Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-13


on in owens valley, which is extern
sively cultivated and particularly
adapted to stock raising. Numerous
diversions are made for irrigation
at different points on owens river
and tributaries, particularly on the
upper part of the valley. Consid-
erable water is also used for irrl-
eating meadow lands in Long val
ley, north of owens River canyon,
but it is returned to the river above
the head of owens valley.
The storage possibilities in owens
river basin are good Many excel
lent reservoir sites exist on the main
stream and on the upper reaches of
it's tributaries, of which sites some
have already been utilized for pow
er purposes. Further extensive de-
velopment is contemplated in the
near future, chiefly by the city of
Los Angeles, Cal, in connection
with it's greater water supply prof.
ect on Owens river.
Power Chances Magnificent
The power possibilities in owens
river basin are magnificent. The
fall is so great and the minimum
flow of the stream is so large and
reliably constant that many thou
sands Of horsepower could-he OBJ
tained without storage, and this
amount could be considerably more
than doubled by utilizing all the
possible storage. The Los Angeles
aqueduct, when completed, will
have a capacity of 400 second feet
and a total fall of more than 5000
feet from its intake in Owens valley
to its outfall in San Fernando val
ley, near the city, and will generate
more than 100000 horsepower. 1t is
thus seen that a full development OF
all the power possibilities in Owens
river basin would yield more than
100000 horsepower continuously.
Considered as a source of water sup
ply, owens river basin has some other
features of special interest. Nearly all
the streams rise in glacial lakelets and
marshes, which occur at high attitudes
near the crest of the Sierra, and serve
to a certain extent as storage reser-
voirs in regulating the flow. The
streams emerge from the mouths oi
their canyons upon the porous alluvia
plain at the base of the Sierra which
is from one to five miles in width, ans
several hundred feet deep, and acros;
which they flow to the Owens river
channel in the trough of the valley
This belt of debris is the source of q
large and important seepage loss, par
of which appears in numerous springs
throughout the valley.
Arteslan Belt Located
Perhaps stronger evidence of the
great loss by seepage is afforded by the
broad belt of wet and somewhat boggy
land which extends over a large part
of the trough of the basin. Undoubt-
edly large quantities of water can be
developed by sinking wells within this
area. Several artesian wells have ben
sunk in the vicinity Of Independence,
which yield a strong flow and give
evidence of an artesian belt
in the valley.
With view to the greatest ultimate
of the valleys water sup
ply, the city Of Los Angeles is con-
Quoting special Investigations to de-
termine the depth to, and fluctuations
in, the ground water plane, and the
rate of evaporation from free water
surface and saturated gravels near In
also to determine the
amount of precipitation on the alluvial
plain at the base of the Sierra, be-
tween the 1000 and 6OO0-foot contours,
and the seepage losses of creeks cross
IN ~