The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-19
THE RIVER QUESTION.

Ideas Suggested by the River and Harbor
State Commission Report.
Editor Gail; In your issue of the 10Th a
notice Is given ri The River and Harbor Commits
c \, rexatt the Legislature i'll ieference 10
fhHhs' ask tie favor OF space In your journal
for "a lew remarks.
- The river questsa 81 81 n....s- ri.e
naNisability Is the charge and duty Of the Fed
stal Government. While the prevention of over
How is lie Interest solely of the State or citizen
OF the State owning land contiguous to the river
or course one kind OF work by the Federal and
State q Overnmeuts joiuty!might effect both Dur
poses, viz: BY making the river banks or levees
sufficiently strong, high aud wide apart TO retain
all Tue water from rain or snow for navigation
or IN excess above II, aud thus prevent overflow
But the cost Of such a wOlk would very much
exceed separate woGks for each Impose, and
partnership be tween the General and State Gov
eInncnts cannot be considered Moie The
dcl oil congress. June %, 1889. on similar case
endcts that no pa!t of au app opfia[IUn can be
applied 10 repairing or making OF levees
LOT Hoecton against overflow, and In
iuls California case the Chief expenditure would
be Incurred IN prevention Of overflow. TO
guard against Over How must therefore be u sen
ara purpose. ana o effect It | observe the com
mltiee's report recommends change in the
alignment OF the liver, that IL. Of The upper Sac
lahlehiO which is here referred to. This change
proposes new tlver channel In part OF lie
river between Colusa and Grafton, OF knights
LabdlhS Shortening tie cOur:e hiteen miles by
uIecl cul-UH OF fourteen miles, and another
direct cut OF new channel of four miles between
Portuguese Bend aud Feather River Junction
ShuI ttuIhB tht present course of the river ten
miles IN Il distance of fourteen miles Il quote
ION Tie Commission report, page l2O). Such
chaleeS Oh ilFcr alignment producing increased
feloclly OF discharge would OF course HeIp very
much 10 prevent overflow. but would also Impair
navigation ~ summer, or dry seasons, and this,
VIII say advlsrdly, would not be permitted by
lhe feueial authorities. who regard navigation
as the aramount object. now venture TO pre-
sent III itu OF cutoff and change Ia liver align
mehi, plan which may reconcile and serve both
purposes oil navigation and prevention vi over
How, as follows:
assume the capacity of the natural channel
OF the upper sacramento, III its straight reaches
OF COURSES, 10 be sufficient for the discharge of
me mood waters reaching tile river in graduated
increase OF volume during the season OF rainfall
ana snow melting. TINS assumption, l may
state Is The basis OF The commission recon-
mendaiion. also assume the obstruction
taldallon Of The discharge OF the Hood waters TO
be caused 10y The arrested flow OF the rlycr in its
many winding, tortuous channels, TIL 1t nnds
escape over or through tile river pankS, mus
making water basin OF the "uJacent lauds. The
nature and amount of The obstruction To the dis
charge OF the river water may be judged from the
TACT that the t0rtuouS channels referred 10 do
not afford, IN some places, discharge equal 10
one lhlld OF the river volume In The straight
reaches of channel adjoining, thus practically re-
ducing The discharge capacity oil ihe whole river
twO-lhIrds.
The remedy venture to suggest, is the con-
struction OF large waste weirs at navigation
l5vel, immediately above The contorted Channel
OF the river. whereby The excess of water may be
diverted ana again returned 10 tile river, II re-
CURED, al the straight reaches. The cost OF
these waste weirs ana connecting channels eau
not exceed the estimate oil the commission Re
port Tor The new cut of river channels set down
therein. VIZ, Total OF 81 200 000 the nece ssary
excavation work being much less in the waste
wer plan
The difference between the plans presented
may, j think, he thus summarized: The new
river direct channel, recommended in the com
mission report, Will certainly help TO prevent
overflow, but will Us certainly impair low water
navigation while the waste weir plan will
equally prevent over flow and cannot impair navi-
lar hen
uHtcteu VI disposed OF. II. Il.
San francisco, Jan II, 1891