Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-03-04
THE DRAINAGE DISTRICT QUESTION.

EDS. REcoRD- UNION: d. Allen, in your
paper Of this morning, makes some very loose
statements concerning the Sacramento Drain
age Canal and Levee District No. l. He
starts out by saying that the course taken
by the canal is not the natural outlet for
water from this city" Would he have it run
up toward Bannon slough? The cut through
the high land at Cemetery hill simply passes
it through well-defned channel, instead Of
meandering, snake-like, through the low
ground on Flints ranch. The earth taken
out in excavation was distributed over the
lowest points, ard the whole left susceptible
Of drsinage, all Of which was admitted by the
owner to the Trustees. Now, as TO the dam
age to the Pocket resulting from the con-
struetion Of the canal in 1858, and It's subse-
quent enlargement, / think it needs but very
little argument 20 show the fallacy Of the
conclusions drawn by Mr.. Allen. He
says no water flows out Of the Pocket
into the canal. ! think it would be difficult
to get the most biased witness to testify to
that assertion. l would ask him if he knows
whether any water flowed into the canal from
February to August, in 1873? Ii he does
not, let him be informed that it did, and that
when it ceased to run through the high land
back Of Ereeport there was still in the Pocket
water to the depth Of from two to three feet,
which could only get out by evaporation or
percolation, as the river subsidized. Had the
canal been at Its present depth, all the water
would have run out when the food went
down. There is another important factor in
the case, either lost sight of or ignored by Mr.
Allen-that is the sipaee. Since 1868, by
reason Of the fillingup OF the riveTbed the line
Of sipage has undoubtedly been raised all of
two feet, " hich would more than oiISet all the
water the canal carries from This city
in excess Of what always found its way
there from this point, whether as sew
age or increased surface drainage.
Mr.. Allen gives n glowing picture of the
Pocket prior to 1865 and charges the canal
with the changes from then to now. think
if ever such condition of things did exist,
we must look little further than the canal
which has produced the long series Of dis
astrous years, in very dry seasons prior TO
1868. 1t Is quite possible a considerable por-
ton of the land in the Pocket would be tilla-
bic, but there are several reasons why it could
not be so now. When the City Trustees two
years ago decided to cut through the high
land at Freeport, they found from the report
Of their engineer, MIR. Bassett, that the gen
eral level OF the low lands in the Pocket was
the canal all through the Freeport ridge, and
before the Board of Supervisors done what
they did, it must have been from four TO six
feet below. Suppose no canal had ever been
cut through at all, and everything else left
just as it is, the water from the
river would still sipe in, and the rain
shed from the plains On the east and north
would eventually find its way into the
Pocket, and where, / ask, would be your 1e-
lief? Could you reopen the sloughs that orig
inally led into the river and as the river went
down drained the adjacent lands? The fact
is, all the conditions have changed. and you
must change to meet them. There are
number OF points in Mr.. Aliens letter it is
hardly worth while to dilate upon. In re-
gard to the backing up of the water from
Beach's lake, he should know that, with the
hood-gate at Freeport, the danger IS no
greater now than aforetime. AS to the ne
cessity of completing the work to SnodSrass
slough, in order to get the full benefit of the
canal in all its bearings that admits of no
dispute, but that it is the duty of the city
of Sacramento, unaided by those so largely
interested rs those in the two districts below,
I cannot admit. Nearly everyone in District
the progress of the work expressed them
selves rs pleased with the prospective bene-
fits to be derived Mr. Allen among the num-
Der, but when they are asked to share the
expense it wears another aspect | submit
that there is something due this city from
District No. l. l hope spirit of fairness
win prevail. JABEz TURNER.
Sacramento, March 3, 1880.