Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-21
MOUNTAIN WATER
FOR SOUTHWEST
STORY OF THE GREAT OWENS
RIVER PROJECT
SUPPLY SUFFICIENT FOR PoPu.
LATIoN OF 100000
Greatest Improvement In Pacific Coast
History VIII Be Completed In
Six Years at Cost of
$25,0oo,ooo

pEoJUUUIVuV
The most stupendous undertaking
that any city of the great southwest
has attempted is now being carried
forward rapidly by Los Angeles. whose
! electors recently voted favorably on the
proposition submitted for .le issuance
of $23,000,000 in bonds for the bringing
of mountain water in abundant supply
from the Owens river in the mountains
of Nevada. The immense project pro-
vides for the building of an aqueduct
| across deserts and through mountain
ranges 246 miles in length, and before
the enterprise is completed 1t is prob
able the outlay will exceed the bond
issue by several millions of dollars.
Water for Millions
The source of the water supply which
VIII meet the requirements of Il posSf-
BILE population of 100000 Is the owens
river, rising In the eastern part of the
| Sierra Nevada, $50 miles as the bird
| flies, north by east of Los Angeles,
through a valley into Owens lake.
dead sea" lying at the eastern foot OF
the mountain range, writes c. A. Byers.
| The river drains an area OF about $500
square miles, which embraces forty
peaks more than 10000 feet high. In
Guiding Mt Whitney, the highest peak
| in the United States, barring Alaska.
1t is fed by more than twenty streams
of various sizes, receiving the water
| from the perpetual SHOWS and glaciers
| of the range.
| Near the headwaters of this river
| there is natural reservoir site-a val
| ley whose only outlet is narrow, deep
gorge, and which has a capacity of
| 100000 acre feet, or S5.000,000 gallons.
Los Angeles has acquired this site. and
| 1t Is the intention to use 1t to regulate
the annual discharge of the Owens
river. The mean annual flow of the
| river is about 600 second feet, a small
proportion of which has been and Is
being used to irrigate land In the val
| ley. The maximum or flood flow" is
| 5000 second feet, practically all Of
which has heretofore run to waste into
| Owens lake.
Point Of Canal Plan
At a point about thirty-five miles
north of Owens lake the water of the
| river will be diverted into a canal. the
mouth of which will be at an elevation
above sea level OF $500 feet. This
| canal will conduct the supply on o
grade above the natural grade of the
river to reservoirs at an elevation OF
| 3770 feet, which will be 200 feet higher
than the lake, and which will give fall
of thirty feet in the thirty-five miles,
Between the intake point and the reser-
voirs several smaller streams will be
tapped, which will increase the supply.
| The reservoirs, two In number, Will
| have a combined capacity of 20.000.0 .000,-
| 900 gallons of water, which will be suf-
ficient to deliver constant flow of 4So
second feet to the aqueduct.
The entire conduit line for the con-
veyment of this water to the distribut-
! ing point for the city of Los Angeles,
eleven miles north of the city limits.
when complete, will comprise 22.2 miles
OF unlined canal, 164.23 miles of con-
crete-covered conduit, 10.11 miles of
| tunnel through earth. 1924 miles of
| tunnel through rock. nine miles of steel
pipe inverted siphon, lis miles of steel
fiume, 7.5 miles of reservoir length and
1875 miles of natural rocky bed of
stream in a steep canyon. For the
larger part of this distance the route
of the conduit will traverse an open
country, with comparatively few OBJ
structions, but there are several miles
| of the route that will require a great
deal of work and some difficult en-
gineering.
Bought Many Acres
Los Angeles has acquired the Owens
river valley and along the planned
conduit line 1851 acres. which includes
forty-th three miles of river frontage. The
purchase price of this land Is included
In the estimated cost Of the water pro-
| ject-$25, 100000.
Since the city of Los Angeles has the
right to use water sufficient to supply
| a population of 100000, and this
| amount Is not needed at present for
municipal purposes, about one-half OF
the supply will be sold for irrigation.
It is estimated that $4,000 inches will
be at such disposal during season,
and from the sale of this quantity the
city will receive $t,350,000 as direct
revenue from the 100000 acres which
the water will irrigate.
Power for Factories
Another use to which the system will
be put will be to furnish power for
municipal and private industrial enter
prises. The aqueduc. will be so PLAN
ned that at point about thirty-five
miles north of the city there will be a
drop of 1900 feet, which will be utilized
to develop 10000 horse power of elec-
trical energy. From the sale of large
portion of this power the city will re-
ceive another considerable income.
Two large reservoirs at the head of
San Fernando valley will receive the
water from the canal and distribute the
supply to the city pipe system and the
these reservoirs is at an elevation of
1870 feet and the lower one at 1130 feet.
The natural pressure from the lower Is
amply sufficient to convey the water
across the valleys and along the noun
tain sides that intervene between it and
the city. From the reservoirs there
will be three separate lines to Los An
geles and, the surrounding towns to be
supplied with water-two gravity and
one pressure pipe line.
A comparison of this system with
New York's new Catskill water project
brings out some interesting facts. The
New York aqueduct will be III miles
long. 1t will supply 100000 900 gallons
of water day. and will cost $l62.000,-
600. The Los Angeles aqueduct VIII be
246 miles long, will supply 300,00O,0o0
gallons of water daily and VIII cost
$25, 100000.
1t is figured that the owens river
aqueduct will be finished within SIX
years.