Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-09-15
ARID LAND SURVEYS.
Comprehensive Review of the Work in
Two States.
r. f Call SaDfau,ha- r4tt,

1t is now about three months since the
actual work of making the irrigation sur
veys Of arid regions of the West was begun
| under the charge of the Director of the
United States Geological Survey, and in a
few weeks work will be suspended for the
season. The arid region has been divided
into ten divisions, five east of the Rocky
| mountains and five west, supervising en-
gineer being in charge of each of the two
grand divisions and division engineer in
charge of each division.
The work west of the Rocky mountains
is under the supervision of w Ham. Hall.
| who was also assigned to the duty of
division engineer for California. Ten DAYS
ago Lyman Bridges, who was appointed
division engineer for Nevada, was removed
| by order of Director J. w. Powell, and Mr..
Hall was also assigned to the duties of
division engineer for Nevada. The reasons
| for Mr.. Bridges removal in the midst of
| the work, after serving for three months,
have not been given.
Supervising Engineer Hall has Just conf
pleted his report of the work during Au-
gust, to be forwarded to Washington.
In California there are three surveying
parties IN the field, one making a hydro
graphic and Typographical survey of the
region about Clear lake, another making
surveys for and locating sites for reservoirs
the upper portions of the watersheds of
the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and MERGED
rivers, and third is accommodating for OPP
portunities for storing water in Modoc and
S skiyou counties.
The Clear lake party has about half COM
pleted Its work, and this work will be fin
isked in time to be embodied in report to
be made before the meeting of Congress.
The mountain party has definitely sur
veyed four sites for the storage of water,
and located and reconnoitered eighteen
mere. The accommodating party in the
north has preEminafily examined twelve
reservoir sites, made preliminary surveys
for four or five canal lines for the diversion
OF water to the barren lands of that region
and has generally examined the subject to
get information for the guidance of surveys
next season.
The most interesting portion of the pres
ent work is that of the mountain party,
located in the high mountains above the
Yosemite valley. The work here is being
carried on with a view not only 20 store
water for irrigation, but also to keep up
the water supply of the streams and falls
of the Yosemite valley during the summer
months. The greatest volume of wafer in
the streams and falls of the Yosemite nat
u'ally appears in the spring. The tourist
season opens about the middle of May and
is at its hight in the early part of June.
By the middle of June the volume of water
in the great fall, as well as in the smaller
ones, has so lessened that the cataracts
present but fraction of the beauty and
grandeur with which the spring floods in
vest them, and visitors during the summer
months see only shrunken streams falling
In showers Of spray over the rocks and
winding through tie valleys.
By impounding the water which rushes
down in large volumes in the spring, and
allowing it to escape when the mountain
supply has SO greatly lesseDed, the beauty
and subiimity of these valley scenes would
be greatly enhanced. With this end in
view the whole watershed about the valley
is being surveyed, and a number of pos
sible sites for reservoirs have been located.
One is on Yosemite creek, two and one
half miles above the great falls, and others
are on the smaller streams which feed the
Bridal Veil, Nevada and Vernal falls. OF
course the surveys are one thing and Con-
gressionai appropriations for the work an
other.
In Nevada twelve reservoir sites have
been surveyed on the Truckee and Carson
rivers, and as many canal lines run for d.
verting and utilizing the water. There are
fourteen parties in the field in Nevada.
with from eight to twelve men in each
party, about one-fourth the number being
engineers. The work there is being closed,
mainly because of the exhaustion of the
money appropriated to that division.
In California about half the above num-
Der OF men have been at work The work
IS vast one, and will depend on future
Congressional appropriations. It will be
several months before any report of i'm
portance will be published.