Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-01-01
WORKS AND SYSTEMS,
AS they existed in 1879, were grouped as
follows by the State Engineer

Al.
There is no doubt that this area will in
the future be greatly increased. The
economy of water will be more thoroughly
studied and the water supply itself will be
increased by the construction of storage
reservoirs. In other sections, where
nucleus of irrigation works has formed,
there is still more room for development
OF the water supply sent down by the
Sierra Nevada into San joaquin valley
only small portion is at present utilized
for irrigation, The rainfall in the valley
is SO insufficient for agricultural purposes
that only one.third of the valley land is
under cultivation. The rest is nearly all
god ojl, but for lack of moisture, sp-
pes-s IN ordinary years like vast desert.
GASES IN THIS DESERT
Have baen created wherever it has pleased
man te exert his energy and supply the
soil WITH moisture. Water diverted from
Kern River in numerous canals near Bakers
field i.rigates more than 10000 acres of
land. Such ifregation ought to be accom-.
plished by discharge of the river, not
greater than one-half of its average flow
during the low-water period of each year.
This low-water discharge, based upon the
observations of the State Engineering De-
partment during four comparatively dry
years, las averaged for the three months,
August, September and October), is 600
cubic feet per second. Kern river, however,
had mean yearly flow of $50 cubic feet per
second during the same four years, and
there is evidently much room for an in.
crease Of the area irrigated by its waters.
About so, 900 acres of land are irrigated by
water diverted from Kings river, in canals
having an aggregate maximum capacity of
900 cube feet per second probably Co.
900 acres are supplied with water from the
San Joaquin and Merced rivers combined.
These estimates are liberal. Kaweah and
Tule river waters irrigats
COMBINED AREA OF ABOUT 10000 ACRES.
The area irrigated from Fresno, Chow
chila and other rivers in the valley will
probably aggregate 5000 acres. There
ara then only about 2l5,000 acres of
land in the San Joaquin valley irrigated
by water supply which, at its lowest
stage, estimated from the base of the foot
bills, is over 5000 cubic feet per second,
tbased on the average flow of the rivers
during the months of August, September
and October, from 1879 to 1882. This
amount of water flowing continuously
ught to irrigate much greater area but
it by no means forms the basis for an
estimate of an upper limit of the amount
of land for which the water supply of the
San Joaquin valley is sufficient. Their
aggregate flow during the months OF May,
June and July, when the demand for
water for irrigation is greatest, averaged
for the years 1879 to 1882 over IS, 600
cubic feet ger second. There will come a
time when Only small portion of this
water at extremely high stages of the river
will be allowed to flow idly from the hills
to thelsea. Most of it will be made to take
its course
OVER EXTENSIVE PLAINS,
And before it collects in the drainage ways
of the valley it will have supplied millions
of acres of land with an abundance of
moisture. The State Engineers estimate
iu 1879 of the area of land irrigated in the
f0othil counties, from Tuolumne to Butte,
is 6, 900 acres. He estimates the lands ir-
rigated in 1879 from Cache Creek, by
means of three canals, at IS, 400 acres. Ir.
rigation is not confined to the above Sec
tions, for which few figures to illustrate
its extent have been given. The State
OuINSJ VI pSucia4, IL LIS IepuFI OF 1OI J-OU,
gives the following information There are
2,225 acres of land irrigated in Alpine
county ,450 acres in Iuyo; Is. 600 acres
in Lassen; "a 900 in Modoo; 4 900 in
Plumas and %, 900 in Siskiyou. Irriga-
CATION is being extended as fast as capital
for the construction OF the necessary works
in each locality becomes available.
GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES OF CALIFORNIA.
Intimately connected with the subject of
irrigation are the Typographical features of
the State. The general trend of the
mountain ranges of California is from
northwest to southeast. The two great
mountain chains of the State have this
position, and, with their subsidiary ridges,
form its principal Typographical features.
The Coast range is a comprehensive
term applied to a number of ranges of
mountains more or less connected, lying
nearer the Pacific ocean than its parallel
range, the Sierra Nevada. Sometimes the
two ranges are distinctly separate, as is
the case from Bakersfield to Shasta, while
again, as at TETON and north of Shasta,
the topography of the country is no longer
a guide to where the dividing line between
the two ranges should be drawn. Between
the Sierra Nevada and the Coast range, in
the central part of the State, lie the
! SACRAMENTO AND SAN JOAQUIN VALLEYS.
These two valleys have one common outlet
into the Bay Of San Francisco-through