The San Francisco call., 1904-12-24
PLAN TO SAVE
VAST ACREAGE
Synopsis of Report of Ex-
perts in Reclamation Work
Is Given Out at the Capital
$23,766,O22 IS REQUIRED
Engineers Decide That the
Levee System Is Best for
the Sacramento Lowlands

SACRAMENTO, Dec. 23-The fol-
lowing is issued by Commissioner of
Public Works Frank D. Ryan, as
synopsis of the report now in the hands
OF the Governor, of the commission Of
engineers recently appointed to inves-
tigate conditions and report a plan for
the Improvement of the San Joaquin
ana sacramento rivers and their tribu-
taries. The report is dated Sioux City,
iowa, december Is, and was received at
Sacramento December %, 1904:
Inc general plan recommended by
the commission of engineers consists in
ultimately concentrating the flow Of
the Sacramento River into one main
channel, controlled by large levees at
a distance of from 1000 to 1900 feet
apart and extending from Chico Land
ing down to Collinsville, with tempo
rary by-passes on the east and west, to
be used as overflow canals until such
time as the main channel shall be en-
apled to carry all flood waters. These
canals TO be used thereafter as drain
age canals for the various basins.
For the general consideration Of the
matter the engineers have divided the
river into divisions
1t is proposed to close various chan
nels when the main channel has been
enlarged sufficiently to carry all the
waters. The channels thus affected
are Sutter Slough, Merritt Slough,
Georgiana Slough, Three-M Slough
and Butte Slough.
The commission. has not considered
80 Co To-
quin, believing that the work proposed
for the Sacramento River will accom-
plish all that is needed to remove the
difficulties threatening the San Joa-
quin.
The report goes on to state that
while. much damage has been done
the rivers as the result of hydraulic
mining, yet it should be recognized
that these river channels were not
capable of carrying all of the water
of their great floods during the period
that antedated the era of hydraulic
mining, so that the latter is not wholly
responsible for the evils of overflow,
though the difficulty of dealing with
the problem has been much emphas-
lied by this agency"
The report further states that "all
parts of the Sacramento flood plane
are so connected with one another that
they cannot be considered as independ-
ent units in any scheme of reclamation,
but must rather be treated as a whole
Each portion of the territory should
therefore be included in the general
scheme and all reclamation work with
in It's limits should be in conformity
with the broad plan embracing the en-
tire valley. The entire funds for the
work should be guaranteed from the
start. In the plan of operations en-
braced in the report there is no reason
for giving precedence in time to any
part of the work recommended over the
other parts but the work may and
should be prosecuted in all parts of the
field simultaneously"
The cost estimated in the report is
as follows:
'Levee construction, $6,S33, $50; chan
mel development, s7,269, ,79O; west side
canal $3,155, 19O; drainage of basins,
$671, ,040; easement weirs, $735, 400; inter
cepting canals, $3.50, 400; bridges, $780,
coo; land damages (right of way), ST.
250,000; telephone line, $29, ,452; total,
$20,674, ,S02. Add for administration and
contingencies Is per cent, $3,101, ,220,
making a grand total of $23, 766, ,O22''