The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1902-02-25
CALIFORNIA WELLS.
What Is Accomplished by Systematic lrriga'
ton and Water Storage.

Tn the series Of water supply and irri-
ration papers the Geological Survey
has in press, but not yet published, the
eWells of Southern Californit" (num-
hers SO and 60), by Mr.. Joseph Barlow
4 rdnpincott. In his letter Of transmittal
81 Mr.. F. II. Newell, photographer in
III charge, remarks: "The results are in
structive, as showing what may be
under favorable conditions of climate
# and soil, and have peculiar interest in
# any consideration of the extent to
81 which the arid land can ultimately be
redeemed by irrigation"
The region discussed is the San Ber-
nardino valley in southern California,
/ which has an area of 563 square miles.
and lies south and west of the Sierra
Madre and San Bernardino mountains.
Riverside and Redlands are the centers
Of fruit production. Up to elevations
of 1000 feet the relatively high lands
are free from frost, and the relatively
low lands are subject to it. The dis
tincitive crop of San Bernardino valley
is citrus fruits. Oranges predominate,
followed next by lemons, and of late
years grape fruit has become popular
product. Olives, almonds, prunes april
and table grapes are all grown to per-
fection in this district. In the eleven
years prior to 1898 Riverside shipped
nearly seven million boxes of oranges.
an average annual income of 81 600 GOO.
Water is the life blood of the land.
without ii this valley would become a
semi-desert. The rain clouds from the
Pacific ocean are condensed against
the 5000 to IL o00-foot elevations of the
Sierra Madre and San Bernardino
mountains. in the winter time usually
in the form of snow. which feeds the
streams up to about May. Mr.. Lippin-
eott classifies the water supply as sur
/ face streams, underground water, and
storage reservoir water. The Santa
brought down detritus and built UP del
= fas in the valley The winter floods
Xgradually disappear in flowing over
these deltas, and sinking down, form
| reservoirs for artesian water of un-
known but great capacity. In addition
to the winter floods. the summer flow
of all the streams from San Antonio
creek to Mil creek is diverted and
used for irrigation purposes and prob
ably fifty per cent of it sinks into the
ground and reinforces the water plane.
toward santa Ana river, the most impor-
tant stream of southern California west
of the Coast range. 1t drains total
area above Rincon of 1857 square miles;
| s71 square miles OF the basin are noun
famous. The controlling outlet Of this
great underground reservoir is at Rim
con, where there is larger body of
water flowing during the summer than
at any other place in California south
Of the Tehachap fountains, except
along the Colorado. If an area of grav-
el of 500 square miles should be charg-
ed to a depth of 200 feet-a fair aver
age of depth TO assume for this valley
Its storage capacity would be 32,000,-
900 acre-feet of water. These figures
suggest the enormous capacity of this
i great underground storage reservoir
pf San Bernardino valley. 1t has been
gcharged with waters through a long
cycle of years by the floods described.
Hence measurements made in the sum-
most three times more water rising in
! the central portion of the valley than
j there was entering the valley from
/ the mountain drainage basin.
Mr.. Lippincott holds, therefore. that
properly located development works
near Rincon, permitting the lowering
of this water plane each season Il feet
over an area of 1000 acres should yield
from / 500 to 1000 miners inches OF
water. He thinks the proper method
of procedure should be to divert, for
the creation of pumping power, the en-
the Auburndale bridge, about the first
of May, and to return the water to It's
natural bed at the close of the irriga-
ton season. His conclusions are: That