The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1892-03-11
THE RIVER AT CORVALLIS.
MAJOR HANDBURY's SURVEY OF THE WILLIAM
ETrE NEAR THIS CITY.

| examination and survey be made with Il
view to improving the navigation of Il
willamette river, near the city of Corva
lis, Oregon, and also that an estimate of IL
necessary improvement be submitted. Til
duty having been assigned to me by you
letter of October 81, 1890, I now have til
honor to submit the following report Thereon
The reach OF river deemed necessary to b
surveyed III order to arrive at Il proper cor
cluslon as to what should be done in thi
case extends from a point miles beIo,
/ Corvallis to point 81 miles above, meas
ured in staisht line. By the meandering
or the present steamboat channel the dis
tance between these. extreme points IS |
miles. The average low water slope through
out this reach IS IA feet per mile Th
| slope at high water is 2.36 Der mile
Throughout a portion of the distance aboy
Corvallis the lOw.water discharge is divided
between three channels and dnring extrem
high water the whole valley, with the ex.
ceptlon of a few isolated patches, is over
flowed. The least distance between bank
| not Overhowed within the liniss of the sur
vey is p miles. The high bank opposit
Corvallis is six miles distant. The bottom i!
cut up with sioushs, high water channels
and old river beds, that serve as outlets fo,
the water at medium and ordinary high
water stages. A portion of the bottom i.
covered with thick growth of timber anl
underbrush and another large portion on 6
little higher level has been cleared and i.
under cultivation. The soil here is rich and
brings forth abundant crops when they Cal
escape overflow. These lands are subject tc
overflow at stages ranging from II to 20 fee,
| above the low-water stage OF the river. The
| extreme high water of February, 1899,
reached % feet. IN T.
Before these bottom lands were cleared
and placed under cultivation the heavy tim.
ber and underbrush with which they were
covered retarded the water during the
periods of their overflow and prevented the
washing away of the soil. At the medium
and low stages OF the river, when it was con.
ined within its banks, the erosion of these
banks WIS limited, on account OF the hard
nature of the 81 pbstratum on which the soil
rests. This in general is compact gravel or
Il mixture of clay and sand, offering consider.
able resistance to the erosive action of the
water. AT places the soil or sand more
loosely formed will extend below low water
When the land is cleared off and the soil
loosened up by cultivation the high-water
currents have more marked effect upon
the top layer Of soil. The damage is greater
and more noticeable as the country becomes
more settled and more of the ground is
brought under cultivation. This land is
not overfiowed every yea.; sometimes
period of six or eight years may eiapse with.
out a serious food. Its exceeding produc.
tiveness induces the farmer to take these
chances.
Iu the reach Of 8 miles from Corvallis up
stream the river makes we'll defined S. In
the upper curve of this 5 1t has been slowly
eroding its bank, making the curve deeper
Plotting the original meander notes made i'll
1882, obtained from the surveyor-generals
Office, on our recent map, it appears that
the apex of the concave bank has advanced
IT'S feet, or at the average rate of 20 feet
per year. The land that has beeu washed
away amounts to 81 acres. The value OF
this at present prices should not exceed
$1,000.
In this locality we find several low places
N the iaud, through which high water es-
APES across the neck into the river below. |
some alarm has been felt lest the whole |
body of the river might break through here
md leave Corvallis some 4 900 teet from the |
lavi gable channel of the river The river |
md harbor act of 1888 authorizes the ex-
,enditure of Sl4, 900 i'll revetting this bend
o prevent the threatened change of channel
The bank was graded down on 4 slope of !
IN and revettlng with brush and rock over
width of Is feet tor a distance of 1876
eet. This etfectualy protected this portion
rom further erosion and is still in good con-
Lition. In addition to this there was u row
f piles feet apart driven on top of the
,ank a short distance back from the edge
With the view to catching drift ami check
ng the velocity of the water when it reached
he overflow stage, the idea OF this being to
ssimilate the conditions existing before the
rees and uuderbrush were cut away. The
fleet of the high water of February, 1899, |,
pom this, and the resulting securing action
/ the water i'll it's immediate vicinity. Were
ot such as to warrant the further construct.
,n of works of this character. Above the
pper end of the revetted portion of the bank
mere is harl gravel bach for q distance :
{ about ], 400 feet. This extends back from !
wv water from so to 700 feet; then comes j.,
ne bluff soil bank from s to 10 feet high, !,
roded more or less at high water. La this
,caitv is the head of u low place i'll the &
md through which the water flows at ordi
ary high stages. Above this for Il con. !
derable distance the same gravel bed =
.cms to underiie the bluff bank and protect
from erosion except at the high stages of q
ater. The profile along this low swale
lows that the water commences running
trough it at 10 foot stage. At that Stage :,
,e water is % feet above the top Of the L
ank across the lower end of the slough and
backed up to within about ], 700 feet of
le point of overflow at the upper end. The e
Ii is then 10 feet. At the low water stage t.
,e surface of the water in the river is on a ,
vel with a point g. 500 feet below the head r
the swale. This seems to be filled about Y
e head with coarse, heavy material I
ought in during high water. The evi- n
,nce that this is enlargins or growing u
,eper is not conclusive.
The total amount expended by the United \
,ates in protecting this bend was Sl2,496 y
From study of the results of this survey |
id personal visit to the ground during t
Oh water and again at low water, l can 1
It conclude that there is any danger that 4
e channel of the river at low water will n
.ss over this neck within any reasonable \
myth of time, or that the city OF Corvallis l
Ill be deprived of it's advantage of water L
At high stages. of the river L
e water will continue to pass over these
tom lands as it has done in the past, and
amount of money within reason will pre-
mt it. b
The present condition of the river in this u
cinty as regards navigation may be classed
very good, when compared with many
her localities along its course where no h
provement is contemplated. S
In the first bend above Corvallis. we find ir
e lower end of chute that leads across a
rrow neck to the river above, The length u
this is 5000 feet. At fve.foot stage tu
e. water commences to run through tins b
ute. The difference OF level in the river at X
is stage between the head and foot of the !.
ute is s feet. It is at prevent very much =
structed with fallen trees and driftwood. let