The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-03-19


sI,gb+ conceDtion of the significance ana
+be possibilities of the swarm of streams
that ceaseIessly rush down the mountain
slones If the State to find the restless sea.
Few would guess that the Sacramento
and San joaquin would make three Mag
aras. when the spring floods have gather-
ed in their channels, and that the neon
cetvable power generated by these waters
IN their descent would turn every wheel
in America and leave few million horse
power for Europe.
These mountain streams are nature 8
greatest gift to California, and the one
most lavishly wasted. There Is wloe
difference between the theoretical ana tne
practicable possibilities of water supply
but the former are easier dealt with on
paper and they illustrate the latter.
The floor" of the great central valley
of the State-the comparatively level plain
bounded by the base line of the foothills
is 15.709 square miles in area OF this
the floor of the San Joaquin Valley occu-
MES II .513 square miles, and the floor of
the Sacramento Valley 4196 square miles.
Now the water that flows through the
Sacramento Valley, taking the average
discharge of the Sacramento River for
period of years, would yearly cover the
floor of this valley to depth Of 1922 feet
The average annual discharge of the San
Joaquin River system would similarly
cover the floor of that valley to depth
Of about a foot and a half The total
average discharge of both rivers would
e cover the two valley floors to depth OF
about four feet.
1t is not easy to comprehend the vast
volume of water that pours through this
central valley Most of 1t comes down
the western slope of the Sierra Nevada
Range. through thickly set water courses
that are wild and deep. The streams
pause and muster below, and all meet in
Suisun Bay. The whole drainage area is
56213 square miles, more than the area
Of the State of New New York. At times
of greatest food the streams draining
through this central valley are estimated
70 discharge a total of about 1850 900 cubic
feet per second The estimated average
discharge of the Niagara River is 27500O
cubic feet per second, or a little more
than quarter of what all Of the interior
streams of California could show at their
best This does not mean that anything
like this amount of water reaches the
lower courses of the Sacramento and San
Joaquin. It is merely an aggregate OF
the estimated maximum floods Of all the
streams, little and big.
The figures used in this article are
taken mainly from the reports Of State
Engineer w. Ham Hall for 1880 and other
years of that period when an extensive
study of the States water problems was
made The estimates were largely made
by c. F. Grunsky and Marsden Manson.
two eminent engineers of the State. Other
data Is afforded by reports of Government
engineers.
Taking the average Of dry and wet sea-
sons, the Sacramento River discharges
about !, 1877, 300 900 900 cubic feet a year If
this water were put in a tank one mile
square at the base, the tank would have
to be over eight miles high.
This is not very much, either, for in
many years the river beats this record by
a few hundred billion cubic feet. For the
whole year 1880 the average discharge
was 44.370 cubic. feet per second and the
estimated quantity 1402, 1886 900 900 cubic
feet.
The Sacramento discharges between
three and four times as much water as
the San Joaquin. Measurements or esti-I
mates of the flow of the separate streams
of the San Joaquin system where they
enter the valley show an average aggre-
gate Of 1908 cubic feet per second. A
number of the smaller streams run dry
in summer; the average for the period Of
August, September and October is 1927
cubic feet per second, while for May,
June and July 1t is 40 4S0. The San Joaquin
valley receives an average yearly flow OF
water from the Sierra Nevada slope of
507, 729, 800 900 cubic feet, which would
cover an area of 1928 square miles one
foot deep.
The whole western slope Of the Sierra
Nevada range pours into the central VAL
ley an average mean yearly flow of 55,715
cubic feet per second, less the small flow
of Coast Range Creek, and this means
that the mountains give to the central
valley an average annual supply of !, 49,
OPS 240,0 900 cubic feet, or enough to cover
an area of 63,024 square miles one foot
deep.
That looks like plenty Of water If Il
he apUed I'm dtrfr{
and where 1t would do the most good
AS things are now, it does much harm
while doing little good. The fall and
spring floods that rush down over the
lowlands work tremendous devastation.
The lands subject to submergence at
extreme high water are estimated at
2750 square miles, or more than the area
of Delaware, and every acre of these
lands is marvelously fertile.
The most striking feature of all this
magnificent water supply is the incon-
ceivable power latent in It, The might
as well as the majesty of Niagara has
been the wonder of the world. The Nj
agara is babe beside the mighty Sacra-
mento in Its potentiality, though no one
would guess it to look at the dirty, lazy
California stream and then at the awe
Inspiring cataract
1t is estimated that Niagara has the
oreticaI power of 1000, 900 horsepower, of
which several hundred thousand horse
power can be practically used Accord
ing to eminent authority there is now in
use within a radius of 400 miles of the
falls 2,733, GOO horsepower by a population
of II $50 900 people. This includes the great
manufacturing region Of America. Within
radius of 300 miles there is In use
1867. 900 horsepower by a population of
s246 000 It is estimated that the theo-
reticaI power of the falls is equal to that
of all the coal mined in the world daily
about 200 900 tons.
Now let US look at the Sacramento. The
great bulk of it's water comes from the
high attitudes of the Sierra Nevadas. The
valley rainfall is low. 1t increases with
altitude until over a long portion of the
range it exceeds 60 inches The average
height of the range is over 5000 feet These
mountain tops are storm gatherers and
the SHOWS are piled deep. The drainage
area of the Sacramento basin is 6.187
souare miles The valley itself occupies
but 1900 square miles AS most Of the
water comes from high regions, 1t would
70 80 r,