Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-07-09
THE CHIEF RIVERS.
PROSPECTIVE LABOR OF THE STATE
RIVER AND HARBoR BOARD.
Engineer Grunsky Reports on the Needs
of the Sacramento and San
Joaquin Rivers.

|
| work to be done:
| To the President of The Examining Commission ON
Rirers and Harbors-DEAR SIR: Having been re-
quested to outline the scope of the work which
this commission can undertake in the very
| short period of time at its disposal, now SUBJ
| init the following for consideration. 1t is made
| the duty OF the Commission to examine fully
| and carefully into the condition of the Sacra-
mento and San Joaquin rivers and TO determine
| what steps are necessary for the rectification
| and improvement of these rivers and to pre-
| sent the results of this examination in report
to the Governor on or before the LIST day of Oc-
| tober, 1892 in such form and containing such
| calculations specifications and estimates that
| it may by Congress be made the basis of an APP
| preparation for the improvement of Sacramento
| and San Joaquin rivers.
| The purpose for which this Commission was
created is primarily therefore that of devising
| a proper system Of river treatment for the per-
manent Improvement OF our rivers, and the
Commission rs specially charged to direct its at
tention to the two great rivers of the State, the
! Sacramento and the San joaquin.
II is well-known fact that no appropriation
by Congress for the Improvement of rivers or
harbors can be hoped for unless the expendi-
| ture of money for the Carrying out of such i'm
provement has been recommended by the
proper department, and estimates of the cost of
proposed works have first been submitted In
| but few cases have appropriations been made
for the improvement of rivers, except in SO far
| as such Improvement could be shown to be of
| direct benefit to navigation. Consequently, and
| in line with the policy of Government aid to
navigation only, but very little attention could
| be paid by the United states Army Engineers in
| charge of our rivers to their sufliciency as
drainage channels. Navigability being assured
| at the high-water stages, they have directed
thelr entire attention TO the conditions which
prevail at the low-water stages of the rivers
and the works recommended have in the case
OF the Sacramento river never yet been such
| as could have been classed as permanent i'm
provements. All have been purely of tempo
| rary character, such as wing dams 10 cause the
cutting out OF local sand or gravel bars, the re-
moval of snags and other works of kindred
! nature: Within the last few months, how.
! ever, the United States Army Engineers have
/ commenced work bank protection for Sacra-
mento river, which, to small extent at least,
| may amelior8te the condition of the river at
points below the same by maintaining an In
| creased securing CAPACITY of the river, but
! which ostensibly is to serve only for the pur-
| pose of preserving the integrity of the river
and of preventing 1t from leaving its present
channel
] On the San Joaquin river there are a number
of instances where works recommended by The
United States army Engineers and cons. ructed
at Government expense, have been in the line
OF permanent Improvements, such as connec-
! tons of the rivers alignment and the constrrc-
| ton OF the overall wier in Paradise cut These
improvements were such as might be hoped
| to make the high water stages of the river
effective in working betterment of the river
channel, and were intended TO prevent injuri.
Gus changes which might occur during the nigh
| stages of the river.
| But all works on both of the rivers above
| States army engineers solely because it was by
| them believed that these works would improve
| the low-water navigablity OF the rivers, not be-
| cause they improved the rivers as drainage
channels, or reduced the danger of flooding
| of low lands
The most notable precedent which has been
| established of an expenditure OF money by
Congress for the prevention of the foundations
OF large areas OF land is in the case of the Mis-.
sissippl river. AS early as 1872 Congress appro-
| priated large sum of money 10 be used in de-
To- fhQ hmm lofia Of
the Mississippi delta, and the improvement
of the mouths of that river This
%as clearly he expressed in the
conformity with the policy then indicated Con-
gress has been making appropriations annually
| lot the construction and protection of leyees
along the banks of the Mississippi river, for the
relief OF sufferers from overflow caused by the
breaking of levees maintained at Government
expense, and for kindred purposes.
1t may be urged that systematic treatment
OF the Mississippi river could not be mad by a
cooperation OF States whose policies in this d.
rection were liable to change, and that it was
therefore necessity for Congress to take cog
nizance of the peculiar condition there prevail
ing and to point out through a properly consti-
tuted River Commission what works should be
carried out Congress really did this and il d id
more. The cost of the works was not appor-
toned to tie several States that were Interested
The river Improvement was paid for out of the
national treasury and the work still goes on.
The rivers of California above named, which,
With their tributaries, represent an aggre-
gate nayigable length of about 600 miles
are not throughout their nayigable portions
why the right of the National Government to
improve them as drainage channels and to pro-
tect the 10000 acres of land adjacent to them
and which are now inadeQuately, or not at all,
protected from overflow, should not be exer-
cised as fully and with as good reeults as might
be done If California wee not the one great
state that 1t is, but was cut up into number
OF small States, like those along the Mississippi
river.
The importance of California's rivers as COM
mercial highways is unquestioned, aud has
quite recently been recognized in Congress by
| the River and Harbor Committee of the House
OF Representatives. which has recommended
Engineers to examine into the condition of
these rivers aud 10 propose comprehensive
treatment But California has still another
reason TO advance why Congress should at once
assume control of the waterwa in the San
Joaquin and Sacramento valleys for the pur-
pose OF lettering them as drainage channels as
wei as to improve their navigability. The use
iulnsss OF the main Waterways as outlets
Tor flood water, well as their
nav1gabiity has been greatly impaired by the
deposit of mining debris in the river channels
This debris is the direct result of the hydraulic
mining industry which was sanctioned by the
United states Government at the time when the
great gravel deposits of the Sierra Nevada were
soid as mineral land from which gold could not
be prottahly extracted except by the hydraulic
process. The injury done by the mining debris
TO the main channels OF the rivers is not fan
| certainty along the course of the Sacramento
river up TO the mouth of the Feather river up
this stream past the mouth of the Bear river to
| the mouth of the Yuba, and up the American
Bear and fuba in each case from the mouths
| of these streams TO the points where they leave
| the hills The extent of this injury and the
| loss OF the capacity of the rivers need not be
expressed even relatively by me at this time.
IL Is sufficient for me To state that here at Saera-
| mento the waterway of the river when water
was at the top of natural banks az feet on river
81 III wb ba
average of many measurements since 1879 make
the waterway at the same stage of the river only
1910 square feet: the available channel dur
J ing this time having been about II 800 square
feet or 50 per cent. less than it would have been
| II hydraulic mining had never been practiced
| The low water plane ut Sacramento is now at
about rs on the river rod. 1t was S feet lower
| in lSi9. The lowest point of the river bottom
just below the city of Sacramen' o, where a sand
bar now lies in the river, at its low stages, is
! some three feet higher than the old low-water
| plane of the river.
These grea. changes having been brought
abo t by hydraulic mining operations (the dis
| astrous effects OF which when debris is dis
| charged into the rivers are at last being recog
| nized by the United STATES Government author
ities it is but right that they should be restored
| to their original usefulness at the expense of
| the national Government
| II is therefore clearly within the province of
4 the proper Government authorities to under
| take the Improvement of California water
/ courses as drainage channels, Ms wei as to main
| tain their navigabiliGy. 1t follows that the
| rivers at their flood stages when their capacity
| is far less than it was before hydraulic mining
| commenced, should receive the same consldera-
ton which they receive at their low stages. and
| IL will not then be long before Congress will
| have before 1t the necessary recommendations
| Tor com Jrehensiye treatment of the rivers
| above named, looking to their permanent i'm
! provement as The drainways and as the COM
| inercial highways of the great central valley.
Under the law creating the Commission,
| which certainly does not intend to make the
| Commission part of the lobby at the national
| capital, the most uSeiul work VIII oh can now
| be undertaken may be enumerated as follows:
!. To prepare iuli and comp etc set OF
| river maps "a possible of the Sacramento and
san Joaquin rivers and their branches, which
| are 10 serve for Office use and for publication
| with the report OF the Commission.
:. TO prepare n full set of river profles and
| croSs-seciions for office use and publication.
3. To coliecs the results of all prior surveys
| aud examinations, notably the work of The
| United States Army Engineers and the work of
| the state Engineers Department, including
| soundings and measurements of the flaw of
water IN so far as they may prove OF utility in
| the examination and comparisons TO be made
| By the Commission.
4: To tabulate all elevations along the rivers
| and their branches
.. TO make special examination of the river
| overflow basins, fh,ir extent, elevation of
ground, recent changes. attempts at reciama-
/ n eff fn.SSt = l. -,