Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-03-03

observed it on the 10Th of May last, and esti
mated it at father less than three millions o.
| gallons day. have not seen it since, bu
| presun that it diminishes, and, perhaps, falls
entirely in dry weather, like other water
courses in the vicinity.
The past season has not been favorable one
for determining the reliable flow of streams,
as it has been marked by an abundance of wa
ter, both from the melting of snow and from
subsequent rains. l should estimate the
quantity of water that could be diverted into
Pleasant Lake, including its present influx,
without going to Forest Lake, a five million
gallons day. By extending the works to
Forest Lake, and using the reservoir capacity
of that lake to its fullest extent, the quantity,
might be increased to ten, possibly to twelve
millions. This, of course, applies to a dry
year. great deal more than this could have
been got the present year. Thus, according
to the table at the end OF this report, the sup
ply Obtainable from sources this side of For
est Lake is liable to be absorbed in the fourth
year after the completion of the works, and
the total supply, after taking in Forest Lake,
could not be relied on far more than ten years.
Assuming that the length of an aqueduct
from Lake Forest to Pleasant would exceed the
direct distance in the same proportion that we
find for the line between Pleasant and Como,
this project would require something over
twenty. eight miles of aqueduct, which must
have pretty large dimensions as the fall along
the entire line would not much exceed six
inches to the mile. If we avail ourselves to q
sufficient extent of the storage capacity of
these reservoirs, the dimensions of the aque.
duct must be computed on fall considerably
less than this. Such an aqueduct would mot
cost less than SIS, 600 per mile, or 81, 100, 600
for the entire line.
The difficulty with this project, as with any
other that involves the use of Pleasant Lake as
q reservoir, is that the latter is a little too
high. 1t necessarily excludes the larger part
of the present supply as we'll as nearly the en-
tire volume af Rice Creek. 1t also necessitates
an aqueduct all the way from Forest Lake,
since the water must be conveyed at consid-
cradle elevation above the marshes water
courses along the line. Considerable time
and, finding it so unsatisfactory both as to
cost and the quantity of water obtainable, I
was inclined to favor the project of pumping
from the Mississippi river. At late stage of
the inquiry, however, decided, with the ap-
probation of the other members of the com.
mission, to examine the practicability OF an
adjustment of the lake system, promising to
secure substantially the advantages, aud avoid
the difficulties of the Como project.
vADNAIs LAKE PROJECT.
This consists in eliminating Pleasant Lake
from the system, by drawing it down ten feet
or more, and substituting for it Vadnais Lake,
which lies on the same water-course, some
four miles nearer to wn, and ten or twelve feet
lower in elevation. This would allow the en-
tire volume of Rice Greek to be diverted into
Vadnais' through Pleasant. and also Forest
Lake to be made tributary by means OF SIM
pie cut leading into the valley of Rice Greek.
The outlet of Vadnais Lake is six and half
miles from the state house. The lake contains
five hundred aud sixty acres. 1t can be con-
trolled by dam on Gervals' Creek, about
mile and half nearer the town. Its present
Clearwater--One of the Rice Creek cluster of
lakes at Centerville. This system oflakes and
marshes stretches nortwarn from Centervllle
as far as Clear Lake, which is withiH three
fourths of mile of Forest Lake, and four feet
higher than Clearwater.
A line has been surveyed for channel or
feeder to turn the waters of Rice Crerk into
Vadnals, 1t starts from Clearwater, and fol-
lows the line of Cedar, Wilkinson, Deep,
Pleasant, and Sucker Lakes. The total dis
lance is forty-five thousand feet, OF about
eight and one half miles. The deepest cutting
is 81 feet, which is only for few rods, at the
ridge between Cedar and Wilkinson. For
a distance of only miles does the cut
ting exceed 10 feet. This channel could be an
open cut for the whole distance, IS it lies
everywhere below the natural level ofsgrOuhd
water, and would expose its contents to no
loss from filtration. No pumping would be
required on any part OF the line during the
work of excavation. The excavation is CON-
puted for channel Ak feet wide Oh the bot
tom, with slopes of TX base tel rerpendicu-
lar. The bolton is placed 2 feet below the
present level of Clearwater, and the grade is
such as to bring it 3 feet below the present
level of Vadnais. The total excavation is
about 400, 900 cubic yards. This line could be
shortened $500 feet by adopting tunnel
1900 feet long, with possible saving of ex-
pense. compute the cost for an open cut.
Forest Lake is at present, about II feet above
Clear Lake, and communication could be
opened between the two at very moderate
expense. Two lines have been surveyed for
such communication. One -eOntemplates
taking the water from the outlet stream, so
as not to interfere, either with the level of
the lake, or with the project for gristmill,
at the outlet, which has been talked Of. This
would be some miles long with cutting OF
Is feet for distance of 4 of mile. This
would be satisfactory TO owners and residents
at Forest Lake. The other line contemplates
closing the outlet by dam, and controlling
the lake to the extent of two or three feet
above and below its present level, perhaps five
or six feet above. Tue lake would thus act as
reservoir to the extent of six or seven thous-
and million gallons, holding its entire flow
for two or three years against year of I'M
common scarcity.
This second line requires cut about 3 600
feet long. The greatest depth would be Is
feet, For not over 200 feet would the cut
ting exceed!10 feet. A survey has also been
made for dam at the outlet. A gate house
would be necessary at the lake, to control the
discharge, and portion of the channel, two
or three hundred feet long would require to
be paved, to avoid Outlying.
The Rice Lakes at Centerville would have
to be controlled by series of dikes at that
point. A rise of four feet at Centerville would
be necessary, in order to turn all the water
into Vadnais IN time of freshet. This would
require Vadnais to be raised to maximum
height of eight feet above its present level, as
the water is liable to come to dead level be-
tween Rice and Vadnais. Surveys have been
made to determine the extent of 1lOwage in
volved in these changes of level. There would
be TBS acres of marsh flowed around Vadnais,
and 2,7UO acres above Centervile. None of
this land is of much value. A part of it is
moved in dry years, but the greater part is
practically valueless.
The adoption of Vadnais as reservoir en-
ables us to utilize the entire volume of Rice
Creek and Forest Lake, together with about
three. fourths of the present supply, all
through natural channels and open feeders.
In the latter part of December last, the total
flow from these several sources was not far
from thirty-six millions of gallons per day,
viz:
Outlet of Vadnais .....9 millions