Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-01
WATER SUPPLY.
Millions of Dollars Expended and Won
derful Results Obtained.

Millions of Dollars Expended and Won
derfuI Results Obtained.
The water supply and the artifice
brought to bear upon securing and utlliz-
ing it economically in irrigating, is one of
the important subjects OF all communi-
ties. Orange county has numerous systems
of canals, but the three great ones are the
Santa Ana, Anaheim and Villa Park
canals.
The Santa Ana Valley Irrigating
company has lately completed an
| immense tunnel conduit, an inverted
| syphon 724 feet long, through the Olive
| hills, after excavating an open ditch for
over eight miles among the foothills
from the source of supply, the Santa
Ana river. The conduit is feet 8
inches in diameter, while the open cut
canal is feet deep, II feet at the bot
tom and sloping to 26 feet at the top, all
cemented, and carries 60 heads OF water,
amply sufficient to furnish water power
to the great Olive mills and dozen
others, equal in size, if located within
reach, and irrigate 10000 acres through
which 150 miles OF main ditch, mostly
cemented, and as many miles lateral,
distribute it over the rich soils OF the
valley and mesa in the center OF which
| Santa Ana, Orange, Tustin end dozen
other smaller villages lie nestled among
orange groves.
The Anaheim canal is the largest in
Orange county, and waters the most
land, and, rs the company has been re-
organized and the main canals extended,
it will be one of the largest and most
important in Southern California. The
| 81 - Aclx ~ hn In
river, at Bedrock csflon, several miles
above the source of the Santa Ana ditch,
and near the San Bernardino county
line. Important Improvements are be-
| ing made oil along the Santa Ana river,
in connection with this canal, toward
reclaiming considerable, and protecting
other, lands, overfowed in winter by
that erratic stream, by constructing sub
merged dams and wings. The canal
now waters $4,000 acres of land, and
will, when completed, irrigate much
more. The old company has sold
its rights to cooperative association
of farmers who have issued 100000
bonds to continue the work, the bonds
now being on the London market with
advices that they will be all taken up
soon. Anaheim, Fullerton, Placeutia
and the adjoining country secure their
water supply from this source. Two
reservoirs hold reserve supply Of
water; one covering51 acres and storing
over so 100000 cubic feet Of water. the
second covering 223 acres OF land and
storing 1856 100000 cubic feet of water,
sufficient to cover the entire area irri
gated three and half inches.
Santiago creek furnishes the water to
irrigate Villa Park, Ell Modena and the
country districts adjoining. A splendid
canal is taken out of Santiago creek far
up the canon, thus securing high line
ditch from where agricultural land be-
gins; this, however, was necessary, as
the topography Of the country is undu-
lating, especially in the vicinity OF Villa
Park-the prettiest village in that por-
tion of the county and one OF the hand
soonest of all places OF any portion of
the state.
A concrete dam. submerged to bed
rock, turns the water from Santiago
creek into the canal, which in turn fur
nishes water to 1000 acres of land. Eight
hundred acres of this lie on the south
side of the stream in the vicinity of Ell
Modena, while the greater portion ad.
joins Villa Park. H. G. Kellogg, G. E..
was the engineer who planned this sub
merged dam and also the syphon con-
| duit on the Santa Ana syetem.