Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-08

County.
Readers of the HERALD will be glad to
learn from reliable sources that there is
proposed grand improvement to be
undertaken in this county, of reservoir,
situated in the San Jose ranch, near the
town of San Dimas. This reservoir has
been under contemplation for quite a
long time, and would have been carried to
completion had it not been for some par
ties owning land at the extreme upper
limits of the reservoir, who would not
sell to the company formed for carrying
out this enterprise, and they will be
compelled to bring suit for condemna-
ton of said lands. The company has
already offered largely over the value OF
the land, to avoid any such proceedings.
The work will be retarded to some ex-
tent from that cause.
To give the public more accurate
idea of the proposed work of the Reser-
voir and Power company it will be nec-
essary to give some figures. The reser-
voir site will contain: Land to be
bought of Ranch company, 1888 1S-100
acres; of l.. Phillips, 3l9 33-100 acres OF
S. Carron, 115 2-100 acres total acreage,
767 53-10O acres. About 500 acres of this
will be covered by water, but it is de-
sirable that the reservoir company con-
troll the land Immediately adjacent to
and drained by the reservoir. The
large dam will contain $4,000 cubic
yards of earth. There will be
necessary three levees which will con-
tain 1856, 900 cubic yards. This reservoir
will hold about 5000, 900 gallons of
water. This is more than one hundred
times the capacity of all the reservoirs
supplying water to the city OF Los Ange-
les, and more than two years supply for
the entire city. This amount of water
is sufficient to cover once. twelve inches
deep, during the irrigation season OF
four months, June, July, August and
September,) $4,000 acres of land. To
give this water in this irrigation with
out the use of reservoir would require
one inch of water, miners measurement,
constant flow, for each five acres of land;
whereas one inch to ten acres is the US
ual amount of supply. This would be
constant flow OF 1000 inches OF water, or
more than flows in the irrigation season
in any river of Southern California.
This estimate is made on filling the
reservoir but once year; whereas wa
ter used in the fall, or in the winter or
early in the spring, could always be re-
placed in the reeervoir. This reservoir
site is 1000 feet above the sea level,
(Los Angeles city, Temple block, is 300
feet,) and could be the first of series of
reservoirs; and all the water which is
brought across the San Gabriel river in
iron pipes be used to raise to an elevation
equal to its fall of so per cent. of it's own
volume of water from the wet lands of
the San Gabriel, and bring the water so
increased on the lands adjacent to Whit
tier, and on the Repetto and other parts
of the Laguna ranch.
At this point it would be desirable to
have a series of smaller reservoirs along
the foothills, north OF the Laguna ranch
another line keeping further north near
the mountains, could be carried over
the San Francisquito ranch and lands
of Garvey and others, east and south OF
the San Gabriel and Alhambra settle
ments and Pasadena, and raise water
from the wet lands adjoining Los An
geles river. This water could be con-
veyed on to the Cahuenga valley and to
Santa Monica. This grand improve
ment will necessitate large outlay OF
money. The reservoir site has a good
clay bottom everything solid conglom-
crate mass of rock, and is more commo-
dious than that OF any other reservoir
now constructed in Southern California,
except that of the Bear Valley COM
pany.
This proposed reservoir is 80 located
that the surface drainage into it is
nominal, the water being conducted in
to the reservoir through canal hence
no damage is to be >apprehended from
filling up with debris, or from being
washed out by floods. In addition to
this there will be broad overfows dis
tant north and west of the dam 200
feet wide, if necessary, and five feet
lower than the top of the dam, which
would carry off as it was received any
accidental excess of water. The length
of the dam at the base is about fifty feet !;
in narrow rock gorge, rising 12O feet,
the height of the dam is 1873 feet, and
500 feet long at.the top, 562 feet wide at
the base, so as to be amply firm to re-
sist all pressure from the column OF
water. The resisting power of the dam
is seven times greater than the water
pressure. The water one mile east Of
the dam would be forty feet deep. The
circu inference of the reservoir is six and
one half miles. This grand project is
the opening wedge of solving the great
problem of the irrigation scheme in Los
Angeles county, and will secure the at
tention of every citizen of the county,
respectfully OF men Of means in land or
money. The country east of here is
making gigantic strides in great improve
ments of the kind, and any one visiting
that locality can see what is being done
owing to the great reservoir system that
has been built. Now in the Immediate
vicinity of this great enterprise in Los
Angeles county, are thousands of acres
of land as good or better than any
lands in San Fernardino county
that are selling with water for $3.50 to