Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-24
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
THE CITY DRAINAGE.

The rev Route Proposed for Burns
Slough Estimated Cost
In accordance with the resolution adopted
by the Board Of Supervisors at its last ses.
sion, directing the County Surveyor to make
survey and estimate of the cost Of con.
structi1g canal to keep the water of Burns
slough outside the city limits, that officer
Yesterday submitted to the Board his report,
as follows:
SACRAMENTO, February %, 1881.
To the Board of Supervisors of Sacramento
cOunty-Gentlemen Pursuant to order
passed al d former session of your Board, |
have made an examination of Burns slough
with the view Of taking the waters of said
slough into the city drainage canal by route
that would keep said waters outside of the
city.
For that purpose l have made surveys to
determine the most practicable route, and es-
Inmates, based on those surveys, of the prob
able cost Of the necessary canal, the results
of which l herewith submit. In order that
the canal shall be most effective in collecting
the draiuage-water from the area lying east
Of Sac anentO City, found it would be
necess 4ry to construct said canalalong the line
of Thirty-6rst street TO Y, and thence along
Y to the present Burns slough canal, at
Sixtee ath and Y streets.
Such a canal would not only carry off the
water draining into Burns slough, but would
also intercept all the waters draining into the
city from the east of Thirty. first from NJ to
Y streets. which do not now find their way
into Burns slough, but collect and submerge
a large area of property, extending from
Thirty-hTst to the high land on Twenty third
street
A survey along Thirty.frst street from
where Burns slough enters the city,
between G and II streets, to Y street,
shows that q canal with the requisite amount
of fall, Tor carrying off the waters OF Burns
slough and those waters now draining into
the city south Of Burns slough, can be con-
structed by making an average cut OF seven
feet the maximum cut being eleven feet
through the ridge at 2 street. From Thirty
first street, west along Y street to Sixteenth,
the canal would follow the natural fall of the
land, and the cutting would be comparatively
light, averaging four feet. To take the waters
into the present drainage canal from Thirty
first ard Y streets at any other point than
Sixteenth and Y streets, would necessitate a
longer canal and a more expensive one, as the
cutting would be heavier. 1t would therefore
be more practicable to adopt this route.
As to the efficiency of the canal, the sur
yeys have determined that the actual differ
ence in the food hight of Burns slough at
Thirty-6rst street THE high water of the pres
ant season being taken as a standard) and the
back water at Y and Twenty third streets
(the back water of 1873 being taken as a
staudar6} IS six inches. The surface fall
of the water, even in a food like that of 1875
would be therefore six inches from Thirty
first and II to Twenty third and streets,
sufficient 10 give free discharge of the
waters. oven IN the event of back water like
that of 1878 south of Y street.
The eject of a canal through Thirty first
and through Y streets, would not be damag-
ing TO any private property, and has this to
recommend it: that no expensive right of
way Will have to bs obtained, as would be
the case were it to run through the property
lying east Of Thirty first street.
The size Of the canal, for the purpose of es-
timalilg cost, have placed at a width of
eight Isl fest on the bottom, with side slopes
of 1 to for this size | relied on my former
experience in such matters, and not to theo-
retical computation of the exact size neces-
sary, rs the latter plan would necessitate a
greater expense than l felt warranted in en-
tailing at the present time. as the amount of
drainage from other sources than Burns
slough would have had to be computed.
The cost of the canal l estimate as fol-
lows From Ihirty-frst, G and H streets to
Y street. amount Of excavation, rs, 500 cubic
yards from Thirty first and Y streets to
Sixteenth street. amount of excavation, TO-
800 cubic yards total, $4,000 cubic yards,
at Is cents per yard. $3.50.
The estimate is based on the supposition
that IN making the cut no material harder
than ordinary soil is to be encountered. If
hard.pau Is to be excavated the cost would
necessarily be increased And 1 would ad-
wise sinking test pits along the route to de-
terruine the depth of the hard-pan below the
surface before commencing the work. Re
specially submitted, j. g. PIERsoN,
County Surveyor