Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-04-24
ARID LAND RECLAMATION.
A California Experiment of Interest in
Irrigation.

II I9dliOIl.
Storage Of water on Kings river,
California, " is the title of No. So Of the
water supply and irrigation papers of
the United States geological survey.
now in press. Kings river drains the
western slope Of the Sierra Nevada in
| Fresno county, Cal, from Mt Whitney
on the south to Mt. Goddard on the
north. Fully 80 per cent. of the drain
age basin is now included within the
boundaries Of the Sierra forest re
serve, a matter of prime Importance
to the irrigated lands below, for it
means the conservation of the stream.
The river debOuches from its mountain
drainage basin on the plains of Fres-
no, Kings and Tulare counties, some
times spoken of as the Kings river
delta, which are near the geographical
center of the state, and present great
variety of climate and soil. Fresno
and HanfOrd, the principal towns, are
about 200 miles from San Francisco
and Los Angeles.
Lumber, gold, copper, petroleum,
of deciduOus fruits, grapes, raisins,
wines and brandies are produced in
this region in commercial quantities
There are more than 100000 deciduous
fruit trees in Fresno county. There
are about 10000 acres of vineyards. 1t
is the great raisin district of CalifOr-
MIA. The citrus belt, as is the case in
&c CtTiv
OF land at the base Of the mountains
Irrigation is necessary for all vari
cites of agricultural products, grain
possibly eEcertCd There are about
625 miles OF main irrigation canals,
covering $4,000 acres of land on the
Kings river delta. A good water right
adds about $50 an acre to the value of
valley lands, and about $50 an acre to
the so-called frOstless fOOthill lands,
where the citrus fruits, the most valu-
able crop could be raised with an in
crease of the present supply of water,
which has been diverted chiefly to the
lower lands. The present combined
capacity of the Kings river canals is
stated to ba approximately 1000 cubic
supply fell to about las cubic feet
second. In the last season the profits
from the irrigated districts around
Fresno were in excess OF $4,000. 900
Land without irrigation supply sells
here for SO an acre; the same Land
with good water right sells tor about
$50. Hence the Importance of the
y,-orar, ,,puror, 6n--oIODyncO+ rOuCi5nrod
in this report which is on the middle
fork of Kings river. above all diver
SiOns for irrigation or for storage
Kings river can be relied on, in spite of
occasional dry seasons, for a great
water supply, draining, as it does,
LAP square miles of area from banks
of perpetual snow.
In the investigation of the Kings
river basin a reconnaissance party re
ported on reservoir sites. four of which
were then surveyed. OF these four
sites two should be utilized. and stor-
age work should be begun by building
the Clark's valley reservoir, with s.
35-foot dam, followed by the construc-
ton of a 140-foot dam at the Pine Flat
site
The Pine Flat site. on the main
Kings river, five miles below Trimmer,
just above the diversions of all irriga-
ton canals, has an elevation of 600
| feet, and the dam would cost 81 ,425.-
! 600 This reservoir could be used as
| a governor for filing the Clark's val
| ley reservoir and then for holding the
| surplus water. The experts cOnClu-
| si0nS are: That the observed flow of
| Kings river for the season of 1S97-9S
| may be taken as a minimum; that
these minimum years will probably
occur about once in 10 years; that
| there will be enough water in Noyem-
| Der TO February. inclusive. TO fill every
| year the Pine Flat reservoir, with a
! capacity of 7S,197 acre-feet; that in
nine out of 10 years there will be
| enough water to leave the Pine Flat
| reservoir full for use after July /; that
| water that would be stored in the Pine
| Flat reservoir is water that would
! otherwise be lost; that the Pine Flat
! reservoir would irTigate the most val
liable lands in Fresno and Tulare coun-
| ties, now dry and unproductive; that
| the cost of storage would be s1S-23 an
acre-foot, and the earning power OF
the reservoir fully double that amount
The Clark's valley site is in Fresno
county, 16 miles east of Sanger ard
mas the stage road to Wildwood and NIX
arroyo OF Wahtoke creek through the