The San Francisco call., 1898-02-18
TO IMPROVE THE
 SACRAMENTO Surveys to Be Made and WeirS to Be Con-
 Structed.
Auditing Board to the Comnnis- SiOner of Public Works
 Takes Action.
Practical Suggestions of Engineers Morse and Randle Will Be
 Carried Out
Special Dispatch to The Call.

SACRAMENTO, Feb. 17.--At a meet ing of the auditing board to the Com missioner of Public Works held to-day at the Capitol, Commissioner Leake made the following recommendation Believing it to be a matter of great benefit to the Sacramento River gener- ally, and having received a petition from many resident landowners in the vicinity of Marysville, most respect fully recommend and urge the con- struction of Weirs across Butte Slough and Tisdale break, up to the height of the natural bank.
 resolution by MT. Markley was then introduced signifying the consent of the board to the project, and directing the Commissioner to proceed with the sur veys necessary to form a basis of the cost of the proposed improvement.
 The report of Engineers Nourse and Randle on the proposition of construct ing easements on the west bank of the Sacramento, in Yolo County, was as follows:
 Hon. E. E. Leake. Commissioner of Pubic works In compliance with a res olution of the auditing board requesting information, and pursuant to your in structions to prepare the same, we here with submit the result of a recent survey
 
 for a proposed easement above Elkhorn. designed for regulating the flood flow through the river channel and offering relief to public interests now injuriously anected by diversion of waters through existing crevasses in that neighborhood.
 It has been determined from frequent observation of results of flood volume registering height of 241a feet on the of mento City, that such may be continued through all ordinary flood periods with perfect safety to all interests and abso- lute advantage to many
 careful consideration of the flood conditions, as presented through the rec ords of several years, reliably compiled, enables us to establish with tolerable accuracy such height and length of case ment as will regulate the maximum flood height at Sacramento to 24la feet on the official gauge at the foot of K street. umes of the Feather and American riv- CTS may not always reach flood stages simultaneously with the Sacramento may render the determination of an exact flood nelgnt to some extent uncertain, yet ample precaution has been taken to pro- vide against contingencies of this char acter and render flood control compara- lively safe.
 On the land of Elizabeth Jacob. about two and half miles above Elkhorn. all the conditions favorable to location and easement are found to exist. The low lands of the Yolo basin here approach nearest the river bank, and the basin through which runs the State drainage canal lies within about half mile or the selected site.
 The length of the proposed easement should be 2600 feet. with crest elevation of thirty feet, computed from the K street gauge as plane of reference. Such crest would correspond with the natural surface of the ground elevation at the se- lected site, and with flood volume cor responding to that of 1S96-7, measured just below the mouth of Feather River, would discharge S5.000 cubic feet per second into the Yolo basin, thus reducing the flood volume to such an amount as could be carried within the river channel without endanger1ng the interests below.
 The river levee on the estate Of Ii. B. Wood. about three miles above the mouth of Feather River, is totally destroyed from erosion and will require at least 25,- Ooo cubic yards of earthwork to restore or rebuild the embankment to such dimen- sions as we deem necessary to safely con- duct the passing floods to the relief weir or easement below.
 This rebuilding of levee. additional to the 125,500 cubic yards before determined to be necessary for a complete or safe system of levees below, should be as sured by. the landowners and parties in interest before the easement IS con structed. Most respectfully,
 M: A, NOURSE, Chief Engineer.
 G. N. HANDLE, Assistant Engineer.
 The engineers were then instructed to make estimates of the amount of earth which will be necessary to fill up the present breaks to the level of the former levees. They were also directed to make survey of the land between cut off six and seven on the San Joa- quin River and report at the next meeting. Major Heuer, U. 8. A., was in attendance upon the board as consult ing engineer. After allowing few bills the board adjourned.