Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-02-04
REPORT
Of the State Engineer to
the Legislature Of
California,
Drainage Of the Great Valleys
and the Improvement
Of Navigation,
The Present Condition of the
Sacramento River.
The Floods Of the Valleys and
Their Drainage Problems.
Increasing the Capacity of the Lower
Sacramento River Summary
of Conclusions.
The Present Condition Of the
Sacramento River.
The Floods Of the Valleys and
Their Drainage Problems.
OTrcr OF ME STATE ENGINEER,

OFFrcE OF TIE STATE ENGINEER,
SACRAMENTO January 10, 1880
To the Honorable the Senate and the Assembly
Of the State of California:
There are two valleys in California whose low
lands have been and still, in great measure, are
subject to annual inundation. These are the val
leys Of the Sacramento and the San joaquin, the
combined area of whose submersble lands, situated
north of Tulare Lake Excluding Tulare and Kern
Valleys, may be stated at $50 square miles-a ter
rtory than twice large as the State OF Rhode
Island. The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers are
the great natural main drains OF these valleys re-
spectively.
The Sacramento river brings down a formidable
food volume almost every year, mandates large
area OF country and seriously threatens with deva
tation several hundred thousands Of acres of lands
now in measure protected by levees.
The San Joaquin is in correspondingly high flood
only about once in four years, SO that as to fire.
quency of danger Of destructive flooding the low
lands OF It's valley at advantage over those OF
the Sacramento
Moreover, owing to causes to be hereafter dis
cussed, the condition of affairs with respect to
tual and threatened foundations is annually becom
ing more alarming in the Sacramento valley whereas
in the San Joaquin such tendency is apparent, at
least to DECREE which at all compares with that in
the northern valley.
Thus the Sacramento valley drainage problems
appear to be the most important OF those pressing
for attention.
Since this department was created there has been
one fairly good season for flood observations in the
Sacramento valley, and these have been made
narrated in Part l. OF this report The San Joaquin
river has not presented ordinary high flood since
the work OF this department was commenced, so
that, although the groundwork for the study of this
subject of drainage has been in great measure laid
in the San Joaquin valley, have not been able to
secure the data concerning food phenomena which
are necessary for the discussion OF this particular
subject in that valley.
There are other important localities in the State
viii Suffe ed Cd
waters, and which, though less extented area
justly entitled to consideration and attention from
this department. in order that the data may be col
ected and formulated upon which some plans might
be projected for their protection but it has not been
possible thus far for to take up any but the most
important subjects. Hence the report under this
general heading presented is devoted almost
clusiyely to the Sacramento valley problems.
THE SACRAMENTO ELECTROMAGNETIC
DESCRIPTION.
The valleys of the Sacramento. San joaquin, Tu-
lare and Kern have been jointly called the Great
Valley OF California. There is in fact, but one we'll
defined depression between the Sierra Nevada and
Coast Ranges of mountains, SO that it is difficult to
draw the line OF boundary between the djacent
portions severally named as above and most of all
is the line between the Sacramento and the San
Joaquin valleys hard to designate.
For the purposes of this report the course of the
Costumes river down to, and as continued after
joining the Mokelumne and San joaquin rivers, to
Suisun Bay, is adopted as convenient and approx
imately correct boundary and all the territory lying
northwsrd therefrom, between the foothills of the
Sierra Nevada on the east, and those of the Coast
Range of mountains on the west Is regarded as the
Sacramento valley
Its general dimensions a straight ine-that
following nearly its longitudinal axis-is about $50
miles in course S. 13' E. from the Iron Canyon
to the mouth OF the Mokelumne river, and its
greatest width at right angles to this line is 30 miles,
For 50 miles OF its length, from the southern
boundary, it maintains width of 40 to so miles,
and thence narrcws down to point at its northern
extremity.
The region thus bounded is about 4,769 square
miles in area. The lands may be classified as shown
in the following table, wherein the given are
of course only ap roXimately correct though COM
piled with care from the best typographical in
formation to be had at this time
CLASSIFICATION OF THE LANDS OF THE VAL
LEY, AS NATURALLY CONSTITUTED.
Area in
Designation. square miles.
High hill lands, MarYsville Buttes. $3.50
Low hill rolling lands adjacent TO the
foothills of the mountains. ............ $50. 90
Dry plains above reach of all overflow 2,321 45
Dry plains subject to occasional temporary
overflow from tributary streams. ........ 5000
Lands covered by debris and subject to food
ing; river bottom or marginal lands ma
turally subject to temporary annual over
flow low basin lands, not tule swamp,
naturally subject to deep annual flooding
low bas lands, tule swamp, naturally
subject to protracted deep annual flood
ing; island swamp lands and other tule
swamps, naturally subject to flooding by
high tides. .....:-.......... 1,254Oo
River, slough and channel surface OF peren-
NAL streams. Observation-Disclosures. 3sO5
Total. 4769 90
OF the pluvial waters which fall in the valley of
the Sacramento, it may be said that in ALL except
seasons of extraordinarily heavy rainfal-such as
have occurred about once every ten years since the
settlement of the State-they are absorbed by the
soil and do not contribute materially to the swelling
OF the of food in the main river and its trbu
taries,
During the high waters of March, 1879, the low
lands of the Sacramento valley to the extent of
about S47 square miles, were covered with water
This includes all flooded for a short period of
time as well as that upon which the water rested
for several months. Above the mouth OF the
Feather river in what may be called the upper food
region, the area covered was about 4S3 square miles,
and below that point in what is call the lower flood
region, the flooded area was about 1854 square miles
in extent.
There has been listed in the State by the General
Government about $40 $40 Of land in the Sac
ramento valley swamp and overflowed lands 1t
will be that although arge areas of land were
protected from flooding during the March freshet of
1879 yet the lands actually covered with water were
greater in than the total acreage listed by the
General Government as swamp and overiowed
lands
THE MOUNTAIN WATER SHEDS.
The mountain watersheds whose drainage sys-
TENS are tributary to the Sacramento, are in CON-
bined more than two and half times the super
flee of the valley itself Subjected to violent rains
during the winter and early spring. these mountain
basins send down food volumes of considerable
magnitude at such times, and the melting of SHOWS
on the higher regions cause other waves of food
water to flow down the principal streams during the
later spring months
The eastern side of the Sacramento valley is
hanked by the Sierra Nevada mountains, whose
slope, drained by the American, Bear, Yuba and
Feather rivers, Butte, Chico Rock Deer Mill and
Antelope creeks, with other smaller Streams has an
area of g. 29S square miles in elevation rises 600
to feet above the sea- and receives in seasons
of ordinary heavy rainfall from "a to I02 inches of
the waters of precipitation in the form of rain and
snow.
Upon the west the Coast Range slope. drained by
Putah, Cache, 0at, Cortero, Willows Stony,
Thornes, Elder, Red Bank and Reeds creeks, with
numerous smaller streams, into the valley of the
Sacramento, is ,075 square miles in area
This region is much less elevate than the face of
the Sierra east OF the valley is generally subjected
to less downfall OF waters, but receiving these for
the most part in the form of rain upon surfaces
from which ii rapidly Sheds the volumes of food
are quickly accumulated and delivered upon the
plain.
Northward from the two great mountain slopes
spoken of extends the drainage basin of the main
Sacramento, with those of the tributaries which
enter before it comes out upon the plains and is
situated between the crest Of the Sierra Nevada on
the east and the summit OF the ridge, which, with
Mount Shasta for central object; forms the divide
just south of the Trinity river basin hose waters
find their way through the Coast Range to TIE sea
This region, comprising the sub-basins of Cotton.
wood creek, Clear creek, McCloud river, Bear river
Canoe, Saltwater, Cow Battle and other creeks in
cudes the whole of Shasta and parts OF Siskiyou
counties. and is 56l6 square miles in area 1t is
mountainous and billy region, with intervening
comparatively small valleys and PLAINS and in ele-
walton ranges from 1000 to IA 600 feet above the
The rainfall is almost always in excess of that
received in any portion of the great basin south of
il, ranging from 80 to lie inches per annun
In addition to this, the Upper Pit river, above
the boundary of Shasta and Llssen counties-the
principal tributlry of the Upper Sacramento-cou-
ing through the mountains from the high plains and
ridges of Lassen county and Siskiyou east Of the
Sierras is stream of considerable magnitude at