filed, there is large accession of water
from the creeks the river suddenly precipitated
therein, it delivers at its lower end through Cache
slough and over its rim into Steamboat slough |
large flood volume, in advance of the rise which |
comes regularly down the river, and thus tempo |
raiy gorgng the river below Grand Island, creates
perfect water dam in the Steamboat slough channel
anu causes an elevation of the flood stream far
as Sacramento If this occurs when the river above
Is already at flood eyelit is likely to produce disas
trous results
This state of affairs occurred on the Goth and 2lst
day OF February, 1875 and resulted in the overflow
OF the Grand Island levee on the Steamboat Slough
face at several points the lower end where the
water came across the river, struck the levee at
right angles and ran up stream well as down in
this channel for a short time The same food-wave
made several breaches in the levees south of the
main river below Grand Island.
To guard against such foundations, and to relieve
the river from its surplus waters below the mouth
OF Feather river-through the lower food-region
aud the delta islands-it has been proposed to con
struct canal which shall carry a portion of the
waters of the river and the waters from the creeks
OF the Coast Range into Susun Bay, by way Of
new outfall, to be made opposite the lower end of
the Yolo basin, through the Montezuma Hills.
This project takes two forms:
FiTst-To tap the river and draw from it into 4
canal to be carried grade around the side of
the basin, such waters as may be surplus in the
main channel, and intercepting the flood waters of
the creeks from the west, conduct ALL bya COMPARE
lively shallow cut, through the hills to the out
fall.
second-To tap the river at more points,
permit its surplus waters with those Of the creeks
TO enter drainage canal constructed a'ong the bot
tom Of the basin to near its lower end, and thence
pass by comparatively deep cut through the Mon
tezuma hills to the new outfall.
The first arrangement would properly be called a
canal Of relief TO the river and ntercepting canal
20 the creeks. The second arrangement might
claim in addition to the performance of the duties
above named, to effect the complete drainage of the
low BASIN
Aside from these phases of this proposition be !
cause not SO intimately connected with the river
Problems the proposition to conduct the waters of
Cache and Putah Greeks alone to new point of out
fall over the HOntezuma hills, without tapping the
river at all. The work would be simply an inter
cepting canal or the extension of these creeks to
new mouth. 1t is the simplest proposition con-
nected with this entire problem, and therefore will
be spoken OF first.
THE INTERPRETING CANAL.
The summit of the lowest depression in the crest
OF the Montezuma hills is 81 feet above low tide in
the bay. Putah creek, approximate grade
contour, with rise of II feet per mile is % miles
distant from this point, and the line continued,
n grade of feet to the mile, would reach Cache
creek in Is miles of distance, additional A cut Of
Ii feet deep through the Montezuma hills would
Afford grade of feet per mile also in the first dyis
ionic Putah creek.
By this disposition the initial grade eleyationTat
the summit of the hills would be "a feet, at the
jnnc ion with Putah creek "a feet, at Cache creek
ITO feet above low tide in the bay
Lowering tine whole line ten feet would bring the
grade elevation to IA feet at the summit of the
nils. The distance thence to Aoutezuma slough is
about six miles, and thence out into the bay by the
shortest route six miles further For this distance
of IL miles the IA feet vet to spare of grade would
afford fall of three inches for each of the six miles
through the slough, and nearly two feet respectively
for the first ond each succeeding mile thence to the
grade in the summit OF the hills.
To pass the waters of Cache creek (supposiug 3d.
900 cubic feet per second represents the maxmum)
on to Putah the canal grade of two feet per
mile would have 10 be 240 feet wide, on an average
depth of flow of 20 feet.
To pass the food-waters of Putah creek (sup- |
posing 900 cubic feet per second to represent the
naxmum) on through the hills the canal on grade |
OF two feet per mile would have to be 535 feet wide,
on an average depth OF flow of twenty feet.
To pass the combined waters of the two streams |
taken at maximum of 100000 cubic feet per sec |
ond1. the width would have to be 704 feet. 1t is,
however not all probable that the flow from both
streams would ever be in the part OF the canal
at the same time, even TO an aggregate quantity |
represented by the inquire adopted-for they are |
both highly intermttent in character and their |
floods are of a very short duration each.
The Importance OF diverting these streams is not |
to be measured alene by the increased value Of
property in the Yolo basin, which might thus be
iieved from annual overflow for circumstances may
readily occur when the whole river and island prop
erty below Saeram INTO would be at the mercy Of
their uncontrolled floods.
As in 1878, so may these waters at any time con-
tribute largely to the Inundation OF Grand Island
and other island property, below beyond the imme-
date basin into which they pour, and otherwise
comparatively safe from overflow.
II these streams can be turned permanently, it
can only be accomplished by creating deep chan
mel for the purpose-one resembling the form and
approximating the slope of those in which they run
above where they commence to deposit their sedi-
ment ANY other disposition would only result in
the destruction of the new waterway and damage
to property now safe from flooding.
MANNER OF CONSTRUCTION.
To estimate upon the cost of such ca al at any
fixed price per cubic yard of all the material be
moved would not be doing the subject Justice, for
Il. 81. H., 49,.