The San Francisco call., 1904-06-06
Problem of Drainage
Is Related to I'm
pounding.
Troublesome Waters
May All Become
Beneficial.

the entire area Of the State, or a re-
gion comprising about 10000 square
miles.
These two valleys Of the Sacramento
and san Joaquin may be termed the
interior basin of California. From
the highest point of watershed on the
south TO the source of the Sacramento
River, near Mount Shasta on the
north the distance in a straight line
is about 525 miles. OF this 275 miles
belongs to the san Joaquin and $50
miles to the Sacramento. Both rivers
constitute the central drainage of
region lying between two ranges of
mountains. The Sacramento River,
the drainage of the northern portion
Of this basin, flows south; the San Joa-
Quin River. the drainage of the south
ern portion of the region, flows north,
until they find their confluence on the
eastern margin of Suisun Bay. From
this point to their outlet to the sea,
at the west end of the straits of the
Golden Gate, they are one river.
THE COMBINED RIVERS.
This single river, which flows
through Suisun Bay, the lower portion
of San Pablo Bay and the upper end
Of San Francisco Bay TO its final point
Of emptying or drainage into the sea,
is without name, being overshadowed
by geographical designations in the
way Of names of bays; but the law Of
graVitatiOn operates quite unconscious
Of the names of the lakes or basins
through which a river flows. In very
truth the west end of the straits of
the Golden Gate is the mouth of the
combined rivers which flow into the
Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers
and the Suisun, San Pablo and San
Francisco bays. and when all these
or ~,r- So, se ~f,ar,
the streams that flow into the bays,
including the Napa River, Petaluma
Creek and the drainage of the Santa
Clara. San Ramon and other valleys
tributary to the bay system are con-
sidered, they form one single river
having a catchment area equal to
$4,000 square miles, which reaches sea
level through the Golden Gate.
The paramount factor, when drain
age is under consideration, is the re-
lation of this sea level to the high and
low water in the system of bays and
the direct influence which this sea
level has upon the lower courses of
the Sacramento and San Joaquin
rivers.
AS the American pioneers found this
primitive condition, the tide rose and
fell every day at knights Landing.
thirty-five miles by the channel of the
river above Sacramento. and the tide
Influenced the drainage capacity of
the San Joaquin as far inland as
Stockton. When the Central Pacific
Railroad was built in pursuance of an
act Of Congress granting aid for the
construction of a railroad from the
Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean,
Sacramento was accepted as the Pa
cific Ocean terminus because Pacific
Ocean tides were encountered at that
point.
The tides of the ocean, then, OBJ
struct the outflow Of the waters of
the San Joaquin and Sacramento
rivers TO a distance of over 125 miles
from the mouth of the combined rivers
at the western outlet of the Golden
Gate. The Sacramento River, opposite
the city Of Sacramento. has an eleva-
tion Of 80 feet above sea level, or less
than inches TO the mile of its course
to the sea The ebb tide through the
Golden Gate vastly exceeds the flood
tide which flows inward, because it
carries outward the water which the
tide has delivered to the tidal reservoir
composing the bay system and the ac-
cumulated and obstructed waters of
the vast catchment area already dis
closed.
TOPOGRAPHY OF AREA.
To this point, we have but one side
Of the story. We have brought to view
a river 125 miles in length with an aver
sge fall Of less than three inches to the
mile We must now consider the to-
Biography Of the catchment area and
rainfall which feeds this river.
The two rivers which flow to the
north and to the south and which, turn
ing abruptly west at right angles to
their general course. drain two great
valleys having the Sierra Nevada
fnc nd ha
Coast Range for their western wall,
drain these two ranges of mountains
tO their very SUBMITS and fully so per
cent, or $4,000 square miles, of their
catchment area has an inclination Of
from 10 degrees to go degrees. Upon
this uplifted area two-thirds of the
entire precipitation Of both valleys
fall While this statement is sufficient
ly comprehensive to those familiar with
the facts, for the sake of perspicuity
it will be illustrated in detail.
The Sacramento River rises at the
north line of Township 40 north, in a
straight line, $50 miles by math-
ematical demonstration from the
top of Mount Diablo. From it's
source to the head of the Sacramento
Valley, in a straight line a distance
Of As miles, 1t has over 5000 feet fall.
It receives Fall River, McCloud River
ries, and these rise at an altitude Of
between 5000 and 1000 feet. They have
an average fall Of nearly 100 feet to the
mile in their entire course.
The annual precipitation in the
mountain district, which constitutes
the catchment area of the upper end of
the Sacramento system, is more than
twice the annual rainfall at Chico, and
in addition to this the area is subject
to phenomenal precipitation, as for in
stance, FIVE or six inches in from six
10 ten hours at Delta.
Following the Sacramento on both
sides the same condition is maintained.
Cow Creek, Deer Creek. Antelope
Creek, Mil Creek, Rock Creek, Pine
Creek and Butte Creek on the east and
Elder Creek, Red Bank Creek Cotton
wood Creek, Toms Creek and Stoney
Creek on the west all in the high al
ttudes, receive nearly double the an
nual precipitation of rainfall in their
upper courses Of that which visits the
immediate area of the Sacramento
River, and delivers this precipitation,
by reason Of the inclination Of the
mountainous district, down channels
which make their currents necessarily
torrential
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