The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-08-07
OUR VALLEY
By S. P. WERNER

the needs of our valley which can
be supplied only by the action of
power entirely above the ca
pacity of our population to sup
ply it is flood control. To grasp
clearly the conditions underlying
this need brief sketch of some
of the features of the geography
of the valley may be given.
Of the three central features,
the Blue Ridge Plateau and its
northern slopes, the French Broad
river and its bottoms, and the Pts
gah Ranges on the northern side
of the valley, it may be said that
the first embraces approximately
three-tenths, the second, one
tenth and the third, six-tenths of
the total area of the watershed Of
the valley. from the ultimate
sources of the French Broad III
Traynslyvania county to the
mouth of the Swannanoa at Ashe-
Vile. The Blue Ridge sends four
important tributaries into French
Broad from the southeastern side
of the watershed. East Fork, Lit
tie River, Mud Greek, and Cane
Greek; the Pisgah Range four
likewise from the northwestern
side, South Fork, North Fork,
Davidson River, and Mills River.
These eight tributaries are the
chief sources of flood waters into
the main valley. The way in which
the tributaries wind about through
the mountains before rushing
down into the valley is a surpris-
ing characteristic to the visitor
who might think of them as rising
on q slope and running straight
down to the river. These trlbu'
taries have more or less fan-shap-
ed watersheds. This may account
| for their supplying such a large
proportion of the run-off to the
UNEXPECTEDLY seven-tenths IN
all.
The other smaller tributaries,
with watersheds of few square
miles each, contribute perhaps
two-tenths of the run-off, while
] the precipitation over the bottom
lands along the river accounts for
the remaining tenth.
1t will be seen, then, that flood
control in the valley means con
troll of those eight tributaries,
primarily; the smaller creeks and
branches could eventually be
brought into the scheme, but if
those eight small rivers could be
regulated, there would be no more
disastrous floods in our valley,
and a very substantial contribu
ton to flood regulation in the
Tennessee Basin could be effect
ed. ...
These tributaries are rarely dis
colored; their water is generally
clear and limpid. They are border
ed by bottoms almost level below
where they emerge from the
mountains, stretching down to
where they merge into the bot
toms along the French Broad.
These level lands of the lower
parts of the watersheds of the
tributaries are among the most
productive and valuable in the
lvalley-or in the whole world;
such, for example, as, those of
Mills River in Henderson county
and of Little River in TransyI-
variia. They are not extensive and
make up only small fraction of
the area Of the watersheds; so
that not much storage area would
be lost if dams across. the tribu-
taries should be located immedi-
ately above them.
There are also few small
farms higher up in the valleys of
these Enthusiastically always
lseveral miles above the points of
emergence upon the bottom lands
Inst referred to. This is a curious
feature of those coves-that there
should be some gently sloping ara
BILE lands in the valleys of the up
per streams. back in the heart of
the mountains. 1t is unfortunate
that these relatively fcw acres
ever were cleared. They contri-
butte to floods to an important de-
gree. They are also remote from
centers of traffic and transporta-
ton. To supply the few inhabi-
tants of those coves with schools
and roads has become an expen-
sive luxury to county govern
ments. The writer once estimated
that these public expenditures for
the benefit of fewer than a hun
dred persons amounted to an an
inual per capita figure of at least
ii N