Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-24
LETTER FROM n. D. RIDEoUT
Concerning the Stony Creek and sacra
mento IRRIGATION Canals


EDS. REcoRD-UYIoN In your issue of
the 22d you have an article on the Stony
Creek and Sacramento River" irriga-
ton canals, with which l had some con-
nection two and one-half years ago. The
Bee also had a communication over the
signature of " Farmer relating TO the
same matter 1t seemed to be the purpose
in both publications to exhibit those pro-
| posed projects as huge monopoleS and to
| hold them up as samples of those to be
| expected If any system of water appropri-
alton should be devised by this or follow
| ing Legislatures of this State. A brief
| plain statement of the facts connected with
those two canal enterprises will show
| how warped and unfair any such
differences and intimations are
| In order that the cause of irrigation may
receive no prejudice, and that my actions
| III connection with these irrigating enter
prises may be truthfully known by my
| neighbors and fellow-c citizens, ask you TO
| publish the following: The necessity Of
| irrigation on the Colusa plains had been
| long known and felt, and there had been a
| profound conviction on the part Of land
| owners and farmers that some system
| should be inaugurated whereby the sur
| plus waters of Stony creek and the. Sacra:
mento, which are allowed to flow TO the
sea unused, could be brought to their
parched and thirsty soils. There were fire.
| quent meetings and consultations of these
| landowners and farmers to devise means
| TO accomplish this end. There were
| biity OF any large canal on ac-
count Of typographical and financial
obstacles In order TO solve these doubts,
in connection with other landowners and
| farmers, at a heavy expense, I caused q
survey to be made of a canal from Stony
creek through the plains. AT the time that
survey was commenced we filed a notice OF
| appropriation of water in conformity to the
| laws OF practice of the State, which had
existed for years. This was for the benefit
of the landowners and farmers alt NJ the
proposed line of the canal, who were to
furnish the means TO do the work. This
filing OF a notice of appropriation was
merely a precautionary one, and il was a
necessary one for their protection. With
out this precautiOn, after we had been TO an
outlay of thousands of dollars for the sur
vey, we might have found the water
Gained by outside parties. In the survey
of the Stony creek canal unforeseen diff
| culties Were found that determined US tC
make survey from the Sacramento river
| For the same precautionary reasons a no.
tce OF water appropriation was filed. This
! canal was to have been built in the same
manner as the former proposed one-thai
| is, by the people who owned the land along
| its line In short, ii was intended TO be q
cooperative work among landowners and
| farmers. This latter project met with oppo-
siton from the valley papers, from feal
| that it would endanger navigation, and it
was therefore abandoned. The cost OF
1 doll
| which was paid by few individuals al
though the work was in the interest OF
| landowners along the whole line OF
the canals These notices of water
| appropriation expired in sixty DAYS
after they were posted, and have been
dead and imperative for more than two
| years. There was no water monopoly in
either of these canal projects. They were
intended to be owned by the landowners
and farmers along their proposed lines, and
If they could have been constructed they
would have been OF incalculable benefit to
that county. This is in brief the histo v
of the Stony creek and Sacramento river
canals.
may add that so far as the Sacramento
| river is concerned l am entirely satisfied
| from investigation of the subject, that no
water should be taken from the Sacramento
river, the diversion of which can in any
way interfere with its navigability, nor will
the Government permit any person or State
to do so. There is, however, during quite
portion of the year a large surplus which
finds its way over and through levees and
banks into the Jules, which might sbe util-
| lied, not only to the immeasurable benefit
of the plains on the west, by winter or
| spring irrigation, or storage for summer
use, but also to the relief of the river and
valley TO the extent of the water thus di-
verted to public use. n. D. RIDEoUT.
Sacramento, July 90. 1886.