The record-union., 1898-02-12
TO REGULATE FLOOD WATERS
THE PROPOSED EASEMENTS UP
THE RIVER.
Yolo Landowners Ready to Do
Their Share by Raising the
Levees.

The farmers and landowners up the
river, on the Yolo side, have finally
agreed to meet the Commissioner Of
Public Works halfway, and by raising
their levees to a point indicated by the
engineers, thus insure the construction
by the State of an easement to regu-
late the flow of water into the Yolo
Basin.
The Commissioner of Public Works
and the Auditing Board appointed to
control the funds appropriated by the
last Legislature for the Improvement
of the river, proposed among other
things to put in an easement, or
number of easements, up the river on
the Yolo side, which would confine all
of the water to the bed Of the stream
except at the time of floods. 1t was
shown that by so doing not only would
the depth of the water in the river
be increased, and consequently its
securing capacity, but that thousands
of acres of land in the Yolo Basin which
are continually under water would he
reclaimed by shutting off the continu-
Gus flow through the breaks.
The Auditing Board adopted reso-
luton authorizing survey of the
breaks and levees, and another assuring
the landowners that when they had
raised their levees to point indicated
by the Public Works engineers the pro-
posed easement would be put in.
From lack of efficient organization the
landowners were slow in signing an
agreement to raise their levees and
the matter was taken up by the local
Chamber Of Commerce, and to its efforts
is in part, at least, due the fact that
the Yolo property holders have finally
agreed to put ZOO worth Of work
on their levees in order to have the
State put in $4,000 easement.
AS soon as all of the properey owners
had signifed their Willingness to do the
work required of them. Engineer M. a.
Morse of the Public Works Department
again visited the breaks near the Elk
Horn ranch for the purpose Of deciding
definitely the point at which to locate
the easement He returned from max
ing the survey yesterday morning, and
to a Record Union reporter said It
had been decided to construct the ease
ment on the Jacobs ranch, about three
miles above Elk Horn, and about fifteen
miles up the river from this city.
The easement, Mr.. Nurse said, will
be 1900 feet long, and its crest will
have an elevation of thirty feet above
low tide in Suisun Bay, which will
regulate flood waters at Sacramento
to the twenty-four and one-half foot
mark on the official gauge at the foot
of K street.
Work on the easement, Mr.. Nurse
said, will commence as early in the
spring as possible, and will be pushed
to a conclusion with all possible haste.
He had been reliably informed that
the property owners would soon begin
the work Of repairing and raising their
levees. and that all Of them understand
and appreciated the benefits to be de-
rived from the proposed easement.
Engineer Nurse and his assistant, Mr.
Randel, are busy making an estimate
of the cost of the easement A former
estimate placed the cost at $4,000, and
Mr.. Nurse felt certain that the one now
being made will show no increase over
those figures.
Engineer Nurse, in view Of the work
which will be done by the State and the
individual land owners, recently called
on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors
and requested them to appropriate funds
to widen the county road which lies on
the levee between the village Of Wash
ington and Elk Horn ranch, and met
with considerable encouragement Mr..
Nurse has had occasion to travel the
road great deal of late, and says that
aside from Its bad condition it is so
narrow that when he met teams he was
obliged to alight and lift his buggy over
the edge of the grade