The record-union., 1891-06-29
STORAGE RESERVOIRS.
Eighteen of Them Constructed in Las
sen County.
About Hundred Thousand Acres in
Honey Lake Valley to be Sup
piled With Water.

Great progress has within the past three
years been made toward reclaiming the
arid lands in Lassen County, especially
those Of Honey Lake Valley. No less
than eighteen storage reservoirs of large
size have been built for the purpose of
supplying water for the cultivation of the
large bodies of arid, but exceedingly fer
tile, lands of that county. Another pro-
Ject of the same sort is now under way,
which, when completed, will rank among
the foremost in the State
The location of this new enterprise is in
Honey Lake Valley, and from the report
OF l.. II. Taylor Of Sacramento, the en-
gineer in charge of the work, the follow
ing interesting facts are learned:
The source of supply is Long Valley
Creek, which has drainage area of over
400 square miles III the Sierra Nevada
Mountains. About six miles above the
mouth of the creek there is a narrow can
yon through which the stream flows, and
here it is proposed to construct n dam.
ms VIII be OF earth, With puddlGd core
and Will have Il thickness at the base of
4i3 feet, sioping gradually at the same
angle on beth sides to the top, where it
VIII be twenty feet thick Tie eXt1eme
l =
At the base in the bottom oI the canyon it
will be 200 feet long, at hight of eighty
! five feet the length viii be 40 feet and 81
! the full hight the length viii Ice 800 feet
\ reservoir with an area OF | 500 acres
VIII thus be constructed, which will have
an average depth of water OF thirty lone
feet. This will give an available supply
OF 800 ,GO0,090 cubic feet or TO, II. 900, eco
gallons of water, or considerably more
! than the famous Bear Valley reservoir
| That the source Of supply i0r this ruSnr-
VOir Will be ample may be seen from the
Tact that measurements taken bE- the
stream show flow of 500 to 1900
miners inches, while the greatest eyap-
Grafton noted has been but two inches a
month in similarly situated reservoirs in
the same county.
The water Will be conveyed from the
reservoir in open canals to the lands
which il is proposed TO irrigate, and
winch comprise a large area of fertile soil
The reservoir will have Il capacity to
supply 100000 acres, but it VIII be some
time, OF course, before so large an area
Will be pat under cultivation. The entire
cost OF the dam ana the diverting canals.
| however, VIII not exceed 500, 900 from
which it Will lie seen that this is one of
the cheapest irrigation enterprises in the
State
The lands that are to be irrigated from
J
feet, and are as fertile as any in the State.
/ They all require irrigation for cereals.
grasses, fruit and ordinary farm crops.
( but the results are most remarkable
From thirty-fiye to forty-fiye bushels Of
wheat and from forty-tive to eighty
| bushels Of barley are the average crops,
and the grain IS of the finest quality.
Alfalfa is tavorite crop. this being q
splendid stock-growing section, While the
potatoes produced here are superior to
| even the famed Salt Lake product. The
pioneer apple-growers Of Honey Lake
Valley enjoy profits that equal those
secured by the citrus fruit producers of
the South.
\ good commencement has already
been made in actual work on the dam,
and it is expected that by next season the
| reservoir will be completed and water
| be supplied.
Honey Lake Valley is already traversed
by a railroad marrow GAUGE running
north from Reno. The present terminus
is Amadee, eighty-five miles north of the
starting point, but the line has been sur
yeyed through to Oregon, and it will un-
doubtedly be pushed to completion, thus
giving the many fertile valleys of Lassen
County an outlet for their farm products
in two directions