Transactions (Volume 16, 1911)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1910 Excerpt: ...While under construction, and before this barrier was completed, it was partly destroyed by the extreme flood of 1907, by wearing away the concrete cover, and has not yet been rebuilt. This same general method is now being followed at Daguerre Point, lower down on the Yuba, where a dam, too high ever to be overtopped, and a side spillway, will impound more than 50 000 000 cu. yd. of mining debris. The plan suggested by the author of placing various overfall barriers across this and other similar rivers is open to this objection. No overfall dam can ever be maintained in these streams except at undue expense. Finally, the enormous cost of any such work as proposed by the author, even if it should be assumed to be effective, would probably forbid its application. In 1905 a comprehensive plan for the drainage of the Sacramento River was prepared by a board of experienced engineers skilled in river work. The cost of this project was about $24 000 000. The question at once arose as to how this money could be secured. The Federal Government was appealed to in the hope that it would pay one-third of the amount. The State, it was hoped, would pay one-third, leaving the remainder to be paid by the landowners interested. Inasmuch as many of these landowners had purchased their lands for $1.25 per acre, and some had had even this amount refunded to them by the State, it would appear that their hope of having twothirds of the expense of reclamation borne by others was, to say the least, not an unselfish one. It is needless to say that thus far neither the United States nor the State of California has accepted any such disadvantageous proposition. It seems clear that the first difficulties to be surmounted in any adequate plan of treatment would be a proper distribution...