The record-union., 1893-08-29
LEVEB IMPROVEMENT.
Work Which City Engineer Boyd Says
Should be Done.
He Estimates That it VIII Cost About
S3S,OO0 to Place Y Street in
the Best Condition.

the Best Condition.
At yesterdays session of the City Trus-
tees City Engineer Boyd submitted esti-
mates of the work to be done in raising
the grade of Y street. rip-rapping por-
tions Of it with stone, and the cost. While
he believes the grade OF Y street is high
enough to keep out any back-water that
might come by reason Of the levee below
the city breaking, he suggests that it
would be wise to have margin of safety
outside of that.
WHAT THE REPORT SAYS.
To the Honorable Board Of CHy ITus-
tees-GENTLEMEN: Pursuant to your
order, directing me to prepare plans and
gpeclhcations for the proposed work OF
4evee improvement on the levees sur
rounding and adjacent to this city and
constituting our levee system, l beg
leave to report as follows:
Owing to the limited time at my dis
posal in which to investigate the PROPOSE
tlon submitted, l can at this time submit
only partial report, and deal only with
the G-street levee, and | would respect
1ully suggest that, inasmuCh as the work
necessary to be done on y street will be
independent of work done elsewhere on
the system, this work be advertised and
contracted at once, and the remaining
work necessary to be done Will be re-
ported upon at a future meeting and after
the question has been more thoroughly
investigated.
THE HIGH-WATER MARK
OF the Sacramento River in 1893 was
practically twenty-eight feet above da-
tum plane. The top or crest OF the river
leYee, as recently reconstructed, between
9& and streets, is to an elevation thirty
one degrees above datum plane. The top
of the Y-street levee is constructed from
an elevation of thirty-one feet at its june
lion with the river levee TO an elevation
of twenty-four feet at point distant 400
1eet thereirOm; thence on level to
Front street; thence a drop to an average
elevation of twenty-five feet, six feet be-
low high-wateT mark, to Ninth street,
where the cemetery hill is encountered.
From Twelfth street to Thirty-first
street the profile of this levee shows an
irregular, broken grade, or series OF
grades, from an elevation twenty-One
Ieet to an elevation twenty-four feet
above datum plane at Thi1ty-frst and y
streets.
WEAK LEVEES TO THE SOUTH.
Our greatest danger, in my opinion,
from this direction lies in the stretch of
levee between the river levee and Ninth
street, and particularly at the junction of
the river and Y-street levees. 1t is a
patent fact to those conVersant with the
condition of the Ievees south of and inn
Tnediately adjacent to this city that the
ievee between y street and II. j. Merk-
ley's is in an absolutely dangerous con-
dition.
A break in this levee would in a short
space of time be evidenced by the rush of
water through the break until the y
street levee would be reached.
RIPRAPPING NECESSARY.
In order to successfully cope with this
possibility, l would strongly recommend
TO your honorable board that the river
levee be riprapped with granite south of
street a distance of not less than $50
feet, and that the H-street levee be also
IipTapped with granite on its south slope
81 distance of not less than 400 feet, so as
TO withstand the rush of waters from a
possible break Immediately to the south
The typographical features OF the coun-
try to the south of the city are such as to
invite and cause piling up of flood
waters from the river leyee to Ninth
street. This stretch of levee in conse-
quence should be raised to an elevation
sufficient to withstand such a possible
danger. In advising the
RAISING OF THIS Y-sTREET LEvEE,
do not do so with an idea that possibly
the water flooding the land to the south
of the city Will ever assume an elevation
higher than the present hight Of the v
street levee on the average; but l believe
that the city should always maintain a
certain factor of safety after all possible
contingencies.
AS, by reason of the continued increase
in the elevation of high-water mark, this
factor of safety is encrOached upon and
diminished, we should repair or make
good our loss and maintain this margin
at all times and at all hazards.
f,,sr a.
3evee Committee very wisely advised the
building up OF our river levee TO a hight
of at least four or five feet tabOVe the high
est water mark known. This same policy
Is equally applicable to the street levee.
We need a factor of safety as much on the
y street levee as we do on the river lovee.
DANGEROUS LEvEE SEWER.
During the most critical period of the
last high water in the river the outfal
pipe-sewers, located in the very heart of
the Y-street levee, burst and the street
department by dint of hard work and the
employment OF many men day and night
was enabled to stop the break, only alter
it had washed nearly one-third in width
of the levee away.
This is a defect that can be remedied only
by the removal OF the pipes. Owing to the
fact that in all probability IN a short time
a new system OF sewerage will have been
adopted by the people OF this city and in
f,rtherance of that plan. that the pipes
now in the leyee viii have to be dug up
and removed, pass that subject without
recommendation.
The waste gates or oulverts now ex-
tending through the levee should be con-
structed of durable material mot wood,
and so arranged that when necessary they
can be closed entirely and made water
tight.
BRUSH PROTECTS IT.
The brush and willows now growing
on the levee should be preserved as far as
IS possible, so as the better to secure the
levee from wave washings. The gravel
up and temporarily removed, and after
the levee has been raised toi the desired
hight. should be restored to the levee for
roadway purposes. and at such places as
are not surfaced with gravel it should be