The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1912-11-20

HbiASNi LAWS, Ot the ReC-
lamation Service Gin the absence
of Director NewelD furnished the
following memorandum explaining
the Governments attitude in regard
to the dredging and cutting at Lake
Tahoe.
hemorandum by Davis.
The purpose of the dredging at
the outlet of Lake Tahoe recently
stopped by injunction is to increase
the discharge capacity of the outlet
OF the lake, not for the purpose of
drawing the lake any lower than it
has been in the past, but to permit
the greater discharge in times of
high water so that the lake will
not rise above its normal high water
mark, which might kill the timber
along It's shores and destroy its nat
ural beauty.
The lake in its natural state has
a auctuation from extreme low wat
er 10 extreme high water of a little
over seven feet. Ii is proposed to
establish limits of high water and
low water within which the lake
will be regulated IN accordance with
the needs of irrigation under which
the period Of high water and Of low
water will be somewhat different
than formerly. but neither will be
materially changed The artificial
limits Will be somewhat lees than
those that have obtained in nature
THE land at the outlet of Lake
Tahoe is owned by the Truckee
River General Electric Company and
tho United States has a suit In con-
demnation pending against said
company designed to place the con
+ troll in the hands of the United
States instead of the corporation SO
that the regulation may be carried
on IN accordance with the irrigation
needs.
when the Truekee-Carson pro-
iect wa originally undertaken the
plan was TO thus regulate Lake Ia
hoe and efforts have been made dur
ing the past eexon years 10 secure
this control, which have hot yet sue
eeeded. owing 60 various legal OBJ
stacles
The present attempt az dredg-
Ing was begun on the basis OF an
agreement entered into by the Sec
retary of the Interior after full dis
eusson with two members of con-
gress from California and was filed
In the United States Court In San
Francisco and has been public re-
cord there since September 10Th
High and Low Water Marks.
BY the nuetuation of seven feet
referred to It Is doubtless meant
the range between 6.22S and $3.50
elevation. The first. as shown by
the sarveys, Is the lowest point In
the natural rim which protects the
outlet OF the lake. Under natural
conditions il would not be possible
70 lower the lake level below this
the natural rim IS only about twelve
feet wide. and as the remainder oil
that barrier is from 6.225 to $3.50
feet elevation, the lake has not been
IN many years below 6,225. In fact
the Government blue prints indi-
cate 6,225.3 as extreme low water
in natural channel" and as dan
Ger point low water"
The high mark, $3.50, is that reg
lstered a number of years ago, when
through careless manipulation OIL
tho dam the water was permitted
IN rise well above the danger mark
and destroy lot OF property Tor
which the corporation controlling
the dam had to pay $4,000 dam
ages.
Property Owners Claim
The contract between the GOVERN
ment and the Truckee River corpor-
alton and the blue prints Indicate
that II was intended to widen tne
opening in rim and channel mot eN-
eoedinrn 100 to 120 feet, and 10
drodge out to a depth not eNeeeu-
ing 6,222 elevation. The property
owners insist that this widening ahu
drcdeing out would permit OF lower
ing the lakes level to S'sSz Wnii. =.
s295 ON tho Government maps i
extreme low water" and danger
point"
In fact when the contract s'a'''
that it is not the intention to lower
tho lake level more than twelve