The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-03-31
NO LONGER IN
FEAR OF FLOODS
Farms Saved by River
Improvements.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WOODLAND. March 30-One of the
.nrincipal features Of the plan OF river I'M
nrovement recommended by the Comnls-
sio7er of Public Works was the conSlFu C-
ton. of a concrete weir on the olo sue
Of. the Sacramento River at point Two
miles above the Elkhorn ranch, LOT INC
Durpose of regulating the flood dlschatSe
through the Yolo basin by connnlhg 10 inc
river channel the utmost volume that Il
vyouId safely carry without endangerlnS
the levee system and the important agrl-
cultural interests on the west bank OF the
river This recommendation was IluoI Sou
by Major Heuer, government eng @
and approved by the auditing boaru' ne
y-afr or easement as it Is frequently
called. was completed !ast November al 4
cost of S26 541 81. It is 1000 feet IN leHSti
and fifteen feet in width. The concrete Is
arched one foot in thickness ana win
fo,1r-foot anchorages at each side. 1here
l. double row of sheet piltng ten leet
doom on the river side, and double 70"
sixteen and eighteen feet long on tHe iLLlI
side These are tied together WIN non non
w0ds The approach from the river sue
l. riprap I'VE feet wide, ana the 3P!ohss
-, ne Land side is also riprap, ana ten
feet in width and about TWO feet IN uepLH'
The wings and end walls Tor the DUH
heads are concrete, three IeeI a. 04Ie D170
and seven feet in height. -
When the easement was completed II
was inspected by Major HeueL, " Iio a IL
dorsed it as the cheapest ana pesL WI II =,
of its character III Inc CA4iNO4
language was: ,.. md while
IT is practically everlasting anu "d nrlJ
monuments may crumDie anu SL0 70 ta 80
brick may suCcumb to the "edI ~ go -
the easement ought to Stdnd Iot dSe9.
1t is the finest work ever ,i Iam
in the United States. 90 noC peI.I 49,
there is q piece OF WORK III al A4"' 'P0
EQUALS it," i - NOS
In 1875, and for many years prior, IL wa" as
innossible to maintain IeVee - stem O.'
the west bank OF the river. 800 -
eIreat crevasses were furroWed OUT 70
depth nearly corresponding 10 inc loN
nIanp of the river at low water 9LsST.
ITbrOuoh these CreVdSSeS tremendous
lima of water poured into Iolo NaSiI,
and the water thus diverted leLt q - 81
of devastation many miles IN WIZ -, GU,
extending almost TO RlO Y lStd' III t2Cis'
Conn+v As A result some of the most ieI
tile land in the State was rendered practi-
caiIv vaIueless and many farms were
re daDartnent agreed to construct the
weir on condition that the IanQ-0WIleLs
put UP and maintain substantial lSrs1o.
The creVasSeS were filled ana SoOu lev 80
constructed to such 4 height that the
easement affords them ample proteCloil;;
The Commissioner of Pubic WORKS anu
engineers reasoned that the constructor
of the levee system and the tdseIIleL ~
would insure that any future dlFeis Iott "
food water would be limited IN uuI t5'i E
and volume and would pc resuld'eu ~
The last storm afforded the first OPP
rortunity TO test the efficiency OF the ease
ment. and the result is highly satisfactory
and particularly gratifying 10 ali Goi-
cerned. Heavy transforms IN the Na!leS :
and melting snow in the mountains re-
suited in great freshets, and when the
river reached the 23-feet stage at SacIa-
mento everybody connected with me -
partment of Public Works knew thdt the
time for testing the easement was az
hand The food water began TO run over
the weir at midnight Friday Inc river
continued TO rise rapidly, and by o'clock
Saturday afternoon a sheet OF Hood water
1000 feet wide and 10 inches deep vas vas
of the auditing board, Engineers Nurse
and Randie, Commissioner Leake and
party of friends made q careful lhSpec-
ton, and all agreed that the easement
was working admirably and VIII ac,
compHsh all the beneficial results claimed
for it. The levees were in good condition
and the creStS Of all were from three 10
five feet above the level Of the river.
The food water diverted by the ease
ment was running back into the tule dis
canal. There was no water on the farm
ing land anywhere from the weir to
CIarisburg The farmers were cutting
wood and blowing and seeding with no
apparent feeling of insecurity. But for
the levees and this easement the flood
cred nearly all of this land. and the loss
10 the farmers would have been reckoned
bv the thousands and tens of thousands
The question of the utility and effec-
tiVeness of the easement seems TO have
been fully demonstrated. 1t will deepen
and improve the channel of the river and
increase its carrying capacity by con-
fning a larger volume of water within its
banks. and it will greatly facilitate the
dismissal of flood waters and incidentally
4. lin L. afH roo ZION i'm.