REPORT ON THE 
 
 UTILIZRTION OF MOJiWE RIVER FOR 
 IRRIGATION IN VICTOR VELEY, GRL1FOR 
 
 BULLETIN NO. 5 
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING
 
 Southern Branch 
 of the 
 
 University of California 
 
 Los Angeles
 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below 
 
 JUN 1 1 1928 
 
 DEC n 
 
 JAN 281921 
 
 MAY 4| 
 JUL 3 1 1931 
 
 Sii* 3 *^ 
 
 APP 1 195C 
 
 2'8 1953 
 14 
 
 
 Form L-9-5m-7,'23
 
 STATE OF CALIFORNIA 
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING 
 
 BULLETIN No. 5 
 
 REPORT ON THE 
 
 Utilization of Mojave River 
 
 for Irrigation in Victor 
 
 Valley, California 
 
 By MOJAVE RIVER COMMISSION: W. F. McCLURE, 
 State Engineer, Chairman; J. A. SOURWINE, % Engineer 
 for San Bernardino County; and C. E. TAIT, Senior 
 Irrigation Engineer, Office of Public Roads and Rural 
 Engineering, United States Department of Agriculture. 
 
 (Based in part on data gathered under cooperative agreement 
 between the Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering, Irri- 
 gation Division, of the United States Department of Agriculture, 
 and the California State Department of Engineering.) 
 
 47222 
 
 CALIFORNIA STATE PRINTING OFFICE 
 
 IK l<? 
 \
 
 TC 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 In December, 1916, a petition was presented to the Board of Super- 
 visors of San Bernardino County praying for the formation of an 
 irrigation district in Victor Valley, east of the Mojave River. Under 
 the provisions of the law, the State Engineer was called on to report 
 upon the feasibility of the project, and he caused an examination to 
 be made therefor. 
 
 It was found that many conflicting claims exist to the water intended 
 7 to be taken for the proposed district, by lands which seem to have 
 
 AJ 
 
 ^ an equally good right to the water to those lands embraced in the 
 proposed district. 
 
 The State Engineer, finding that in the one month allowed by law in 
 which to make his investigation it would be impossible to ascertain 
 
 P whether sufficient water was available to the district for its proper 
 
 <? development, recommended that the matter be held in abeyance until 
 the whole question of the utilization of the waters of Mojave River 
 could be analyzed and studied, and he suggested that a fund be pro- 
 vided to defray the cost of making a thorough examination. 
 
 ^L The Board of Supervisors placed funds at the disposal of the County 
 Engineer to pay the expenses of such an investigation to be made jointly 
 by the San Bernardino County Engineer, the Office of Public Roads 
 and Rural Engineering of the United States Department of Agriculture, 
 and the State Department of Engineering. 
 
 This report is the result of the investigation and studies of the subject 
 made under the co-operative direction of the agencies named.
 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 INTRODUCTION 9 
 
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 10 
 
 DESCRIPTION I 11 
 
 EARLY HISTORY 12 
 
 ENTERPRISES. 
 
 APPLETON LAND, WATER AND POWER COMPANY 16 
 
 A!:I;H\VHKAD RESERVOIR AND POWER COMPANY 18 
 
 MUJAVE WATER AND POWER COMPANY 22 
 
 RANCIIO VERDE COMPANY 23 
 
 DAGGETT DITCH 24 
 
 YERMO MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 24 
 
 PROPOSED ENTERPRISES FOR THE USE OF UNDERFLOW 25 
 
 LAND OWNERSHIP AND SETTLEMENT 26 
 
 MOJAVE RIVER IRRIGATION DISTRICT 28 
 
 VICTOR VALLEY IRRIGATION DISTRICT 29 
 
 SOILS -_ 31 
 
 CLIMATE 34 
 
 DUTY OF WATER 38 
 
 WATER RIGHTS 46 
 
 r.\ UK I {GROUND WATERS 53 
 
 NVK1.LS AND PUMPING 56 
 
 STREAM DISCHARGE 62 
 
 FORKS RESERVOIR SITE 73 
 
 UPPER WEST FORK RESERVOIR SITES 75 
 
 CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS SO 
 
 APPENDIX TABLE OF WELLS IN VICTOR VALLEY __ __ 84
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Plates. 
 
 PLATB. p aee 
 
 I. Map of Upper Part of Mojave River and Victor Valley. 
 
 II. Fig. 1 Little Bear Valley Reservoir, November, 1917, showing dam at left 
 
 and gate tower at right 11 
 
 Fig. 2 Forks of Mojave River and mouth of Deep Creek, showing Hesperia 
 
 Ditch on side of mountain 11 
 
 III. Fig. 1 East Fork of West Fork of Mojave River above dam site No. 3 11 
 
 Fig. 2 Dam site No. 3-B, West F'ork, Mojave River, looking downstream 11 
 
 IV. Fig. 1 Dam site No. 2, West Fork, Mojave River, looking downstream 19 
 
 Fig. 2 Forks dam site, West Fork, Mojave River, looking upstream 19 
 
 V. Fig. 1 Victor dam site, Upper Narrows of Mojave River 22 
 
 Fig. 2 Lower Narrows of Mojave River and intake of Driscoll Ditch 22 
 
 VI. Fig. 1 West Mesa of Victor Valley, showing Yucca and San Gabriel 
 
 Mountains _. 22 
 
 Fig. 2 Mirage Playa and Grey Mountain 22 
 
 VII. Contour map and cross sections, West Fork reservoir sites Nos. 2 and 3, 
 
 Mojave River 75 
 
 Figures. 
 
 FIG U HE. 
 
 1. Diagram of comparison of annual precipitation at stations in Victor Valley__ 37 
 
 2. Diagram of mean monthly precipitation at Dobie Ranch 38 
 
 3. Diagrams of wells in Victor Valley 57 
 
 4. Area, capacity and cost curves for West Fork reservoir sites, Mojave River 77 
 
 5. Economic cost curves for West Fork reservoir sites, Mojave River 79
 
 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 
 
 April 30, 1918. 
 
 lo the Honorable Board of Supervisors, County of San Bernardino, 
 x<in Bernardino, California. 
 
 GENTLEMEN : In accordance with the instructions of your Honorable 
 Board, we are submitting herewith a report, embodying the summary 
 of the studies made by this commission. 
 
 Your instructions read, "This commission shall have power to make 
 such engineering investigations as may be necessary to show the water 
 available, the proper duty of water, the sufficiency of proposed reservoir 
 and dam sites, and the general feasibility of the required engineering 
 works. ' ' 
 
 It has not been deemed necessary or expedient to encumber the report 
 with all the detail data acquired in making the investigations. 
 
 Respectfully submitted. 
 
 THE MOJAVE RIVER COMMISSION. 
 
 W. F. McCLURE, 
 State Engineer, Chairman. 
 
 J. A. SOUR WINE, 
 Engineer for San Bernardino County. 
 
 C. E. TAIT, 
 
 Senior Irrigation Engineer, Office of 
 Public Roads and Rural Engineer- 
 ing, United States Department of 
 Agriculture.
 
 REPORT ON THE 
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER FOR IRRIGATION IN 
 VICTOR VALLEY, CALIFORNIA. 
 
 BY 
 
 MOJAVE RIVER COMMISSION. 
 
 W. F. McCLURE, State Engineer, Chairman ; J. A. SOURWINE, Engineer for San Bernar- 
 dino County ; and C. E. TAITV, Senior Irrigation Engineer, Office of Public Roads 
 and Rural Engineering, United States Department of Agriculture. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The investigations for this report related to the following subjects: 
 The economic problems confronting the land entrymen and settlers ; the 
 history : constructed works and future plans of the corporate enterprises; 
 the water rights for which allowance must be made; the amount and 
 movement of the underground water ; the extent to which pumping from 
 wells can be depended upon for irrigation ; the amount of the annual 
 surface water supply ; the possible sites for storage ; the possibilities of 
 hydroelectric power development ; the proper duty of water ; the area 
 for which reclamation can be safely undertaken ; and the most efficient 
 and economical plan of irrigation works. 
 
 The investigations of riparian lands are not as complete as it was 
 desired to make them. but. considering the time and funds available, it 
 was necessary to limit the studies in this direction. 
 
 Data were secured on all the wells in the region and the elevations of 
 the ground surface and water surface for many of the wells were 
 obtained by leveling from the government bench marks. This enabled 
 hydrographic contours to be located and permitted the formulating of 
 conclusions regarding the movement of underground water. 
 
 All records of stream discharge and of precipitation in the watershed 
 were reviewed and correlated in arriving at the amount of water avail- 
 able for use. 
 
 Data on duty of water for the crops suited to the region were secured 
 throughout Victor Valley, also from other sections of southern California 
 with similar conditions. 
 
 Complete contour surveys were made of two possible reservoir sites 
 which, together with private surveys of other sites, give data on all the 
 available sites for storage. 
 
 It has not been practical to present a detailed review of the plans 
 previously proposed for the utilization of the waters of Mojave River. 
 
 The map has been prepared from official and authentic private sources 
 and from original surveys by the commission.
 
 10 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Acknowledgments. 
 
 Space does not permit acknowledgment of all the courtesies extended 
 to the authors of this report by the many owners of wells and ditches 
 in Victor Valley, but the commission desires to acknowledge special aid 
 as follows : Victor H. Smith, President, Arrowhead Reservoir and Power 
 Company, for valuable discharge measurements of Mojave River and 
 tributaries; F. C. Finkle, Consulting Engineer for the same company, 
 for description of the company's works; H. Hawgood, Consulting Engi- 
 neer for the Mojave Water and Power Company, for useful discharge 
 measurements of Mojave River ; J. B. Lippincott, Consulting Engineer 
 for the Victor Valley Mutual Water Association, for much data on the 
 subject matter; John S. Thayer and Louis Evans, of the Appleton 
 Land, Water, and Power Company, for information on the company's 
 lands and irrigation system ; F. E. Trask, Consulting Engineer for the 
 Mojave River Irrigation District, for information as to the plans of the 
 district; F. M. Walton, Manager of the Victor Valley Irrigation Dis- 
 trict, for information as to the plans of this district; and to Byron 
 Waters, Attorney for ditch owners on Mojave River, for historical 
 facts. 
 
 W, A. Johnstone and A. E. Chandler, of the California State Water 
 Commission, visited the territory being investigated and made sugges- 
 tions regarding water rights; 0. E. Meinzer, of the United States 
 Geological Survey, gave access to a report by G. A. Waring on the 
 geology and ground waters ; Charles A. Jensen, of the Bureau of Plant 
 Industry, United States Department of Agriculture, allowed the use of 
 apparatus for determining the wilting percentages of the soils; and 
 C. G. Ilaskell, Irrigation Engineer, Office of Public Roads and Rural 
 Engineering, United States Department of Agriculture, co-operated in 
 the investigation of the wells. 
 
 The commission was assisted by the following: P. M. Norboe, Assist- 
 ant State Engineer, assisted in organizing the field work; Robert T. 
 Hill, Consulting Geologist, advised as to the character of some of the dam 
 sites ; F. J. Veihmeyer, Irrigation Engineer, Office of Public Roads and 
 Rural Engineering, United States Department of Agriculture, conducted 
 the examination of the soils and assisted in the canvass of the wells; 
 Fred D. Bowlus, Irrigation Engineer of the same department, made the 
 contour survey of the Mirage Valley and collected data on water rights ; 
 Porter V. Hanf , of the County Surveyor 's office, San Bernardino County 
 had charge of the topographic surveys of the West Fork reservoir sites ; 
 II. L. Way, of the same office, collected most of the data on duty of 
 water; Wilber D. Cook assisted in the compilation of the map; and 
 Williams M. Humans prepared the map for publication.
 
 Plate II, Fig. 1. Little Bear Valley Reservoir, November, 1917, showing dam at left 
 and gate tower at right. 
 
 Plate II, Fig. 2. Forks of Mojave River and Mouth of Deep Creek, showing Hesperia 
 Ditch on Side of Mountain.
 
 
 Plate III, Fig. 1. East Fork of West Fork of Mojave River above Dam Site No. 
 
 Plate III, Fig. 2. Dam Site No. 3-B, West Fork, Mojave River, looking down strea
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 11 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 
 Mojave River is situated in San Bernardino County, California, and 
 constitutes the chief drainage system of the northern slopes of the 
 San Bernardino Mountains. The mountain headwaters comprise two 
 distinct branches, East Fork, or Deep Creek, and West Fork, which 
 unite at the base of the mountains to form the main river. This junc- 
 tion is known as the Forks. (Plate II, Fig. 2.) Below it the* river, in 
 its course 90 miles across the desert plain, receives not a surface tribu- 
 tary of consequence. The course of the river is first northward 30 miles, 
 then northeastward 20 miles, and finally eastward 40 miles. The river 
 sinks at Soda Lake at an elevation between 900 and 1,000 feet above 
 sea level. The mountain watershed of the river, 217 square miles in 
 area, extends from an elevation of 8,000 feet at the summit of the range 
 to 3,000 feet at the Forks. The upper portion has heavy precipitation 
 and the main tributaries are never dry. In summer the water sinks in 
 the river a short distance below the Forks but appears again several 
 miles belyw. reaching the Upper Narrows (Plate V, Fig. 1) at Victor- 
 ville, 14 miles below the Forks. The surface flow continues through 
 the Lower Narrows (Plate V, Fig. 2) 4 miles farther down stream and 
 again sinks several miles below Oro Grande. The water is then brought 
 to the surface for short distances at a number of other points, these 
 points being farther apart and the flow of diminishing quantity toward 
 the lower end of the stream. At places in the dry channel water may 
 be had by digging to shallow depths. The water is generally seen at 
 Helen 10 miles below Oro Grande and agaiir-at Hicks. The valley is 
 confined between bluffs from the mountain to this point, but between 
 Hicks and Barstow it widens on the northwest side. The channel is 
 again between bluffs from Barstow to Daggett and the water is at the 
 surface at Barstow and at Nebo, 4 miles above Daggett. Below Daggett 
 the river crosses a broad plain. The stream is twice more between 
 bluffs, at Camp Cady and at the Caves, and at both places the water is 
 at the surface. The Caves are remarkable for the columnar appearance 
 and the variegated coloring which nature has given the clay bluffs of 
 the canyon walls. Below the Caves the channel is dry in summer. 
 
 The late winter flood water resulting from the melting of the snow 
 always reaches to Barstow and generally to Camp Cady as an unbroken 
 stream. Some years it reaches entirely to the broad basins of Soda and 
 Silver lakes, which it fills to a shallow depth and in which the water 
 gradually disappears by sinking and evaporating. The flood water 
 generally flows to Barstow from December to April or May. 
 
 This report is concerned chiefly with the upper part of the river, 
 including the mountain watershed and the adjacent mesas known as 
 Victor Valley, and with the ditches having rights to water. The east
 
 12 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 mesa is known as Apple Valley and the lower portion of this mesa 
 bordering the river bottom is called the First Bench. The upper por- 
 tion of the west mesa (Plate VI, Fig. 1) above Hesperia and stretching 
 westward along the foothills beyond Cajon Pass is known as Baldy 
 Mesa, the name being derived from Mount San Antonio, generally called 
 Baldy. The lower and northern portion of the west mesa about the 
 settlement of Adelanto is called Sunrise Valley and the section around 
 the dry lake bed at Grey Mountain (Plate VI, Fig. 2) is called Mirage 
 Valley. 
 
 EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 Although the history of the Mojave River country after the beginning 
 of irrigation is more essential to this report, a few facts relating to the 
 early period may be of interest and not out of place. 
 
 Until about the time of the Civil War the territory along the river 
 was dominated by the Piute Indians and it was not a place of safe 
 habitation. 
 
 Aside from the native Indians, probably among the first to explore 
 this part of the desert were Jedediah Smith and his party of trappers 
 from Salt Lake City, who in 1827 crossed Colorado River at the Mojave 
 Indian villages (now Fort Mojave) and traveled westward to the course 
 of a river, undoubtedly the Mojave, which was thereafter followed 
 toward a pass, the Cajon, in the Coast Range en route to Los Angeles. 1 
 The trip was repeated the following year, but while crossing the Colo- 
 rado River on a raft this party was attacked in midstream by the 
 Indians, who had been friendly on the first trip but who had then been 
 excited to hostility by the Spanish, and eight of the twelve members 
 were killed. The survivors, as had the party of the previous year, 
 crossed the desert and arrived in Los A nudes nftcr much hardship. 
 
 Again, in 1829, Ewing Young, al Hie head of another party of trap- 
 pers, a youthful member of which was later to be General Kit Carson, 
 made a similar journey. 2 A member of this party has described the 
 stream as a dry river rising in the Coast Range and leading northeast 
 into the Great Basin, which was followed several days before w r ater w r as 
 found; also as a singular stream running southeast 200 miles and 
 emptying into Colorado River, not two miles of its entire length in 
 which it does not disappear, and in part resembling a line of shallow 
 lakes. In four days after leaving the river the party arrived at San 
 Gabriel Mission, where they were much refreshed. The river could 
 have been none other than the Mojave, and the pass was undoubtedly 
 the Cajon. 
 
 J History of the American Fur Trade of the Far West, by Capt. H. M. Chittenden. 
 2 Kit Carson Days, by E. L. Sabin.
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 13 
 
 Evidently these early travelers were unaware of the sinking of the 
 river at Soda Lake, 100 miles westward from Colorado River, and 
 believed its course could be traced to a junction with the larger stream. 
 Whether the emigrants who later, but prior to the fifties, traveled the 
 Spanish or extension of the Santa Fe trail from Colorado River to 
 Cajon Pass discovered this error is not known. Certain it is that the 
 early official maps show a junction with the Colorado, and that the Army 
 engineers believed them to be correct until 1853, when reconnaissance 
 surveys were made 1 by the War Department for a railroad from the 
 Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 That part of the survey in California was in charge of Lieutenant 
 R. S. Williamson, Avho had with him William P. Blake, geologist, and 
 25 soldiers in command of Lieutenant George Stoneman as a military 
 escort to guard against attack by the Piute and Mojave Indians. 
 Lieutenant Williamson, after deciding on Tehachapi Pass as the most 
 practical entry from the Tulare to the Great Basin, set about to locate 
 the best route from there to the mouth of the Gila River, where his 
 survey was, according to instructions, to join that of another party 
 working from the east. 1 
 
 It was reasoned that to cross the Sierra Madres to Los Angeles by the 
 Soledad and Xewhall passes would but necessitate another crossing of 
 the Coast Range to reach the Gila. Not only was Warners Pass believed 
 to be the only gateway from the southern California coast to the Colorado 
 Desert, but it was also believed that by running eastward from the 
 Tehachapi to Mojave River and then following that stream to its sup- 
 posed junction with the Colorado and finally along the Colorado to the 
 mouth of the Gila, that excellent grades would be offered. An alternate 
 or second possible route in order of preference was to go up instead of 
 down the Mojave River in the hope of finding a pass through the San 
 Bernardino Mountains at the headwaters of the river which would lead 
 to Colorado Desert with but a single crossing of the range. A route 
 southward through Cajon Pass was not considered because it would, 
 like a route through Los Angeles, require a second crossing at Warners 
 Pass, understood to be impractical for a railroad. 
 
 The surveying party traveled along the north side of the Sierra 
 Madres and arrived where the Spanish Trail from Cajon Pass reached 
 Mojave River (probably below the Lower Narrows), October 19, 1853. 
 Here the river is described as a broad shallow stream with valley abund- 
 antly wooded between terraced banks from one to three miles apart. 
 The water soon sank to reappear at some point of rocks below. A 
 detachment was sent up the river, who soon returned with the informa- 
 
 J Explorations and Surveys for a Railroad Route from the Mississippi River to the 
 Pacific Ocean, Vol. V. War Department.
 
 14 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 tion that it would be impossible to reach the Gila by the ascent of the 
 Mojave. 
 
 Being now more confident of the preference for the river route, 
 Lieutenant Williamson started down the river, and as he progressed 
 found it more difficult to procure sufficient water for his mules at some 
 of the camps, it being necessary to dig in the sands of moist places in 
 the channel. 
 
 Finally, a canyon between clay bluffs 100 feet high, with a running 
 stream for seven miles, evidently the Caves, was reached. Below this 
 canyon was a sandy plain on which the channel was entirely lost, but 
 a lake bed (Soda Lake) was observed to the north, which on examina- 
 tion was found to be 15 miles long and covered with an incrustation of 
 salt and moist in places. Camp was located at springs (Soda Lake 
 Spring), at the base of mountains near the lake bed, for headquarters 
 for further exploration. The first lake bed was found to be connected 
 to another (Silver Lake) two or three miles to the north of it by a ditch 
 about 20 feet wide and 2 feet deep. This second basin, reached Novem- 
 ber 16, 1853, had a smooth floor of hard dry clay, and it, like the first, 
 was found to have no outlet. Thereupon it was concluded that the river 
 sank in the first basin and that the accumulating flood water when high 
 overflowed into the second basin. 
 
 Having determined the maps showing a channel for 100 miles farther 
 east to the Colorado River to be erroneous, Lieutenant Williamson aban- 
 doned the idea of a railroad over this route and retraced his steps to 
 Soledad Pass, through which they went to Los Angeles and on to San 
 Bernardino, and from which latter settlement he expected to go to 
 Warners Pass by way of Temecula. But at San Bernardino he was 
 informed of the existence of San Gorgonio Pass and as a second surprise 
 found excellent grades for a railroad through this pass situated between 
 the two highest peaks in southern California, Mount San Gorgonio and 
 Mount San Jacinto. It is of .interest to note that the Southern Pacific 
 from Tehachapi to Yuma was constructed practically on the route finally 
 recommended by Williamson, also that portions of the Santa Fe and 
 Salt Lake follow in part the general route he first attempted to survey. 
 
 Emigrants, including gold seekers in '49, came to southern California 
 through the thirties and forties from New Mexico and the East 1 over 
 the Spanish Trail, striking Mojave River at Soda Lake Spring and 
 following it to the Lower Narrows, thence diverging toward Cajon 
 Pass. After the Mormons blazed the Salt Lake Trail and settled the 
 new San Bernardino in 1851, their wagon trains increased the traffic. 
 The freighters carried supplies from Los Angeles and San Bernardino 
 to the mines both northward and eastward. The northward route 
 
 'Century Annals of San Bernardino County, by L. A. Ingersol.
 
 UTILIZATION OP MOJAVE RIVER. 15 
 
 m-anehed off from the older trail at the "Forks of the Road" near 
 where Daggett has been located. A toll road was instituted in 1862 
 and during the sixties regular stage service was in operation along the 
 river. 
 
 By the late sixties stockmen, who at first only ranged their cattle in 
 the region, risked danger of depredations by the Indians and began to 
 live along the river. The first settlements were the stations on the trail, 
 located where the lauds were moist or where the flow of the river was 
 sufficient for the growing of hay to feed cattle and supply the freighters. 
 Settlements Avere made near the Lower Narrow's and at other points 
 down Ihc river. Although not immediately on the trail, other choice 
 locations settled early were just above Hie Upper Narrows where the 
 Brown Ranch was .started and in the valley of the "West Fork, called 
 Dunlap Valley. 
 
 The report of Lieutenant Eric Bergland, on his expedition in 1875, 1 
 records conditions on the river at the time. He had been instructed to 
 examine the feasibility of diverting the Colorado River of the West 
 from its channel for purposes of irrigation. 
 
 Starting with his party from Los Angeles, he made his outward 
 journey to the Colorado along Mojave River, arriving at Lane's Upper 
 Crossing, the highest station on the stream and located just below the 
 Lower Narrows, June 29, 1875. Here the river w r as found to be 100 feet 
 wide and 3 feet deep. Bergland 's map shows the successive stations 
 going down the river to have been: Point of Rocks, now Helen; Cotton- 
 wood, now Iliclfs ; Grapevine, now Barstow ; Forks of the Road, located 
 eight miles below the site of Daggett; Camp Cady, then an abandoned 
 military post ; the Caves, and Soda Lake Spring. The eastward trail 
 continued by way of Marl Spring and Piute Hill to Fort Mojave. The 
 Mormon trail branched northward from the Forks of the Road. At 
 a later time the stages, instead of following the bend of the river past 
 Grapevine, traveled a more direct route from Cottonwood to the "Fish 
 Ponds, ' ' located on the river between Grapevine and Forks of the Road. 
 Another shorter but less traveled route was from Huntingtons, between 
 the Upper and Lower narrows by way of Stoddard's Well, to Forks of 
 the Road. 
 
 Ueruland found Soda Lake nearly dry and to give mirages of perfect 
 illusion. He states that the drainage from these saline flats is supposed 
 to connect with Death Valley to the north, but that this had not been 
 proven. It may now be stated that this is as much in error as the once 
 supposed junction with Colorado River. Although some ditches were 
 in use on the upper part of the river at the time, he makes no mention 
 
 'Geographical Surveys West of the One Hundredth Meridian, War Department 
 Documents, 1876-77.
 
 16 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 of irrigation ; however, he notes having observed vegetation at Point of 
 Rocks, Cottonwood and Camp Cady. Some of the moist lands at the 
 stations produced hay without irrigation. 
 
 A few small ditches are believed to have been used prior to 1870 and 
 more permanent conduits were constructed from 1873 to 1880. Some 
 of the early settlers had no title other than possession to the lands 
 which they occupied and they herded cattle for miles away from the 
 river wherever feed could be found. Aside from pre-empted land in 
 the river bottom, one of the first titles was that granted to Max Stroebel, 
 who, in 1870, acting for an organization known as the Thirty-fifth 
 Parallel Association, purchased from the government, under a statute 
 then in force, about 30,000 acres on the upper part of the river. It is 
 understood that it was the intention to establish a German colony on the 
 land, but no such plan was carried out, and the land, although later 
 transferred, still remains in a single corporate ownership. 
 
 ENTERPRISES. 
 Appleton Land, Water and Power Company. 
 
 The Appleton Land, Water and Power Company is the successor of 
 the Hesperia Land and Water Company. The older company was organ- 
 ized in 1886 with an authorized capital stock of $300,000, for the 
 purpose of supplying water to and selling the Stroebel lands which were 
 acquired at the time of organization. The lands had originally been 
 purchased from the government about 1870 when the public lands were, 
 under certain conditions, sold in unlimited quantities at $1.25 per acre. 
 The Stroebel holdings consisted of about 30,000 acres situated in the 
 Mojave River bottom and on the west mesa, and comprised township 4 
 north and most of the even-numbered section of township 5 north, 
 range 4 west. About 20,000 acres of the lands had been acquired under 
 a single patent. 
 
 Soon about 2,000 acres, including the dam site at the Upper Narrows 
 (Plate V, Fig. 1), were sold and the towns of Victorville and Hesperia 
 were started. A tract of 160 acres at the forks of Mojave River, 
 together with the water right appurtenant to it, also the claim to the 
 surplus waters of the West Fork, were purchased. A conduit was 
 constructed to divert W 7 ater from Deep Creek at a point above the forks 
 and convey it across the main Mojave River for the irrigation of lands 
 in the vicinity of Hesperia on the west mesa. From the intake to the 
 Mojave River the conduit consisted of four miles of concrete lined ditch 
 (Plate II, Fig. 2). The water was then carried under the river by 
 inverted siphon which, together with the extension to Hesperia, con- 
 sited of five miles of 14-inch steel riveted pipe. The pipe terminated 
 in an earthen reservoir of 58 acre-feet capacity. Some apple orchards
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 17 
 
 were planted and these, together with other crops, made a total of about 
 1,000 acres which were irrigated from the system at one time. The 
 project had been launched toward the end of a period of unusual activity 
 in the exploitation of lands throughout southern California, and as a 
 reaction there followed a period of general depression among private 
 corporate colonization enterprises accompanied by the complete failure 
 of numerous state irrigation districts. During this era of litigation with 
 its disastrous effect on irrigation securities, the Hesperia company made 
 no further progress and was unable to finance the development of more 
 water for the reclamation of additional land. What was most needed 
 to make the system efficient for the lands sold and adequate for a larger 
 area was storage of winter flood water for use in the late summer when 
 the flow of Deep Creek was at the lowest stage. The area irrigated 
 became smaller, and Hesperia, which had given promise of becoming a 
 prosperous settlement, declined. The water system was operated at 
 a loss. The steel siphon under Mo.jave River was washed out by flood 
 several times, but was each time replaced, although for two years prior 
 to the reorganization in 1911. no water was delivered at Hesperia. The 
 cost of the irrigation works was estimated at $100,000 in 1910. 
 
 In 1911 the system was transferred to a new corporation, the Appleton 
 Land. Water and Power Conipany, with an authorized capital of 
 $300,000, of which $250,250 is issued. At the time of appraisal by the 
 California Railroad Commission the company stated its assets to be 
 $575,000, and liabilities $448,273. Improvements were begun, including 
 the relining of the intake ditch, the construction of four miles of 30-inch 
 steel riveted pipe, including the inverted siphon under Mojave River 
 which was placed in a new location. Two miles of the old 14-inch pipe 
 connecting the main line with Hesperia remain in place. The diversion 
 works consist of a low r concrete dam 20 feet long across Deep Creek and 
 headgates. The capacity of the main conduit is probably 40"second-feet. 
 
 The Hesperia Water Company was organized in 1915 with a capital 
 stock of $40,000, of which $10,500 is issued, to distribute and serve water 
 to the town of Hesperia and to the users for irrigation under the system. 
 The Yictorville water system is still owned by the Appleton company. 
 The Hesperia Water Company obtains the water from the Appleton 
 company under lease and is classed as a public utility, and as such is 
 regulated by the California State Railroad Commission. The water 
 rate approved by the (-omission is 1.5 cents per hour-inch. The handling 
 of the water sales under this subsidiary organization divorces the public 
 service from the land colonization enterprise. In 1916 only 90 acres 
 of apple orchard and 220 of alfalfa and corn were irrigated. 
 
 Of the Appleton Land, Water and Power Company's lands 20,000 
 acres are in one tract, 18.000 acres of which are commanded bv the main
 
 18 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 pipe line. Laterals would have to be extended to irrigate this area. 
 The lands are not now being offered for sale. 
 
 The land in the Lower Narrows of Mojave River (Plate V, Fig. 2), 
 between Victorville and Oro Grande, which has possibilities as a dam 
 site, was at one time acquired by the predecessor of this company, but it 
 was sold and no storage at the Lower Narrows has been seriously 
 contemplated by these companies or others. 
 
 The company claims riparian rights to about 20,000 acres acquired 
 from the government under one patent, also appropriation rights, one 
 relating back to the filing for the ditch purchased, another to the filing 
 for the Deep Creek diversion and conduit to Hesperia, another on the 
 surplus water of the West Fork and the control of other filings made 
 in 1911. 
 
 Arrowhead Reservoir and Power Company. 
 
 The predecessor of the present Arrowhead Reservoir and Power 
 Company was the Arrowhead Reservoir Company, organized in 1891, 
 the principal stockholders being Cincinnati capitalists. The original 
 plan was a colossal undertaking. It was proposed to construct a main 
 reservoir in Little Bear Valley which would impound the natural drain- 
 age of Little Bear Creek, a tributary of Deep Creek. An inlet tunnel, 
 now partly constructed, was to be made from the reservoir eastward to 
 Deep Creek and extended from this stream to Crab and Holcomb creeks 
 to collect all drainage above the tunnel and carry it into the reservoir. 
 Diversion dams and regulating reservoirs were to be located at Deep, 
 Crab and Holcomb creeks and the flow of the smaller streams was to 
 enter the tunnel through shafts. All of these works would be in the 
 Deep Creek watershed. Another reservoir was to be constructed in 
 Grass Valley, westward of the main reservoir and on a tributary of the 
 West Fork of the Mojave River, and this supplemental basin was to 
 be connected with the main basin by a tunnel. Two other reservoirs 
 were to be located in mountain flats, the sites for which were later 
 abandoned. Water was to be taken from the main reservoir by an 
 outlet tunnel through the San Bernardino Range and delivered for the 
 irrigation of lands south of the mountains. The company had no lands 
 for sale and made no contracts for the delivery of water. 
 
 A masonry dam, to form the main reservoir, was begun on Little Bea^ 
 Creek, but by the time the foundation was constructed it was found that 
 suitable rock in sufficient quantity to construct a masonry dam was not 
 to be had near the site. This caused a suspension of construction which 
 was prolonged for a number of years. Data on the amount of water 
 for storage had been meagre and the supply had been overestimated. 
 In 1892 a series of precipitation and run-off measurements was begun 
 throughout the watershed w r hich was continued for 13 years before 
 construction was resumed.
 
 Plate IV, Fig. 1. Dam Site No. 2, West Fork, Mojave River, looking down stream. 
 
 Plate IV, Fig. 2. Forks Dam Site, West Fork, Mojave River, looking up stream.
 
 UTILIZATION OP MOJAVE RIVER. 19 
 
 Until 1895 the development of power had not been considered in 
 connection with the project. About that time, when it became known 
 that long transmission of electrical power was practicable, it was 
 planned to utilize the energy of the water in its descent on the southern 
 slope of the mountains. 
 
 In 1905 the property was transferred to a new corporation, the 
 Arrowhead Reservoir and Power Company, capitalized at $6,500,000 
 with nonassessable stock of which $500,000 was 5 per cent preferred 
 and the remainder common stock. Shares representing about $000.000 
 par value were issued and placed in the hands of a trustee, no payments 
 having been made on these shares. Some of the stockholders have taken 
 notes of the company for other obligations, but the company has no 
 indebtedness outside of the stockholders. 
 
 The type of dam for the Arrowhead site was changed to a semi- 
 hydraulic fill with concrete core. The plan of outlet works was also 
 modified. The Burcham ranch, now called Rancho Las Flores, contain- 
 ing 5,240 acres and including the Forks reservoir site (Plate IV, Fig. 2) 
 on the West Fork of Mojave River near the Forks, also two dam sites 
 farther upstream on the West Fork and known as the West Fork sites 
 numbers 2 and 3 (Plate III, Fig. 2, and Plate IV, Fig. .1), were 
 acquired. It was proposed to convey the water in Little Bear Valley 
 reservoir to the Forks reservoir, using the intervening drop for power 
 development. The water would be combined in the forks reservoir with 
 that received from the natural drainage of the West Fork. This lower 
 reservoir was then to be drained by a tunnel through the mountain range 
 to the south side, where another power drop would be located and below 
 which the water would, as under the former plan, be delivered for 
 irrigation in San Bernardino Valley. 
 
 About 1909 some of the owners of riparian lands on Mojave River, 
 including the Hesperia Land and Water Company, filed suits to prevent 
 the company diverting water from the watershed, but the cases have not 
 been brought to trial. In 1912 application was made to the California 
 Railroad Commission for permission to issue $4,000,000 in bonds when 
 riparian land owners again opposed the plans of the company by pro- 
 testing against the granting of the application. The application was 
 denied, without prejudice, for the stated reason that the company's title 
 to water was uncertain until the cases were decided by the courts. 
 The record of the hearings conducted by the commission on the applica- 
 tion shows the following: 
 
 Valuation put on property at time of reorganization $1,191,000 
 
 Spent by new company since reorganization 923,204 
 
 Principal owed by new company 793,796 
 
 Interest owed by new company 126,589 
 
 Total $3,034,589
 
 20 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 About this time the company, or a trustee of some of the stockholders, 
 began to purchase riparian lands on Mojave River mainly for the pur- 
 pose of quieting opposition from adverse water right claimants, and 
 1,000 acres just below the Forks and 3,200 acres, together with most of 
 older and more useful ditches between Victorville and Barstow, were 
 acquired. This property included the Westwater lands below Victor- 
 ville. 
 
 It had been the intention to purchase more riparian lands, but owing 
 to the decision of the State Supreme Court about this time to the effect 
 that flood waters of a stream could not legally be diverted from the 
 natural drainage basin, 1 a radical change in plan was adopted which 
 made this no longer necessary. It was now decided to use the water for 
 the development of power and irrigation on the north side instead of the 
 south side of the mountains. In 1914 an offer, which was not accepted, 
 was made to the city of San Diego to sell the water from the system, the 
 diversion from the watershed for domestic use not being illegal. 
 
 In addition to agricultural lands below the Forks, the company holds 
 about 12,000 acres in the mountains, mainly in the Little Bear Valley, 
 Grass Valley and Forks reservoir basins. The company claims riparian 
 rights appertaining to the extensive lands above and below the Forks, 
 also appropriation rights on all streams above the Little Bear Valley 
 reservoir inlet dating from 1890 and on the West Fork and Deep Creek 
 dating from 1905. 
 
 The company claims that the measurements show that enough water 
 can be stored to enable the delivery of 40 second-feet continuously from 
 the Little Bear Valley reservoir, or 100 second-feet continuously from 
 this reservoir and the Forks reservoir combined. 
 
 The Little Bear Valley dam (Plate II, Fig. 1) is now built to a height 
 of 160 feet above stream bed and is 80 per cent completed. It is to 
 have a maximum height of 200 feet above stream bed and 220 feet 
 above bedrock, a length on top of 830 feet and a top width of 20 feet. 
 The fill will contain 1,562,329 cubic yards of earth and the core will 
 contain 27,999 cubic yards of concrete. The original slopes were, inside 
 2^ to 1 and outside 2 to 1, but an addition is now being made to the 
 lower fill to change the outside slope to 3 to 1. The core wall is 20 feet 
 thick at the base and tapers to 3 feet thick at the top. That part above 
 a thickness of 4 feet is reinforced. In the winter of 1909 cracks 
 occurred in the top of the core wall which had then been built up 
 38 feet above the earth fill. The cracking was believed to be due to 
 the effect of temperature on this exposed portion of the concrete. The 
 cracks were repaired. The spillway is over the natural rim of the 
 basin and is 5 feet deep, 100 feet wide and is to be lined with concrete. 
 
 'Miller & Lux vs. Madera Canal and Irrigation Company, 155 Cal. 60.
 
 TTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 21 
 
 The Deep Creek inlet tunnel is under construction, it now being driven 
 and partly lined from the reservoir to a point beyond Shake Creek, a 
 length of nearly two miles. A siphon of 1,284 feet and shafts at Fern, 
 Shake and Sheep creeks are finished. The completed tunnel will be 
 over 14,316 feet long-. The tunnel from Deep Creek to Crab Creek is 
 to be 5,000 feet long and the Holcomb Creek extension is to add 12,100 
 feet. - The Deep Creek dam is to be 150 feet high above stream bed, of 
 which height 30 feet would be below the tunnel portal. The Deep Creek 
 reservoir is to have a capacity of 2,000 acre-feet and is to act as a 
 regulator to the inlet tunnel. The tunnel has a capacity of 600 to 
 1,000 second-feet, depending on the head above the intake. The Hol- 
 eomb Creek dam is 1o be 70 feet high, giving a capacity of 1,000 acre- 
 feet to the basin above the tunnel. 
 
 The tunnel connecting Grass Valley, 4,172 feet long, is driven and 
 lined, but the Grass Valley dam has not been constructed. The dam as 
 proposed is to be 90 feet high, which would give a storage capacity of 
 7,632 acre-feet. Water is now diverted from Grass Valley by ditch to 
 and through the connecting tunnel into the main reservoir. 
 
 The outlet tunnel of the main reservoir, 5,102 feet long, is constructed 
 and lined, and through it water can now be discharged into Guernsey 
 Creek, a tributary of Deep Creek, above the intake of the Appleton 
 Land, Water and Power Company's canal. The gate tower (Plate II, 
 Fig. 1) is a reinforced concrete structure 185 feet high located in the 
 reservoir basin at the upper end of the outlet. Besides the gate valves 
 in this tower additional valves are placed in a shaft 220 feet deep extend- 
 ing down to the outlet in the rock rim of the reservoir. The maximum 
 head on the outlet will be 175 feet. The maximum depth of water at 
 the dam will be 185 feet. The capacity of the completed reservoir 
 below the floor of the spillway will be 60,179 acre-feet when the area 
 of the water surface will be 883 acres. About 35,000 acre-feet is now 
 stored in the reservoir with the dam partially completed. 
 
 The fall from Little Bear Valley reservoir to the Forks is 2,000 feet, 
 a drop sufficient to develop about 7,000 horsepower with 40 second-feet 
 of water. The Forks reservoir site is in a position to receive, naturally, 
 the entire flow of the West Fork, also the water from Little Bear Valley 
 reservoir through the proposed power conduit and the flood water from 
 the lower part of Deep Creek, provided about one mile of inlet ditch or 
 tunnel be constructed from that stream. A dam 150 feet high across 
 the West Fork would give a capacity of 102,000 acre-feet and a reservoir 
 area of 2,000 acres. In addition to the main dam a saddle in the rim 
 of the basin on the north side would have to be raised with an embank- 
 ment to give this capacity.
 
 22 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Mojave Water and Power Company. 
 
 The project now undertaken by the Mojave Water and Power Com- 
 pany was first attempted by the Columbia Colonization Company, 
 organized about 1895. It was proposed to dam Mojave River at the 
 Upper Narrows (Plate V, Fig. 1) to impound water which would be 
 used to irrigate the desert along the river below Victorville. An option 
 was procured to purchase from the Hesperia Land and Water Company 
 the dam site and the lands of the latter company that would be flooded 
 by the reservoir to be formed. 
 
 The company failed to carry out the plan and the option, also about 
 16,000 acres of land along the river below Victorville, were acquired by 
 James Westwater, who proposed to construct a tunnel from the reser- 
 voir underneath the mesa and through the San Bernardino Mountains, 
 a distance of 22 miles, to convey part of the stored water to the southern 
 side of the range where it would be used for the development of power 
 and for irrigation, while some of the water was to be used to irrigate 
 the mesa and valley lands along the river below Victorville. 
 
 The dam site and the reservoir lands of the Hesperia Company, 
 2,060 acres, were then pundTased by I. R. Wilbur, who, together with 
 Mr. Westwater, obtained also an option to purchase the lands of Rancho 
 Verde that would be flooded. Mr. Wilbur then, together with Eugene 
 de Sabla and others, in about 1908 organized the Mojave Water and 
 Power Company, to which the property was assigned. The option on 
 the Verde lands has been allowed to expire. A right of way was 
 secured from the government to use the unentered land at the rocky 
 points of the dam site for reservoir purposes. 
 
 The Victor dam site (Plate V, Fig. 1) is good, the gorge having walls 
 of granite, and the reservoir is open to criticism only for its large area 
 which would probably produce a heavy evaporation loss. The possi- 
 bility of seepage water detouring around the west end of the dam site 
 is not a serious objection, for some water must of necessity be allowed 
 to flow down the river to satisfy lower riparian owners. 
 
 Tests of the underflow 1 in the narrows were made in 1894 by the 
 United States Geological Survey. Velocities of 10 to 96 feet per day 
 Were found in the different parts of the cross section. The amount of 
 underflow for the section of 4,160 square feet at an average velocity of 
 50 feet per day, and assuming the porosity of the sands at 33-J- per cent 
 was found to be .8 second-foot. 
 
 The elevation of the river channel at the dam site is 2,709. The 
 United States Geological Survey made borings 2 in 1899 to determine 
 the position of bedrock and found the maximum depth to the rock to 
 
 Water Supply Paper No. 140, U. S. Geological Survey. 
 
 Eighteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey; Twenty-first 
 Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey.
 
 Plate V, Fig. 1. Victor Dam Site, Upper Narrows of Mojave River. 
 
 Plate V, Fig. 2. Lower Narrows of Mojave River and intake of Driscoll Ditch.
 
 Plate VI, Fig. 1. West Mesa of Victor Valley, showing yucca and San Gabriel mountains. 
 
 Plate VI, Fig. 2. Mirage Playa and Grey Mountain.
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 23 
 
 be 46 feet. The width of the gorge at stream bed is 140 feet and at 
 145 feet above the stream it is 350 feet. Complete detailed surveys 
 have been made of the dam site and reservoir basin by Mr. Hawgood 
 for the company, from which the following capacities are taken : 
 
 SO ft. contour 75,000 acre feet 
 
 100 ft. contour 134,000 acre feet 
 
 120 ft. contour 218,000 acre feet 
 
 130 ft. contour 271,000 acre feet 
 
 140 ft. contour j 350,000 acre feet 
 
 For the site to be utilized several miles of the Santa Fe Railroad 
 would have to be moved to a new location. The railroad company has 
 agreed to move the track to permit the building of the dam and has 
 surveyed an acceptable route entering Victorville farther to the west 
 by way of the arroyo. 
 
 The gigantic plan for a tunnel from the reservoir to San Bernardino 
 Valley has been abandoned and it is now contemplated to use all the 
 stored water on the lands on both sides of the river below the reservoir. 
 A canal from the base of the dam would reach the mesa west of the 
 river in a distance of about 12 miles. It is now the intention to con- 
 struct the dam to about the 130-foot contour which would give an area 
 to the full reservoir of 5,800 acres and a capacity of 271,000 acre-feet. 
 The dam would be 345 feet long on top. According to the discharge 
 measurements of the company and provided the water be not impounded 
 above, also allowing 5 feet for evaporation, enough water can be stored 
 to deliver from 100 to 140 second-feet continuously for 300 days. 
 
 Rancho Verde Company. 
 
 Rancho Verde includes 3,800 acres in the Mojave River bottom just 
 above the Upper Narows. The first occupation was about 1867 by 
 James Brown, a cattleman who pre-empted land and by 1874 had 1,500 
 acres fenced and a ditch from the river. Cole and Harris, w r ho acquired 
 the property about 1894, added more land by purchase, constructed 
 another ditch, drilled wells, and started a dairy. They also incorpo- 
 rated Rancho Verde Company and about 1902 sold to the present 
 owners. Until 1912 cattle had been grazed on the surrounding public 
 range" as well as on the ranch, but by this time the range was so well 
 occupied by entrymen that the cattle were sold and the ranch has since 
 been producing alfalfa and sugar beets. The owners claim that taxes 
 have been paid on 1,000 miner's inches of water diverted by the ditches 
 since 1869, and to obtain 880 miner's inches from the seven pumped 
 wells and 350 miner 's inches from the twelve flowing wells on the ranch. 
 About 1,000 acres are now being irrigated and the ditches cover 1,500
 
 24 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA, 
 
 acres, all of which has been irrigated. A portion of the land is riparian. 
 This ranch is the most extensive of the producing properties and the 
 company is the largest user of water on Mojave Elver. 
 
 Daggett Ditch. 
 
 The headworks of the Daggett Ditch were begun by the Silver Valley 
 Land and Water Company about 1890. It was then the intention to 
 collect the underflow of the Mojave River and convey it to the Calico 
 mining district north of the river, near Otis (Yermo P. 0.)- After 
 constructing some works at the "Fish Ponds," near Nebo, the promoters 
 were unable to finance the completion of the enterprise and the work 
 was resumed by the Southern California Improvement Company in 
 1893, who changed the plan to a ditch on the south side of the river for 
 the purpose of irrigating land near Daggett and Minneola. A sub- 
 merged dam of sheet piling driven down through the sands of the 
 channel and into the subsurface clay was placed across the river and 
 a tunnel or gathering flume was excavated above this dam to receive 
 the water and deliver it to the ditch. The ditch was constructed from 
 the intake to the Daggett ranch, a distance of four miles, and from there 
 to the town site of Minneola, an additional six miles. The company's 
 activities terminated with bankruptcy. In 1901 a copartnership of 
 four persons undertook the improvement and completion of the works. 
 The headworks which had been damaged by flood were improved, 30-inch 
 concrete pipe was laid in the first mile of the ditch and covered with 
 earth, and the remaining three miles of ditch leading to the Daggett 
 ranch was lined with concrete and covered with boards. The ditch 
 from Daggett to Minneola was abandoned. 
 
 The gathering tunnel at the intake is about one-half mile long and 
 is timbered on top and sides. The ditch is claimed to have a capacity 
 of 1,600 miner's inches. By agreement among the owners the Daggett 
 ranch is entitled to the first 200 miner's inches of water secured and 
 only this amount has been developed. An area of 250 acres on the 
 ranch is all that is irrigated regularly under this system. Surface 
 flood water in the river reaching the intake can be turned into the 
 ditch and occasionally some additional land has been irrigated in this 
 manner. The present owners claim to have spent $75,000 and each of 
 the two companies preceding them is said to have spent a larger amount. 
 
 Yermo Mutual Water Company. 
 
 This system was initiated in 1910 by the Mojave River, Land and 
 Water Company to supply water to about 8,000 acres of land located 
 north of Mojave River and along the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Rail-
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 25 
 
 road below Yermo. The land had been acquired by the promoters and 
 was to be sold by them, but in constructing a part of the system they 
 hirame too heavily burdened, with indebtedness to continue. The 
 Yermo Mutual Water Company, a reorganization of the first company, 
 was incorporated in 1916, with $160,000 capital stock, to continue the 
 work. It is claimed that a total of about $200,000 has been spent, of 
 which the greater part was under the first company. The works con- 
 structed consist of five 16-inch wells over 400 feet deep, of which two 
 are equipped with 12-inch centrifugal pumps and 50-horsepower engines, 
 three miles of concrete-lined ditch of 1,300 miner's inches capacity 
 below the wells, then four miles of ditch of 3,300 miner's inches capacity, 
 and two lateral ditches. It is the intention to collect underflow from 
 the river channel and to convey it by pipe 4,400 feet to the point of 
 enlargement in the ditch, where it is to be raised to the grade of the 
 ditch by pumping. The company claims that 250 miner's inches can 
 now be delivered from the two pumped wells and that more can be 
 delivered when the settlement demands it by supplying the other wells 
 with pumps. The water is lifted from 50 to 60 feet. Only about 200 
 acres are being irrigated. It is expected that alfalfa and deciduous 
 fruits will be grown mainly. The enterprise is making but slow growth 
 owing to lack of settlers. 
 
 Proposed Enterprises for the Use of Underflow. 
 
 Several enterprises for the development of underflow of Mojave River 
 for irrigation have been proposed which have not progressed further 
 than the formality of a stock incorporation and the filing of a claim on 
 water to be appropriated, with possibly the doing of a nominal amount 
 of work with the intention of technically establishing a right to use 
 water relating to the date of the claim. The amount of underground 
 water that can be diverted by gravity is largely a matter of speculation. 
 Success in pumping from wells sunk in or near the channel at favorable 
 locations is more certainly demonstrated. Numerous plants are oper- 
 ating near Hicks. Barstow, Daggett and Minneola, some of which pro- 
 duce good streams of water for irrigating. Several land owners pump 
 from a trench near the river at Helen and they claim to obtain 100 
 miner's indies with which they irrigate 160 acres of young orchard.
 
 26 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 LAND OWNERSHIP AND SETTLEMENT. 
 
 The territory considered iu this report and shown by the map 
 (Plate I) includes gross agricultural areas MS follows: 
 
 I Acres | 
 
 Mojave River bottom above Victorville 12,000 
 
 East Mesa- 
 Apple Valley 32,000 . 
 
 First Bench 4,000 
 
 East of Deadman's Point 8,000 
 
 44,000 
 
 West Mesa 
 
 Baldy Mesa and Hesperia 100,000 
 
 Sunrise Valley \ 70,000 
 
 Mirage Valley j 64,000 
 
 Along river below Victorville 35,000 
 
 I 269,000 
 
 Total j 325,000 
 
 j . 
 
 Of this total 12,000 acres are patented unsold railroad grant lands, 
 47,000 are selected unpatented railroad indemnity lands; 17,000 acres 
 are, or were, state school lands, and 37,000 acres are in control of the 
 Appleton Land, Water and Power Company, the Arrowhead Reservoir 
 and Power Company, and Rancho Verde Company, leaving 212,000 
 acres of public land, nearly all of which has been applied for under the 
 Homestead and Desert Land Acts. 
 
 The railroad lands are owned by the Southern Pacific and the grant 
 relates to the road from Mojave through Barstow to Colorado River, 
 now controlled and operated by the Santa Fe, but which was built by 
 the Southern Pacific about 1884. The line through Cajon Pass and 
 Victor Valley, built by the Santa Fe in 1885, was not a land grant road. 
 The original grant included the Southern Pacific and the Atlantic and 
 Pacific, but the latter did not build across Mojave Desert as was con- 
 templated. The portion of the land that should go to the Southern 
 Pacific was in controversy until 1898 when it was decided that the rail- 
 road company was entitled to sections numbered 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 
 27, 31 and 33 within the grant limits. The southern limit of the 20-mile 
 strip of the grant crosses Mojave River between Oro Grande and Victor- 
 ville. The southern edge of the indemnity strip, 10 miles wide outside 
 the grant limits in which the railroad company has selected some of the 
 odd-numbered sections, crosses the river between Victorville and 
 Hesperia. The railroad lands have not been on the market. 
 
 Of the land applied for under the national laws, the greater area has 
 been under the Homestead Act and a much larger proportion of the 
 homestead entries have been patented than of the desert land entries.
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 27 
 
 The Hesperia Land and Water Company, soon after its organization, 
 cleared some of its land of brush and timber and sold the juniper and 
 yucca for wood. About this time many homestead filings were made 
 and the entry men cut the timber (Plate VI, Fig. 1) and sold wood, 
 hauling it to Hesperia. Soon the government enforced restrictions on 
 the cutting of timber on homestead entries which curtailed this practice 
 and some of the entries were allowed to revert to the government. 
 
 Then came years of little activity until the present decade which 
 brought a period of much land filing. The stimulus of the national 
 movement for arid land reclamation, the demonstration of the feasibility 
 of pumping south of the mountains, a better established market for 
 apples and pears, and the activities of speculators were all influences 
 in the rush for the public lands. Although the orchard was generally 
 regarded as the future chief industry of the region, land entries were 
 made for the maximum area allowed under the law and 320-acre desert 
 entries were located where the water furnished by wells is inadequate 
 and where pumping is too expensive for reclamation and the making 
 of final proof. 
 
 In 1913 many of the settlers and land entrymen on both sides of the 
 river formed the Victor Valley Mutual Water and Power District Asso- 
 ciation to secure beneficial measures, the chief one being a government 
 irrigation project. This association was unincorporated and member- 
 ship was voluntary. The members were assessed on the acre basis to 
 provide funds to carry out the purpose of organization. The association 
 made an urgent appeal to the government for a project to include lands 
 on both sides of the river, but the government, although in sympathy 
 with the end sought, was, owing to the depleted condition of the reclama- 
 tion fund, unable to render financial aid. The association was instru- 
 mental in securing extensions of time for the making of final proof on 
 land entries pending arrangements for an irrigation project to use water 
 from Mojave River,' but this offered temporary relief only. 
 
 The condition confronting many land entrymen in 1915 was discour- 
 aging. Besides the final proofs to be made, numerous small tracts had 
 been planted to orchard on which the trees would, in a few years, need 
 more water than could be supplied by the irrigation facilities. The 
 total area, irrigated in Victor Valley is about 7,740 acres, of which only 
 about 2.185 acres are on the mesas. 
 
 Table No. 1 gives the areas irrigated in Victor Valley and on Mojave 
 River. The areas irrigated from the river are close approximations and 
 the area irrigated from wells are estimated from partial data. All 
 ditches down to and including the Haws and Robinson are considered 
 as being in Victor Valley.
 
 28 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 TABLE No. 1. 
 Area Irrigated on Mojave River and in Victor Valley. 
 
 Area 
 irrigated 
 Division from 
 river 
 (Acres) ! 
 
 irrigated 
 
 wells 
 (Acres) 
 
 Total 
 
 acres 
 
 River Bottom and First Bench of East Mesa 1 655 
 
 3900 
 
 5555 
 
 East Mesa and Lucerne Valley Pass _ . 
 
 975 
 
 975 
 
 West Mesa, including Mirage Valley i 310 
 
 900 
 
 1,210 
 
 
 
 
 Totals, Victor Valley 1965 
 
 5775 
 
 7740 
 
 Lowlands 1 130 
 
 1 000 
 
 2130 
 
 
 
 
 Totals, Mojave River 3,095 i 
 
 6,775 
 
 9,870 
 
 
 
 
 The Smith Act, which passed congress August 11, 1916, making 
 possible the inclusion of government land in irrigation districts organ- 
 ized under the laws of the states provided such districts do not include 
 a majority acreage of unentered land, opened the way for state irriga- 
 tion districts in Victor Valley. A district to include 55,000 acres on 
 both the east and w r est mesas was proposed by the association, but the 
 land entrymen on the east mesa, believing that an independent system 
 for their lands would be cheaper per acre than the more general project, 
 proceeded to secure the organization of the Mojave River Irrigation 
 District for the east side only. Soon the entrymen on the west mesa 
 petitioned for the formation of the Victor Valley Irrigation District for 
 the west side. 
 
 One of the main obstacles to progress is the large size of the land 
 holdings. A majority of the entrymen can not finance the improvement 
 of 160 and 320 acres and but few of the irrigated tracts on the mesas 
 exceed 20 acres. If the entries were limited to 40 acres the chances for 
 successful reclamation would be better. SmalL tracts planted to orchard 
 would give more profit and more value to the land and justify more 
 expense for water than larger tracts for other purposes. At the same 
 time they would require less water per acre, allow a larger district to be 
 irrigated with the water supply and make the cost of the works less 
 burdensome. No disadvantage would be imposed on the actual settler. 
 
 MOJAVE RIVER IRRIGATION DISTRICT. 
 
 The first petition for the organization of the Mojave River Irrigation 
 District was filed with the board of supervisors of San Bernardino 
 County, November 20, 1916. The board, acting on the advice of the 
 state engineer and being uncertain as to the feasibility of the proposed 
 works and the security that could be offered for a bond issue, denied the 
 petition without prejudice and arranged for an investigation of the 
 conditions to be made in thirty days, intending to take final action after
 
 UTILIZATION OP MOJAVE RIVER. 29 
 
 being in possession of facts to enable a more intelligent decision. The 
 petitioners could not, according to law, present a new petition until 
 thirty days had elapsed, but it was not possible for the commission to 
 make the necessary investigations in that time and the petitioners were 
 unwilling' to wait for the results. A new petition was then filed Feb- 
 ruary 2, 1917, bearing the signatures of over 75 per cent of the land- 
 owners in the proposed district which, under the law, made it obligatory 
 on the part of the supervisors to provide for the organization of the 
 district. "When submitted to the voters the proposal for a district 
 carried by a vote of 40 for and none against. The organization was 
 completed April 9, 1917. 
 
 The district embraces 27,055 acres, of which 26,874 acres are irrigable. 
 On November 23, 1917, 11,930 acres were patented, 7,120 acres were 
 railroad selected land and the remaining 8,615 acres were practically 
 all entered, 75 per cent of the entered land being under the Homestead 
 Act. It was originally the purpose of this district to purchase the Forks 
 reservoir site of the Arrowhead Reservoir and Power Company, improve 
 the site and construct a conduit 12 miles long of siphon, tunnel and canal 
 to irrigate the greater portion of the district by gravity. Water would 
 then have to be lifted loo feel to cover the upper or southern portion of 
 the district. Later the plans were changed and the district is now 
 making an endeavor to combine with the Appleton Land, "Water and 
 Power Company and other landowners on the west mesa to secure the 
 use of water from Little Bear Valley reservoir. Toward this end the 
 district filed suit October 5, 1917, against the Arrowhead Reservoir and 
 Power Company, and a trustee of stockholders in the company and the 
 holders of options on their property, to condemn their entire properties 
 and water rights. 
 
 VICTOR VALLEY IRRIGATION DISTRICT. 
 
 The first petition for the Victor Valley Irrigation District was filed 
 May 2H, 1917. The action and the reasons for the action taken by the 
 supervisors were exactly the same as with the district for the east side, 
 the petition being denied without prejudice. In compliance with the 
 law a second petition was presented August 3, 1917, with a sufficient 
 number of signatures to make it mandatory for the supervisors to pro- 
 vide for the organization. At the election 44 ballots \vere cast for and 
 none against the organization, and the district was declared organized 
 ( )ctober 22, 1917. 
 
 The district has a total area of 71,517 acres, of which 65,000 are 
 believed to be irrigable. About the time the organization was completed 
 the boundary included the following classes of land : patented 34,281 
 acres, railroad selected land 9,417 acres, homestead entries 9,456 acres,
 
 3.0 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 and desert entries 18,363 acres. No land of the Appleton Land, Water 
 and Po\wr Company is included. 
 
 The district controls three options to purchase all or parts of the 
 properties of the Arrowhead Reservoir and Power Company and of a 
 trustee of stockholders in the company. The options were obtained 
 October 6, 1916, by C. F. Guthridge and held by him for the district to 
 be organized. It was provided that if a district should be organized in 
 four months of the date of the options and that if the district should 
 take steps to exercise the rigjit of purchase, the options were to 
 extend for one year, or to October 6, 1917. The options were made 
 assignable to the district only and were not to be further assigned 
 by the district. By agreement of October 3, 1917, the options were 
 extended to July 1, 1918, and on October 22, 1917, they were assigned 
 by Mr. Guthridge to the district. The options are as follows : 
 
 1. For Rancho Las Flores and the agricultural lands below Victorville 
 owned by the trustee of stockholders of the company, $750,000. 
 
 2. For all properties, including lands, constructed works, water rights, 
 and rights of way of the company, also the right to construct a dam at 
 the Forks site and to flood the reservoir basin on Rancho Las Flores 
 owned by the trustee, $2,000,000. 
 
 3. For all properties of the company without the flooding privilege 
 on Rancho Las Flores, $1,750.000. 
 
 It is proposed to exercise both the first and third options and under 
 them to purchase for a total of $2,500,000 all the properties of the 
 company and the trustee. The district proposes to follow one of two 
 plans or a combination of them to carry water to the west mesa. One 
 is for the completion of the Little Bear Valley reservoir (Plate II, 
 Fig. 1) and the inlet works, and the construction of a conduit from the 
 outlet of the reservoir westward across the West Fork of Mojave River 
 and to the west mesa which would cover all land in the district by 
 gravity. This conduit would be 27 miles long and would consist in 
 part of tunnel at the upper end, of inverted siphon across the West 
 Fork and of concrete pipe towards the lower end. A power drop of 
 810 feet would be utilized at the approach to the siphon. 
 
 The other plan is to complete Little Bear Valley reservoir, construct 
 the power conduit to the Forks, improve the Forks reservoir site and 
 provide for lifting the water discharged from this reservoir to the lands 
 above the gravity conduit. 
 
 Under a combination of these plans only a part of the water in the 
 Little Bear reservoir would be carried directly to the mesa as under 
 the first plan, and the remainder would be dropped to the Forks reser- 
 voir. Power would then be developed on both outlets of the Little Bear 
 reservoir and the water from the Forks reservoir would be used on the 
 lower lands by gravity.
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 31 
 
 SOILS. 
 
 The soils of Victor Valley consist of the materials eroded from the 
 mountains and redistributed in the valley, consequently they do not 
 differ widely in composition but vary more in their relative proportions 
 of sand and clay. The records of wells drilled indicate that an enor- 
 mous quantity of material has been transported to the plain. The 
 general arrangement of coarse material near the mountains outward to 
 line in the lower plain is not so noticeable in the surface soils as on many 
 alluvial fans. The migratory character of the stream channels has no 
 doubt disturbed this gradual order to some extent and the winds have 
 also added to the complexity by transporting fine sand and dust. 
 
 In general, the higher lauds are superior to the lower. That part of 
 the west mesa known as Baldy Mesa, situated above contour 3,400, has 
 more rain, less wind, more even temperature, more vegetation and better 
 agricultural soil than other portions of either mesa. The foothills are 
 covered with a thick growth consisting principally of scrub oak, man- 
 y.aiiita and juniper, the latter extruding out on the plain two or three 
 miles. Creosote, commonly called givasewood, and sage, desert shrubs, 
 and bunch grass, interpersed with giant yucca (Clistoyucca arl)0- 
 rescens), are distributed over the entire plain. The yucca, sometimes 
 called the Joshua tree, is peculiar to this desert and to southern Nevada, 
 and its fantastic appearance lends a weird picturesqueness to the region 
 (Plate VI. Fig. 1). The yucca has commercial value for the manufac- 
 ture of paper, of which it makes a good grade of the manilla kind. 
 
 No comprehensive soil survey has been made of Victor Valley, but the 
 reconnaissance for a complete survey is being made by the Bureau of 
 Soils, United States Department of Agriculture. The soils of both 
 mesas are well adapted to agricultural purposes. 
 
 For the purpose of studying the moisture requirements of the soils, 
 borings were made on selected parts of the mesas to depths of 6 feet or 
 more and soil samples were taken at each foot in depth. The samples 
 were also used to test some other properties of the soils. 
 
 Analyses for alkali content were made of the first foot of soil from 
 different parts of the mesas. All indicated freedom from injurious 
 amounts of salts. No analyses were made of the subsoils, but owing to 
 the fact that the limited amount of water for irrigation in proportion 
 to the irrigable land will operate to make the use of water economical, 
 it is probable that the ground water level will never be raised sufficiently 
 to bring salts in solution to an accumulation at the surface. 
 
 Occurring on the surface and in the substrata at different points in 
 the valley are soils containing some carbonate of lime which cements 
 together the materials into a hardpan. It is probable that this hardpan 
 will be softened when there is irrigation.
 
 32 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Soil was encountered in a number of test holes which was coarse yet 
 hard and seemingly impervious. This appeared to consist of angular 
 grains closely packed and held by clay particles. This soil is easily 
 crushed and melts or softens in water without becoming plastic. This 
 type of soil is found in rather large areas on the east mesa, but to a less 
 extent on the west mesa, and this 'probably accounts for a prevailing 
 exaggerated idea that the soils on the east mesa are mnch heavier than 
 those on the west mesa. They are in general some heavier but the effect 
 of this characteristic should be to some degree overcome by the applica- 
 tion of water. 
 
 Table No. 2 shows the amount of organic matter in the surface soil 
 from the different parts of the valley. The organic matter was calcu- 
 lated at 58 per cent of the total carbon which was quantitatively 
 determined. 
 
 TABLE No. 2. 
 
 
 Valley. 
 
 Number of 
 test hole... 
 
 Kind of Held 
 
 Location 
 
 j Per cent 
 of total 
 carbon 
 
 Per cent 
 of or- 
 ganic 
 matter 
 
 1 
 
 2-year orchard 
 
 SW. cor., NW. J, Sec. 6, T. 4 N., R. 2 W 
 
 .1260 
 
 .2172 
 
 2 5-year orchard 
 
 SW. \, NW. i SW. i Sec. 9, T. 4 N., R. 3 W..._ .1266 
 
 .2172 
 
 6 12-year orchard 
 
 SW.i SW. J, Sec. 30, T. 5 N., R. 3 W 
 
 . .1290 
 
 .2224 
 
 7 12-year alfalfa 
 
 NW. J, SE. }, SW. J, Sec. 30, T. 5 N., R. 3 W.. 
 
 . .1455 
 
 .2508 
 
 12 3-year orchard 
 
 NE. cor., SW. i NW. J, Sec. 8, T. 5 N., R. 3 W 
 
 . .1365 
 
 .2353 
 
 15 I 5-year orchard 
 
 Center, SE. J, Sec. 23, T. 5 N., R. 3 W 
 
 . 1.6380 
 
 2.8270 
 
 16 3-vear orchard 
 
 NE. i NE. J, Sec. 24 T 4 N R 6 W 
 
 3075 
 
 5301 
 
 18 
 
 1-year orchard 
 
 SE. cor., NE. \, Sec. 22, T. 4 N., R. 5 W. 
 
 .1500 
 
 .2586 
 
 21 
 
 11-year orchard 
 
 NE. cor., SE. J, Sec. 21, T. 5 N.. R, 5 W 
 
 _ .0795 
 
 .1370 
 
 22 
 
 3-year orchard 
 
 NE. cor., NW. J, SE. \, Sec. 22, T. 5 N., R, 6 W 
 
 . < .1005 
 
 .1733 
 
 Excepting the sample from test hole No. 15, which was on sub- 
 irrigated river bottom land, the soils are deficient in organic matter. 
 This lack may be overcome to some extent by the growing of cover crops 
 which supply humus to the soil, but such crops require some water for 
 their irrigation in addition to that required by the main crop. 
 
 No mechanical analyses were made of the soils, but the wilting 
 percentage was determined, and it is a measure of the texture or fine- 
 ness of particle, the perviousness or degree to which it facilitates the 
 passage of moisture and the porosity or the capacity to hold w r ater. The 
 finer the soil particles the "heavier" the soil, the higher the wilting per- 
 centage, the greater the quantity of water the soil must contain to 
 support plant growth, the greater the capacity to hold water and the 
 slower the movement of water in the soil. Although the rate of move- 
 ment is slower, the final reach of capillarity is farther in the heavy soils
 
 rrn.i/ATioN OF MO.TAVE RIVER. 
 
 33 
 
 than in the lighter soils. The loss of moisture by evaporation should 
 be uivjitrr from the finer textured soils. 
 
 The tests to determine the amount of moisture that should he main- 
 tained in the soils to sustain plant growth are useful in comparing the 
 two mesas as to their relative requirements of water. This study was 
 made according to the method developed and used by the Bureau of 
 Plant Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture. The 
 purpose was to determine what is designated as the wilting percentage 
 of the soils. This term is expressed in percentage by \veight on the basis 
 of the weight of the dry soil and it may be defined as the percentage 
 of moisture in the soil below which, if the moisture drops, the plants 
 will wilt. It has been determined by experiment that the finer the 
 texture of the soil the greater the percentage of this unavailable mois- 
 ture. It is apparent that for good plant growth and profitable crop 
 production the moisture should not be allowed to fall below the wilting 
 percentage during the growing season. The wilting percentage, if mul- 
 tiplied by 1.^4. gives whal is known as the moisture equivalent. The 
 percentage of moisture which corresponds to this is that usually found 
 in the soil after an irrigation and probably may be considered an 
 optimum. 
 
 Tables No. 3 and No. 4 give the wilting percentages and the moisture 
 equivalents for soils tested from the east and west mesas. The amounts 
 of water necessary in the soil to prevent wilting of plants and to satisfy 
 the moisture equivalent shown in the two last columns \vere calculated 
 on the basis of an assumed volume weight of soil of 90 pounds per 
 cubic foot. 
 
 TABLE No. 3. 
 Wilting Percentages and Moisture Equivalents for Six Feet of Soil on East Mesa. 
 
 V. 
 
 la 
 
 -Location 
 
 3533? 1 mS 
 
 <- ! fflk' 
 
 i percent 
 
 Acre feet 
 per acre 
 to 
 prevent 
 wilting 
 
 Acre feet 
 per acre 
 for 
 moisture 
 equiva- 
 lent 
 
 i 
 
 2 
 8 
 
 6 
 
 SW. cor.. XW. i Sec. 6, T. 4 N., R. 2 W 
 
 SW. ;. XW. i, SW. J, Sec. 9, T. 4 N., R. 3 W 
 SW. \. NW. 1, SW. J, Sec. 9, T. 4 N., R. 3 W... 
 SW 1 SW 5 Sec 30 T 5 N. R. 3 W. 
 
 5.4 9.8 
 6.1 11.1 
 3.6 6.6 
 8.6 15.8 
 
 .462 
 
 . .521 
 .309 
 .743 
 
 .846 
 
 .959 
 .570 
 1.145 
 
 11 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 \ [ 
 
 SE. cor., Sec. 22, T. 5 N., R. 3 W 
 NE. cor., SW 7 . J, XW. \ Sec. 8, T. 5 N., R. 3 W. 
 SE. cor., SW. i XW. i, Sec. 8, T. 5 N., R. 3 W. 
 SW 3 SW \ Sec 33 T 5 N R 3 W 
 
 3.0 5.5 
 7.2 13.0 
 9.6 1 17.7 
 4.3 8.0 
 
 .258 
 .617 
 .838 
 .374 
 
 .474 
 1.124 
 1.529 
 .691 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Average 
 
 6.0 ' 10.9 
 
 .515 
 
 .917
 
 34 
 
 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 TABLE No. 4. 
 Wilting Percentages and Moisture Equivalents for Six Feet of Soil on West Mesa. 
 
 Number of 
 test hole,. 
 
 Location 
 
 Av<si--ige 
 
 wilting 
 
 Average ' Acre feet 
 moisture per acie 
 
 Acre feet 
 per acre 
 
 
 per cent wilting 
 
 lent 
 
 16 
 17 
 18 
 19 
 21 
 22 
 24 
 25 
 
 NE. |, NE. i See. 24, T. 4 N., R. 6 W 
 SW cor., SW. i Sec. 18, T. 4 N., R. 5 W. 
 
 6.1 
 4.4 
 5.8 
 6.3 
 8.1 
 8.1 
 
 5.2 
 8.0 
 
 11.1 
 
 8.1) 
 10.6 
 11.5 
 5.8 
 155 
 9.6 
 
 9.6 
 
 .522 
 .377 
 .497 
 .542 
 .272 
 .710 
 .464 
 .261 
 
 .959 
 .691 
 .914 
 .994 
 .497 
 1.322 
 .838 
 .474 
 
 SE. cor., NE. \, Sec. 22, T. 4 N., R. 5 W 
 SE.cor., NW.i Sec. 22, T. 5 N., R, 5 W 
 NE. cor., SE.i, Sec. 21, T. 5 N., R. 5 W 
 NE. cor., XW. J, SE. i Sec. 22, T. 5 N., R. 6 W. 
 SW. cor., NW. i, Sec. 4, T. 5 N., R. 6 W 
 SK cor., XE. \, Sec. 23, T. 6 N., R. 7 W. 
 
 Average 
 
 5.3 
 
 .456 ! .836 
 
 
 In sampling it was noticed that in all except No. 14, which was in an 
 unirrigated orchard on Baldy Mesa, the soil was dry below the third 
 or fourth foot. 
 
 The test for the first 6 feet of soil in eight holes on the east mesa 
 gave wilting percentages ranging from 3.0 to 9.6 per cent, with an 
 average of 6.0 per cent, Similar tests for eight holes on the west mesa 
 gave wilting percentages ranging from 3.0 to 8.1 per cent with an 
 average of 5.3 per cent. The number of acre-feet of water per acre that 
 would have to be put into the upper 6 feet of soil on the east mesa to 
 produce a moisture percentage above the wilting point is .52, and the 
 number of acre-feet to produce the same result on the west mesa is .46. 
 It is assumed that a depth of 6 feet of soil is sufficient for the penetration 
 of roots of deciduous fruit trees. The surface soil on the east mesa in 
 considerable areas is "heavier" than that on the west mesa where the 
 "heavier" textured soil is more in spots. This theoretical comparison 
 indicates that the soils of the east mesa would require but slightly more 
 water than those of the west mesa. 
 
 These results do not show the duty of water nor give data from which 
 the duty of water may be determined. They merely compare the soils 
 as to moisture requirements. They do not show how rapidly the 
 moisture, if once supplied, would be depleted by the action of nature 
 nor how frequently and in what amounts water would have to be sup- 
 plied to maintain the required moisture percentages. These studies take 
 account of soils only and do not give consideration to other important 
 factors affecting duty of water. 
 
 CLIMATE. 
 
 In a study of duty of water due consideration must be given to 
 elevation and topoerahpy as affecting precipitation, temperature and 
 wind as affecting evaporation, and to the possibility of deep percolation.
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 35 
 
 Table No. 5 gives the maximum and minimum temperatures recorded 
 ?.t tlie ranch of I))-. (I. W. Dobie, centrally located on tlie west mesa. 
 
 TABLE No. 5. 
 Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit at Dobie Ranch, Victor Valley. 
 
 
 1909 19 
 
 % z Z 
 
 =' 5 5" 
 
 10 
 
 a 
 
 12 
 30 
 34 
 38 
 42 
 46 
 54 
 50 
 34 
 26 
 24 
 
 IS 
 
 60 
 
 84 
 
 84 
 86 
 106 
 106 
 107 
 102 
 78 
 74 
 64 
 
 11 
 
 j 
 
 Hi 
 19 
 24 
 24 
 35 
 42 
 52 
 50 
 43 
 86 
 16 
 14 
 
 19 
 f 
 
 68 
 68 
 67 
 78 
 92 
 106 
 106 
 103 
 oc 
 
 1 
 
 .'. 
 
 IS 
 
 29 
 29 
 38 
 
 42 
 46 
 50 
 40 
 
 jj 
 
 P P 
 
 11 j 19 
 
 1 i 
 
 15 1! 
 
 5' T 
 
 r, 
 g 
 
 .January 
 February 
 March 
 
 li<> '2('} (ill 
 -52 5~ S! 
 89b 38 <i| 
 98 40 109 
 106 47. 105 
 111 49 108 
 102 i 52 1G6 
 102 40 100 
 83 i 44 91 
 76 30 78 
 67 12 68 
 
 64 
 67 
 85 
 93 
 97 
 
 too 
 
 IIIS 
 
 106 
 
 98 
 86 
 74 
 60 
 
 12 
 
 L'l 
 
 20 
 82 
 
 28 
 40 
 
 50 
 
 so 
 
 38 
 28 
 22 
 20 
 
 66 
 64 
 76 
 
 82 
 97 
 106 
 106 
 110 
 96 
 86 
 72 
 50 
 
 22 jj 58 
 26 62 
 311 71 
 33 86 
 38 ; 98 
 105 
 
 24 65 
 28 75 
 HI SS 
 30 91 
 40 96 
 42 109 
 103 
 
 18 
 19 
 30 
 39 
 36 
 40 
 47 
 
 April 
 
 May 
 
 June 
 
 -Inly 
 
 
 August _. . 
 
 ..106 
 102 
 
 ._..!: 94 
 22 89 
 16 70 
 
 61 
 
 September 
 
 42 
 
 
 October 
 
 40 
 
 
 November 
 December 
 
 70 ! 30 
 
 i 58 14 
 
 18 i 
 
 
 18 66 
 
 16 
 
 
 The highest temperature in the foregoing table is 111 which occurred 
 in July. The lowest, 12, occurred several times in the months of 
 December, January and February. The lower parts of the valley have 
 greater and the higher parts less extremes of temperature. The mini- 
 mum winter temperature at Victorville has fallen below zero on 
 occasions. 
 
 The annual rainfall in Victor Valley varies from about 15 inches at 
 the foothills to about 5 inches at Victorville. The clouds come from the 
 south or southwest and they enter the valley through Cajon Pass and by 
 crossing over the mountains on either side of the pass. They are some- 
 times turned westward from Cajon Pass and this probably accounts for a 
 precipitation on JJaldy Mesa that is greater than Avould be accounted for 
 by elevation alone. Generally an annual rainfall of 8 or 9 inches is 
 required to satisfy the immediate surface rim-off and the evaporation 
 from the soil and the precipitation must generally exceedjjjis amount 
 for any considerable quantity of moisture to be retained in the soil long 
 enough to produce other than characteristic desert vegetation. This 
 appears to hold true for this locality where the greater precipitation on 
 Baldy Mesa produces the heavier and more varied plant forms of the 
 Juniper belt. 
 
 Table No. 6 gives the only measurements of precipitation that have 
 been kept long enough to be of value.
 
 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 TABLE No. 6. 
 
 Precipitation in Victor Valley. 
 
 Season 
 
 Forks, 
 ' elevation 
 H.OOO feet 
 (Inches) 
 
 Hesperia, 
 elevation 
 3.190 feet 
 (Inches) 
 
 Dobie 
 Ranch, 
 
 elevation 
 3.130 feet 
 (Inches) 
 
 Uancho 
 Verde, 
 elevation 
 
 2.760 feet 
 (Inches) 
 
 Victorville, 
 elevation 
 
 2.726 feet 
 (Inches) 
 
 Barstow, 
 elevation 
 
 2,l. r )0 feet 
 (Inches) 
 
 1904-1905 
 
 
 12.42 
 
 
 
 6.70 
 
 5.90 
 
 1905-1906 
 
 . _-_ 14.94 
 
 4.78 
 
 
 6.71 
 
 5.89 
 
 1.80 
 
 1906-1907 
 
 25.77 
 
 13.44 
 
 
 10.72 
 
 8.61 
 
 
 1907-1908 
 
 914 
 
 933 
 
 
 628 
 
 575 
 
 703 
 
 1908-1909 
 
 9.94 
 
 5.21 
 
 3.35 
 
 5.19 
 
 4.94 
 
 4.81 
 
 1909-1910 
 
 17.14 
 
 8.99 
 
 2.85 
 
 fi.lfi 
 
 4,17 
 
 1.16 
 
 1910-1911 
 
 11 75 
 
 8 9 1 
 
 
 
 
 '-' 90 
 
 1911-1912 
 
 
 
 I! 77 
 
 5 82 
 
 
 3.31 
 
 1912-1913 _. 
 
 
 
 3.50 
 
 2.72 
 
 . 
 
 
 1913-1914 
 
 
 
 676 
 
 727 
 
 
 
 1914-1915 
 
 
 
 6.91 
 
 
 
 
 1915-1916 
 
 J 
 
 
 340 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Average 
 
 1475 
 
 891 
 
 430 
 
 6.29 
 
 5.06 
 
 4.27 
 
 Number of seasoi 
 
 is i 6 
 
 i 7 
 
 ; 8 
 
 9 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 The variation in animal precipitation at the several stations is 
 graphically shown by the diagram Fig. 1. 
 
 Unfortunately no records of rainfall have been kept for periods of 
 several years on the east mesa but such meagre records as are available 
 indicate the rainfall to be less than on the west mesa. This difference 
 has been observed by residents of the valley and it is also shown by 
 the vegetation. 
 
 Almost no rain falls in June and July and about 75 per cent of the 
 total annual precipitation occurs in December to April, inclusive. 
 Some snow falls in winter, especially on the upper slopes of the plain. 
 The monthly distribution of the annual precipitation at the Dobie 
 
 Ranch is shown by Table No. 7, also by the diagram Fig. 2. 
 
 * 
 
 TABLE No. 7. 
 Monthly Precipitation at Dobie Ranch. 
 
 1912-13 ' 1913-14 I 191 
 (Inches), (Inches) (In 
 
 (Inches) (Inches) (Ir 
 1909-10 j 191U-11 19. 
 
 July .. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 .30 
 
 
 
 
 .04 
 
 August 
 
 
 90 
 
 05 
 
 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 13 
 
 September 
 
 .40 
 
 
 
 
 
 1.74 
 
 1.01 
 
 
 
 
 
 0-1 
 
 .39 
 
 October 
 
 76 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 10 
 
 
 - 
 
 36 
 
 Q 
 
 .15 
 
 November ._ 
 
 
 
 .15 
 
 .10 
 
 
 
 .18 ^ 
 
 .67 
 
 .22 
 
 10 
 
 .18 
 
 December 
 
 .38 
 
 1 18 
 
 03 
 
 15 
 
 0* 
 
 .08 
 
 2.23 
 
 .22 
 
 .53 
 
 January 
 
 .60 
 
 .32 
 
 1.38 i 
 
 
 
 .87 
 
 3.17 
 
 1.19 
 
 2.56 
 
 1.26 
 
 February 
 
 .20 
 
 
 
 1.48 ! 
 
 
 
 1.26 
 
 1.03 
 
 2.18 
 
 .36 
 
 .81 
 
 March .... 
 
 1.01 
 
 .30 
 
 .61 
 
 1.48 
 
 .08 
 
 .05 
 
 .07 
 
 .05 
 
 .46 
 
 April 
 
 
 
 
 
 18 
 
 .30 
 
 
 
 1.23 
 
 .40 
 
 
 
 .26 
 
 May 
 
 
 
 
 
 01 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 .10 
 
 .26 
 
 .11 
 
 06 
 
 June 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 .10 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 .01 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Season _. 
 
 3.35 
 
 2.85 
 
 3.84 
 
 3.77 ! 
 
 3.50 
 
 6.76 
 
 6.91 
 
 3.40 | 
 
 4.27 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 UTILIZATION OP MOJAVE RIVER. 
 
 1904-5 1905-6 1906-7 1907-8 1908-9 1909-10 I9IQ-II I9INZ 1912-13 -1913-14 1914-15 1915-16 
 
 Fig. 1. Diag 
 
 comparison of annual precipitation at stations in Victor Valley. 
 
 47222
 
 :',s 
 
 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IX CALIFORNIA. 
 
 SEPT. 
 
 FEB. MAR APR MAY JUNE 
 
 Fig. 2. Di 
 
 mean monthly precipitation at Dobie Ranch. 
 
 This is a region of much wind. The prevailing direction is from 
 south of west. The Baldy Mesa is most free from wind. The stronger 
 air currents occur more frequently in the spring. The winds, together 
 with the dry atmosphere, should produce high evaporation losses from 
 either water surfaces or wetted soils. The Fourth Annual Report of the 
 Los Angeles Board of Water Commissioners gives the evaporation from 
 a water surface in this section at 56.40 inches for June to December, 
 inclusive, 1898, and an estimate of 86.55 inches is given for the entire 
 year. The Arrowhead Reservoir and Power Company has found the 
 evaporation from Little Bear Valley Reservoir in the mountains to be 
 from 30 to 36 inches per annum. A comparison of these records shows 
 the effect of the desert atmosphere, temperatures and winds on 
 evaporation. 
 
 DUTY OF WATER. 
 
 An advantage is to be gained by selecting crops such as apples and 
 pears that are not only suited to soil and climate of Victor Valley, but 
 which also have high commercial value and require little water. It is, in 
 fact, imperative that the greater part of the land to be under any irriga- 
 tion system on either mesa grow crops that permit both a high duty of 
 water and a high cost of irrigation per acre in order that the project 
 be financially feasible. It is assumed that a small portion of the land 
 would produce alfalfa and vegetables but the proportion of these should
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 39 
 
 not be large. Alfalfa in this region would require more than double the 
 amount of water required by deciduous fruits and the area served by 
 the water available if planted to alfalfa would then be less than half 
 the area that could be served if planted to orchard. Finally, the cost 
 per acre of the works for alfalfa would practically be double that for 
 orchard for the cost of the distributing system on the mesa would be 
 small in proportion to that of the mountain works which latter cost 
 would be the same in either case. 
 
 No attempt was made to systematically collect information on the 
 duty of water for alfalfa for this report as was done for duty for 
 deciduous fruits, but opportunity was given in the course of the investi- 
 gation to obtain some miscellaneous data which are presented for what 
 they are worth in Table No. 8. 
 
 TABLE No. 8. 
 Duty of Water for Alfalfa. 
 
 *f 
 
 Locality Acres 
 
 Acre feet 
 
 ! Acre feet 
 j per acre 
 
 | 
 
 1 .Mojave River bottom __ _ 60 
 
 960.00 
 
 16.00 
 
 " Moiavc River bottom 66 
 
 104082 
 
 15.77 
 
 :: Kast Mesa - .._.. 40 
 
 274.40 
 
 6.89 
 
 1 West Mesa ' 5 
 
 6.20 
 
 1.24 
 
 r> West Mesa ... . J 25 
 
 100.00 
 
 4.07 
 
 6 Lucerne Valley 18 
 
 39.60 
 
 2.20 
 
 7 Lucerne Valley 40 
 
 109.20 
 
 2.73 
 
 8 Lucerne Valley 17 
 
 46.24 
 
 2.72 
 
 9 Pern's Valley 75 
 
 421.50 
 
 5.62 
 
 10 Pern's Valley - 50 
 
 303.50 
 
 6.07 
 
 11 Ferris Valley 30 
 
 191.70 
 
 6.39 
 
 1'J Pern's Valley . 50 
 
 275.00 
 
 5.50 
 
 
 
 
 Totals and average.. .. . J 476 
 
 3,768.16 
 
 7.92 
 
 
 
 
 The average 7.92 acre feet per acre is obtained by dividing the total 
 number of acre feet, 3,768.16, by the total number of acres, 476, which 
 gives weight in the average to the several tracts according to area. 
 Eliminating tracts numbers 1 and 2, which are in the river bottom 
 where the soil is sandy and the water plentiful and cheaply applied, the 
 average is 5.72 acre feet per acre which amount is believed more than 
 is necessary for alfalfa in Victor Valley. 
 
 A better idea of the amount of water required for irrigating alfalfa 
 may be had from consideration of two of the larger alfalfa growing 
 sections of southern California, Imperial Valley and Chino, the one 
 more arid and the other less arid than Victor Valley. The water used 
 in Imperial Valley flows by gravity from Colorado River and is plenti- 
 ful and cheap. That used at Chino is pumped from wells with lifts up
 
 40 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 to 125 feet and is expensive. The fields in Imperial Valley are flooded 
 by the border check method and those at Chino are flooded by surface 
 pipe. The duty of water for alfalfa in these localities is shown by Table 
 No. 9. 
 
 TABLE No. 9. 
 Duty of Water for Alfalfa in Imperial Valley and at Chino. 
 
 Imperial 
 
 Locality 
 
 Valley 
 
 Number 
 of 
 crops 
 
 8 
 
 Rainfall 
 in acre feet 
 per acre 
 
 Irrigation 
 in acre feet 
 per acre 
 
 4.00 
 
 Total vvatei 
 in acre feet 
 per acre 
 
 | Irrigation 
 per crop 
 1 in acre feet 
 j per acre 
 
 .50 
 
 Total water 
 per crop 
 in acre feet 
 per acre 
 
 .53 
 
 Chino .. 
 
 
 6 
 
 tl 
 
 2.50 
 
 3.75 
 
 
 .62 
 
 3.25 ! 4.00 ! .50 
 
 lr riie first crop at Chino is unirrigated. 
 
 Four crops and sometimes a light or partial fifth crop of alfalfa are 
 cut per annum in Victor Valley. If .5 foot in depth of water be applied 
 to produce each crop the total amount that would be required is 2 or 2.5 
 acre feet per acre. 
 
 Apple and pear orchards in Victor Valley have generally been irri- 
 gated four times per annum, the first being in April or May and the 
 last in October. In some cases a fifth irrigation has been given in 
 November. Most of the orchards appear to have had insufficient water 
 and it is probable that under an efficient irrigation system the practice 
 would be to give five irrigations, unless rain is plentiful in the first half 
 of the w r inter. 
 
 In order to arrive at a proper duty of water for deciduous fruits 
 data were obtained on the use of water on all orchards in Victor Valley 
 where the amount applied was measured or where records of value were 
 kept. Data were also secured on orchards in other sections of southern 
 California where somewhat similar conditions obtain. The elevation 
 and climate of the settlements on the north side of the Sierra Madre 
 range, including Victor Valley, closely resemble. Some of those on the 
 south side differ more from Victor Valley in certain respects as with 
 reference to precipitation at Beaumont and Yucaipa and to plentiful 
 water supply at Banning, but they are in general comparable. Other 
 things being equal, records from Victor Valley should be given more 
 weight than records from other sections, and data on mature orchards 
 more truly indicate the amount of water that would eventually be 
 required on the mesa, but, unfortunately, there are as yet only a few 
 producing orchards in Victor Valley, so that the records from the 
 greater number of older orchards in the other deciduous fruit sections 
 must be relied upon to a large extent.
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 
 
 41 
 
 The results for each of the localities investigated are given in the 
 following tables. The average duty of water in acre-feet per acre for 
 each locality is determined from the total number of acres and the total 
 amount of water applied, thereby giving weight according to acreage in 
 making the average. 
 
 TABLE No. 10. 
 
 Mojave River Bottom. 
 
 Duty of Water for Deciduous Orchards. Mojave River Bottom. 
 
 Norn- 
 
 bei 
 
 of 
 
 Kind of orchard 
 
 Acre feet 
 pef acra 
 
 Apples 
 Pears _ 
 
 38.25 
 11.88 
 
 2.55 
 1.98 
 
 Total 
 
 <i average. 
 
 50.13 
 
 tract 
 
 
 
 Kind of orchard 
 
 Age of j 
 trees 
 
 Acres 
 
 Aore 
 feet 
 
 Acre feet 
 per acre 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 (i 
 
 g 
 9 
 10 
 
 Apples 
 Apples 
 Apples 
 Apples 
 Apples 
 Apples 
 Apples 
 Apples 
 
 Tot 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 12 1 
 
 3 ! 
 
 3-5 
 4 
 
 4 
 1-2 
 1-2 
 3 
 
 30 
 140 
 75 
 75 
 40 
 54 
 40 
 56 
 
 171.60 
 61.60 
 62.25 
 123.75 
 28.00 
 71.80 
 39.60 
 39.76 
 
 5.72 
 .44 
 .83 
 1.65 
 .70 
 1.23 
 .99 
 .71 
 
 
 
 and 
 and 
 and 
 and 
 and 
 and 
 
 als 
 
 pears 
 
 pears 
 
 pears 
 
 
 pears 
 
 cherries . . . . 
 
 
 
 510 
 
 598.36 1.17 
 
 
 West Mesa. 
 
 Num- 
 
 
 
 of 
 
 Kind of orchard 
 
 trees 
 
 tract 
 
 
 
 Apples 
 
 Apples 
 
 Apples 
 
 Apples 
 
 Apples '_. 
 
 Apples 
 
 Apples 
 
 Apples and pears 
 
 Apples 
 
 Apples 
 
 Pears 
 
 20 
 20 
 20 
 20 
 20 
 4 
 
 1-6 
 3 
 4 
 
 8.10 
 2.88 
 12.36 
 18.20 
 29.80 
 6.90 
 2.00 
 28.60 
 8.80 
 4.40 
 8.80 
 
 .81 
 .36 
 
 1.03 
 .91 
 
 1.49 
 .23 
 .20 
 .52 
 .22 
 
 Totals and average. 
 
 265 
 
 130.84 
 
 .49
 
 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 Lucerne Valley. 
 
 Num- 
 tract 
 
 Kind of orchard t f| 
 
 of . Acre j Acre feet 
 es feet per acre 
 
 22 
 23 
 24 
 
 Apples 
 
 3 8 2.48 .31 
 3 20 16.60 .83 
 2 40 40.80 1.02 
 
 Apples and pears 
 
 Pears - 
 
 Totals and average- __ . . 
 
 68 59.88 .88 
 
 
 
 Yucaipa. 
 
 
 Num- 
 ber 
 of 
 tract 
 
 Kind of orchard t fe 
 
 of . Acre Acre feet 
 es feet per acre 
 
 25 
 26 
 
 27 
 28 
 
 Peaches 
 
 10 6 17.34 2.89 
 &-12 :: 8.67 : 2.89 
 4 ! ID 3.60 .36 
 1-20 20 35.60 ' 1.78 
 
 39 65.21 1.67 
 
 Apples - 
 
 Apples 
 
 Apples, cherries, pears 
 
 Totals and average 
 
 
 
 San Timeteo Canyon. 
 
 Num- 
 ber 
 
 tract 
 
 Kind of orchard * 
 
 of ! Acre Acre feet 
 es : Acres feet per acre 
 
 29' 
 30 
 
 Peaches 
 
 6 20 7.20 .36 
 20 15 7.20 ! .48 
 
 Apricots 
 
 Totals and average 
 
 35 14.40 ' 41 
 
 
 
 Perris Valley. 
 
 Num- 
 ber 
 of 
 
 tnirl 
 
 Kind of orchard j re 
 
 
 
 " f A "<* "r\"r 'i" e ;u'n. 
 
 31 
 32 
 33 
 
 Apricots 
 
 1 10 4.20 .42 
 3 10 6.80 .68 
 1 10 1 9.40 .91 
 
 Apricots 
 
 Apricots 
 
 Totals and average 
 
 30 20.40 .68 
 

 
 UTILIZATION OP MOJAVE RIVER. 
 Beaumont. 
 
 Num- 
 ber 
 of 
 tract 
 
 34 
 35 
 36 
 37 
 38 
 39 
 JO 
 41 
 42 
 43 
 44 
 4o 
 
 
 Kind of orchard ''trees'' 1 Acres 
 
 1 
 
 Acre Acre feet 
 feet per acre 
 
 Apple? 
 Apples 
 Apples, 
 Apples 
 Apples, 
 Ap]. Irs 
 
 Apples 
 
 Clicrrie 
 Apples 
 Apples 
 Apples, 
 Apples 
 
 Tot 
 
 4 7 
 
 LOO 42.00 .42 
 10 3.60 .36 
 . 8 2.88 .36 
 5 2.40 ; .48 
 5 1.20 .24 
 5 1.80 .36 
 11 2.42 l .22 
 5 1.20 .24 
 5 1.80 .36 
 5 1.80 .36 
 5 .85 .17 
 8 3.60 .45 
 
 3-6 
 
 peaches, pears 5-8 
 
 1 5 : 
 
 pears, cherries 5 i 
 
 . ._. _.! 7 
 
 and cherries ' ? 
 . pears, apples, peaches 5 
 ----- 5 
 
 5 
 
 pears, peaches, cherries 7 
 
 3 
 
 
 als and average 
 
 72 6-5.55 .38 
 
 
 Banning. 
 
 .Num- 
 ber 
 of 
 trad 
 
 Kind of orchard 
 
 Age of 
 trees 
 
 Acres 
 
 Acre 
 feet 
 
 Acre feet 
 per acre 
 
 46 
 
 Apricots and almonds 1 
 
 Over 5 
 
 15 
 
 1605 
 
 1 07 
 
 47 
 
 Apricots, peaches, almonds 
 
 25 
 
 20 
 
 31 80 
 
 1 59 
 
 48 
 
 Apricots and peaches 
 
 8 
 
 15 
 
 ^70 
 
 198 
 
 49 
 
 Apricots peaches almonds 
 
 6-9 
 
 20 
 
 1200 
 
 60 
 
 50 
 
 Apricots 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 19 68 
 
 246 
 
 51 
 
 Apricots 
 
 20 
 
 10 
 
 1980 
 
 1 98 
 
 V-' 
 52 
 
 Peaches, prunes, apricots, almonds, i 
 Peaches and almonds- 
 
 15 
 8-20 
 
 10 
 40 
 
 23.80 
 95.20 
 
 2.38 
 2.38 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Totals and average ' 
 
 
 138 
 
 248.03 
 
 1.80 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Summary. 
 
 
 Locality 
 
 Number of 
 orchards 
 
 Total 
 
 acres 
 
 Total 
 acre feet 
 
 Acie feet 
 per acre 
 
 
 2 
 
 8 
 11 
 3 
 4 
 2 
 3 
 12 
 8 
 
 21 
 
 510 
 265 
 68 
 39 
 35 
 30 
 172 
 138 
 
 50.13 
 598.36 
 130.84 
 59.88 
 65.21 
 14.40 
 20.40 
 65.55 
 248.03 
 
 2.39 
 1.17 
 
 .49 
 .88 
 
 1.67 
 .41 
 .68 
 .38 
 1.80 
 
 Kast Mesa - - - - 
 
 West Mca 
 
 
 Yueaipa . - - - - 
 
 San Timeteo Canvon 
 
 
 Beaumont - 
 
 Banning - - - - - 
 
 Totals and average 
 
 53 
 
 1,278 
 
 1,252.80 
 
 .98 

 
 44 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 The average amount of water applied to the 53 orchards representing 
 a combined area of 1,278 acres giving proper weight to the area of each 
 orchard is .98 acre-foot per acre. This summary includes orchards of 
 all ages. The results when segregated for trees under 5 years of age 
 and over 5 years of age are shown by Tables No. 1 1 and No. 12. 
 
 TABLE No. 11. 
 Summary for Orchards Under Five Years of Age. 
 
 Locality 
 
 orchards 
 
 acreJ 
 
 acre feet 
 
 per acre 
 
 Mojave River bottom 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 1188 
 
 1 98 
 
 East Mesa 
 
 
 480 
 
 42676 
 
 89 
 
 West Mesa 
 
 6 
 
 195 : 
 
 59.50 
 
 .31 
 
 Lucerne Valley - - _- - 
 
 ... 3 
 
 f>8 
 
 5988 
 
 .88 
 
 Tueaipa 
 
 1 
 
 10 
 
 3.60 
 
 .36 
 
 San Tiinctco Canyon. __.. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Perris Vallev 
 
 3 
 
 30 
 
 20.40 
 
 .68 
 
 Beaumont 
 
 2 
 
 18 
 
 7.20 
 
 .40 
 
 Banning 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Totals and average 
 
 23 
 
 807 > 
 
 5S!) > 
 
 7.'! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 TABLE No. 12. 
 Summary for Orchards Over Five Years of Age. 
 
 LocaUt, 
 
 N orc m has f 
 
 Total ' 
 acres 
 
 Total A 
 acre feet ; 
 
 ere feet 
 per acre 
 
 Mojave River bottom 
 
 I I 
 1 1 
 
 15 
 
 38.25 
 
 2.55 
 
 East Mesa 
 
 1 ! 
 
 30 
 
 171.60 
 
 5.72 
 
 West Mesa .. _._ 
 
 5 ! 
 
 70 
 
 71.34 
 
 1.02 
 
 Lucerne Valley ... _ _ . _. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Yucaipa _ 
 
 3 1 
 
 29 
 
 61.61 
 
 2.12 
 
 San Timeteo Canyon 
 
 2 
 
 35 
 
 14.40 
 
 .41 
 
 Perris Valley _ _ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Beaumont 
 
 10 
 
 154 
 
 58.35 
 
 .3?. 
 
 
 g 
 
 138 
 
 '>4803 
 
 180 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Totals and averages -- 
 
 30 
 
 471 
 
 663.58 
 
 1.41 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The average used on 23 orchards representing 807 acres of trees 
 under 5 years is .73 acre-foot per acre and the average for 30 on-ha^ls 
 representing 471 acres in trees over 5 years is 1.41 acre-feet per acre. 
 This latter group includes an orchard in the river bottom at Oro Grande, 
 tract No. 1, and the Victor Ranch on the first bench, tract No. 3, which 
 are not representative of conditions on the mesas and for which the 
 duty of water is excassively low. Eliminating these the average for the 
 orchards over 5 years of age with a combined area of 426 acres is 1.07 
 acre-feet per acre. Most of the orchards in Victor Valley appear to 
 have had insufficient water for vigorous growth and production.
 
 rriU/ATION OK MO.TAVK RIVER. 45 
 
 The results for Ihe individually owned orchards arc supplemented by 
 figures on the gross duly of \\a1er for the areas served by several irriga- 
 tion systems delivering water principally for deciduous fruit trees as 
 given by Table No. 13. The figures, except for the Banning Water 
 Company, are from measurements. The duty for the Beaumont Land 
 and "Water Company is for 1913 and that for the Lake Hemet Water 
 Company is an average of several seasons. The duty for the other 
 systems is for 1916. 
 
 TABLE No. 13. 
 Duty of Water for Deciduous Orchards Under Irrigation Systems. 
 
 Irrigation system 
 
 Kind of trees 
 
 Acres 
 
 Ualn- 
 fall 
 in 
 
 feet 
 
 Irriga- 
 tion 
 in 
 
 feet 
 
 Total 
 water 
 in 
 feet 
 
 Vucaipa Water Co. No. 1 _ _ 
 
 Apples, cherries, etc 
 
 2051 
 
 1 50 
 
 53 
 
 203 
 
 IN Hiiinont l.und & Water Co._ 
 Banning Water Co. 
 
 Miscellaneous deciduous 
 Miscellaneous deciduous 
 
 1065 
 
 2700 
 
 1.66 
 1 10 
 
 .12 
 1 17 
 
 1.78 
 257 
 
 Lake Hornet Water Co. 
 
 Deciduous and citrus ,. 
 
 5600 
 
 1 00 
 
 i i 10 
 
 210 
 
 Palmdalo Water Co. 
 
 Pears 
 
 ^00 
 
 50 
 
 75 
 
 125 
 
 I. it tic Hook Creek Irri. Dist. 
 
 Pears 
 
 1500 
 
 60 
 
 85 
 
 1 45 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Average 
 
 
 
 
 80 
 
 186 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 
 The Yucaipa Company delivers to orchards of all ages and the water 
 supply has been adequate. Although the precipitation at Beaumont is 
 high the amount given for the system is considered insufficient for the 
 locality. The duty for the Banning Company is based on the amount 
 of water available for use, 11 second-feet, for six months. The amount 
 actually used may have been less. This company has a plentiful supply 
 and it is probable that more water is used than is necessary. Most of 
 the Hemet orchards are decidous but some are in citrus fruits. The 
 trees at Palmdalc arc young and more water should be used when they 
 become mature. Only about 200 acres of the total area given for the 
 Little Rock district were of full bearing age in 1916 and the amount 
 used in this district should increase in the future. 
 
 The average amount of water applied under these irrigation systems 
 is .80 acre-foot per acre and the average total, including rainfall, is 
 1.86 acre-feet per acre. To give the equivalent of this latter amount in 
 Victor Valley it would be necessary to apply 1.36 feet of irrigation 
 water assuming an average rainfall of .5 foot per annum. 
 
 The only records of rainfall on the east mesa are for such short 
 periods as to be of little value for comparison. However, it is believed 
 that the east mesa, being on the average about 200 feet lower than the 
 west mesa, has less rainfall and that the amount of water should be from 
 10 to 20 per cent greater than for the west mesa. It is recommended 
 that the duty of water be estimated at 1.25 acre-feet per acre for the
 
 46 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 west mesa and 1.50 acre-feet per acre for the cast mesa. Xo allowance 
 is made for loss in distribution, but neither is any account taken of the 
 land that would be devoted to buildings and which would not require 
 irrigation. 
 
 One miner's inch flowing continuously for a season of 200 days is 
 equivalent to a depth of 1.25 feet on 6.40 acres, and a depth of 1.50 
 feet on 5.38 acres. 
 
 WATER RIGHTS. 
 
 The first irrigation ditches on Mn.jave River were constructed in the 
 early seventies below and near the Lower Narrows. In a few years 
 others were constructed on the "West Fork and near the Upper Narrows. 
 It appears that the early irrigators relied mainly on the use of the 
 water to establish their priorities and for some of the ditches did not 
 accompany their appropriations with the formality of filing until after 
 the ditches had been used, while for other ditches they never filed. On 
 the other hand, as with most streams of the arid country, many claims 
 have been recorded which did not materialize by the construction of 
 ditches and use of water. It is estimated from a review of the county 
 water records that several hundred such filings have been made on the 
 Mojave. Probably the one of most liberal conception was a promoter's 
 claim for 1,000,000 miner's inches to be diverted from the river near 
 Hicks by a canal to be 400 feet wide on top, 250 feet wide on the bottom, 
 10 feet deep, and to have a grade of 3 feet per mile, for irrigating 10 
 townships (230,400 acres) of land below Daggett, 
 
 The earliest claim recorded is dated April 21, 1861, and is for the 
 entire river down to bedrock for 3 miles near the mill-site at Flat Salt 
 Springs. This and other claims filed in the sixties were for mining 
 purposes. The first recorded claim for an irrigation ditch that was 
 constructed and used was for the Lane & Riley Ditch in 1872. Next 
 came the Houlton filing on the West Fork and the Pearl filing on the 
 main river in 1873. These are followed by the filing for the Eogers 
 Ditch in 1876. The filings for most of the other ditches so located as to 
 have a sufficient supply of water every year had been made by 1885. 
 
 Table No. 14 associates the filings as identified from the records and 
 other essential data w r ith the original and present names of the ditches, 
 the list being in order of location downstream. Several of the older 
 ditches were abandoned, in some cases the water right being exercised 
 through other ditches. Others have been changed as to location of 
 intake with the shifting of the river channel and a few have been 
 relocated throughout.
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 47 
 
 I'mler an act of the legislating of 1864 and applying to San Bernar- 
 dino County only, the eounty maintained a board of water commis- 
 sioners for a number of years to administer the waters of the streams, 
 an institution fashioned after that of the early Mormon communities 
 in Utah. The commissioners were to "locate" ditches and to apportion 
 the water in them annually. They annually selected a water master 
 for each ditch to make the apportionment and the reports of the water 
 masters to the board are a matter of record. The main activities of 
 the commissioners related to the more populous settlements on the 
 Santa Ana Kiver and tributaries, but in 187!). acting on petition of 
 residents, they -.rave attention lo irrigation on Mojave River. On 
 January l">th of that year they met on the banks of the river and 
 located six ditches near the Lower Narrows, assigning to them names and 
 numbers and alloting to them amounts as shown by the table. The basis 
 of the numbering is not made clear and the order is probably arbitrary. 
 The numbers are not according to location and they are not understood 
 to represent priorities. Several other ditches were in use on other parts 
 of the river at this time.
 
 48 
 
 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATION'S IX CALIFORNIA. 
 
 
 Data on 
 
 TABLE 
 Ditches 
 
 O-ininalo, fo-mer 
 name of ditch 
 
 ^,MS CIalm fa 
 
 propriation 
 
 
 = '/. --'i 
 ~ Date F55 . Claimants 
 &* ' /-'- 
 
 Date 
 
 m 
 
 Upper West fork.. 
 
 (Amos Houlton 
 
 May 30, '73 
 
 Jan. f)' '82 
 Jan. l(i, '<J2 
 Jan. 6, 'sr, 
 Mar. 18, '11 
 Aug. 13, '85 
 
 June 27, '83 
 Jan '09 
 
 socf 
 
 2,000\ 
 10,000 1 
 
 10,0004 
 
 5,000 
 
 aw 
 
 5,<;o:> 
 10,000 
 1,500 
 
 I ower West Fork 
 
 " 1C. A. Burcham 
 i |J. F. Hotightori 
 
 Gra,<* Valley Creek 
 
 /C. A. Burcham 
 
 Lang 
 
 ; Win. R. Lang 
 
 Hesperia - 
 
 Hfsperia Land & 
 
 Fast Fork 
 
 Water Co. 
 C. A. Burcham 
 
 
 i Xanfnrrl P T,aiiP^hlin 
 
 Cole j - A. W. C'ole 
 
 (No filing) 
 
 Cory . K. L. Horton and J. 
 
 Feb. 20, '07 
 
 1,000 
 
 500 
 l.OCO 
 
 C. Cory. 
 
 Upper Brown ' -las. Waters Jr, and 
 
 Oct. 2, ' 
 (Xo filing) 
 
 Jas. Brown. 
 Lower Brown . i._ . _ . __ - John Brown . -. ._ 
 
 Rogers ' Samuel Rogers and 
 
 Jan. 31, '76 
 Jan. 10, '80 
 
 (No filing) 
 Oct. 15, '80 
 
 (No filing) 
 (\o filing) 
 
 1,000 
 2,000] 
 
 J 
 
 ! Win. Ross. 
 Allison A. J. Spencer 
 
 Atwood -- 
 
 Mill .... .j Hallock. C o n s a r. 
 
 4,000 
 
 Hulday Pearl .... 
 
 Clancey and Golds- 
 worthy. 
 2 Jan. 15, '79 100 Hulday Pearl 
 4 Jan 15 '70 500 Geo F. Foote 
 
 Foot?' 
 
 Pioneer 
 
 1 Jan. 15, '79 300 . A t k i n s o n, Lane, 
 Swarthout and 
 Bemis. 
 6 Jan. 15, '79 300 i Riley, Decrow and 
 Snodderly. 
 
 1 j A. H. Pearl 
 
 S Jan IT "7Q Mfi A fl T nnp 
 
 April 17, '85 
 (No filing) 
 
 July 25, '73 
 
 Oct. 22, '72 
 (No filing) 
 
 April 30, 'S3 
 Oct. 6, '83 
 
 Dec. 15, '83 
 (No filing) 
 
 800 
 
 Wild Goose 
 
 A. H. Pearl 
 Lane & Riley 
 
 whole ] 
 river \ 
 400J 
 
 1 
 
 Snodderly & Decrow 5 Jan. 15, "70 . K. Snrsilderlv and On. 
 Dfcrow. 
 
 f D/Clark. 
 
 Bledsoe & Robinson . . -jBledsop Clark Rob- 
 
 J 
 
 6J 
 
 | inson and Boren. 
 IFrancis A. Haw* 
 McNev; .. .. Jerry McNew 
 
 Boren & Schneidewidt ! ........ M. J. Tinev and F 8 
 
 Jan. 20, '95 
 
 Oct. 13, '09 
 Dee. 23, 'S4 
 Dec. 18, 'C7 
 
 Jan. 16, '.3 
 Oct. 28, '09 
 
 Aug. 28, 'C6 
 Oct. 17, '07 
 
 (No filing) 
 Mar. 22, '15 
 
 Sept. 28, '93 
 Sept. 27, '10 
 
 150 
 
 500 
 1,000 
 
 800 
 
 1,000 
 1,500 
 
 600 
 4,000 
 
 Scbneidewidt. 
 Wilson ! ._ .. J \ Wilson 
 
 Hartman ; .. L. . H. Hartman 
 
 Swarthout G M Swarthout and 
 
 J. T. Bennette. 
 Richardson .. .. ! ! Richardson and Tal- 
 
 
 madge. 
 
 Scoble. 
 Anchiniachie i J. T. Anehiniachie 
 
 Chilson. 
 Stonical ; 
 
 Harland | R 4 Harland and 
 
 205 
 100,000 
 20,000 
 
 ; D. T. Chilson. 
 Minneola ' t Wm. Deterle 
 
 and Water Co.
 
 TTILI/.ATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 
 
 No. 14 
 in Victor Valley 
 
 Present ownership 
 
 Dec. -_'4, '88 
 
 . Los FJoresNo. 1.. 
 . ; Los Flores No. 2__ 
 | Los Flores No. 3 
 
 Victor C. Smith-, j 
 Victor C. Smith.- h 2CC 
 Victor C. Smith.- j 
 
 Wm. R. Lang__._ 
 -i Hifsperi"a"III"II"l Appleton L., W. 
 
 ! & P. Co. 
 Lower Dvep Creek Appleton L., W. 
 
 & P. Co. 
 j Laughlin | Laughlin & Laul 
 
 A. W. Cole 
 
 C. C. Lewis an.l 
 
 I. B. Miller. 
 H. G. Garden.... 
 Rancho Verde Co.|| 
 
 . ok 
 I t'\\ i 
 
 Upper Verde 
 
 Lower Verde j Ranelio Verde Co. J 
 
 .,,,,. Heirs of Samuel 
 
 Rogers. 
 . Driscoll Victor C. Smith.- : 
 
 Hesperia L. & W. Oo. 
 
 vs. Rogers. 
 Allison and Atwood 
 
 combined. For ore 
 
 mill. 
 Abandoned. 
 
 Meyer May ]-. ., Mne tte 
 
 J. T. Bennette . 
 Victor C. Smith-- 
 Victor C. Smith- 
 Victor C. Sniitn- 
 
 Victor C. Smith, 
 W.H.Robinson, 
 P. Huerlick. 
 
 C arl McXew 
 F. Schneidrwiilt-. 
 
 \V. \V. Iiigraliam. 
 Victor C. Smith.. 
 George M.Swarth- 
 out. 
 . Richardscu.- 
 
 Dt'crow. Dtirc-Il tV 
 Scoble. 
 HcLean 
 
 no 
 
 80 
 
 80 
 80 
 40 
 
 8D 
 200 
 80 
 
 Bledsoe vs. Decrow. 
 1 Bledsoe vs. Decrow. 
 Combined, 1S79. 
 
 Combined. Water 
 used through Pio- 
 neer 1916-7. 
 ; Bledsoe vs. Dwrow. 
 
 Bledsoe vs. Dor-row. 
 
 Area estimated. 
 
 Area estimated. 
 Abandoned. 
 
 Area estimated. 
 Area estimated. 
 
 Water pumped from 
 wells. 
 
 Davidson, Mav 18, "'.>7 2:!d pioneer 
 
 Hemi> \- 
 
 l.;inc. 
 
 j son. 
 ixcrow & May 18, '&7 400 i Decrow 
 
 Van Horn. 
 
 1 ! P 
 
 Hlrdsoe <t May 16, 'i/V 600 Haw.< & Robin- 
 U-il.inson. KB. 
 
 * ^ I """, 
 
 
 i n^,i aisa Ji 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -.. 
 
 2 
 80 
 
 23 
 
 J 1 
 
 . Harland ! R * HriTiii 
 
 
 H. A. Funk and 
 T. S. Vandyke. 
 Y e r m o Mutual 
 Water Co. 
 
 
 -'
 
 50 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 On January 27, 1871), also <m .lamiary 23, 1880, water masters were 
 appointed for these ditches for the seasons. The report of W. H. 
 Robinson, water master on the Pioneer Ditch (No. 1), dated March 5, 
 1879, is the only one recorded. It shows the water in the ditch to have 
 been apportioned by rotation among seven users, a complete round being 
 made every 15 days and 7 hours. 
 
 Of the ditches located in 1879 only one, the Lane & Riley (No. 3), 
 had a filing. Afterwards in 1885 several landowners filed on water to 
 be used through the Pioneer Ditch (No. 1). This ditch and the Foote 
 (No. 4), later the Meyer and now the Bennette, and the Snodderly & 
 Decrow (No. 5) are still in use. The latter two were at first on the west 
 side of the river but were moved to the east side following a change in 
 the river's course in 1884. The Hulday Pearl Ditch (No. 2) which was 
 later abandoned is not to be confused with the A. H. Pearl Ditch which 
 was combined w r ith the Lane & Riley into the Downey & Robinson Ditch 
 of the present time. The Wild Goose (No. 6) was combined with the 
 Pioneer (No. 1) October 24, 1879, the contract signed by the seven 
 water users concerned and recorded providing that the owners of Ditch 
 No. 1 ''agree to make Ditch No. 1 as many rods long as Ditch No. 6 
 now is." A further memorandum is attached to the record of these 
 
 transactions stating that, " sells his right in Pioneer 
 
 Ditch (No. 1) to for 500 pounds of corn, $5.35 and 
 
 25 days w r ork on the ditch. ' ' Another agreement dated January 7, 1889, 
 provided that eight users under the Pioneer Ditch give to three land- 
 owners a one-fifth interest in the ditch for a right of way through their 
 lands. 
 
 The original Houlton Ditch on the West Fork is said to have been 
 abandoned and to have been in a different location from any of the 
 ditches used at a later time for the Burcham Ranch, now Rancho Las 
 Flores. The relation of the present West Fork ditches to the Houlton 
 filing would be affected not so much by a change in location as by any 
 lapse of use for 5 years or more that may have occurred. 
 
 From the best evidence available the original Brown Ditch, con- 
 structed about 1873, was the lower of the two now on Rancho Verde. 
 The only filing by any of .the original or subsequent owners of the 
 Brown Ranch is that of Waters and Brown in 1882, which is believed to 
 have been for the second and Upper Brown Ditch. 
 
 The Allison and the At wood were combined as to water right into the 
 present Driscoll Ditch (Plate V, Fig. 2). The Mill Ditch, used for a 
 time for an ore mill at Oro Grande, was abandoned when the mill 
 ceased to operate and was never used for irrigation. The Hesperia 
 Ditch, now owned by the Appleton Land, Water and Power Company,
 
 UTILIZATION OF MO.IAVE RIVER. 51 
 
 is the only one diverting waler away from the lands in the immediate 
 river bottom. 
 
 The early settlers took advantage of the locations where the surface 
 flow of the river is constant and the later appropriators had to depend 
 mainly on flood waters. The ditches now diverting at favorable loca- 
 tions are those that were constructed prior to 1886 and they include 
 the Las F lores Xo. 1, Las Flores No. 2, Hesperia, Lower Deep Creek, 
 Upper Verde, Lower Verde, Rogers. Driscoll, Bennette, Pioneer, Downey 
 & Robinson, Decrow, Haws and Hartman. The others constructed 
 since 1885 are flood water ditches which receive an adequate supply only 
 during the first part of the irrigating season. Some of these on the 
 lower part of the river receive no water in dry years. The Daggett 
 Ditch diverts the underflow and the Yermo Ditch is supplied by pump- 
 ing from wells. 
 
 The table shows the claims for the ditches to be ridiculously 
 extravagant in amount as was usually the case under the old California 
 law. The filings are of little significance except as they may have pro- 
 tected the appropriators for a reasonable time while initiating construc- 
 tion and carrying it to completion and except as the appropriations 
 may relate back to the filings where the construction was prosecuted 
 diligently. The amounts allotted to ditches by the county water com- 
 missioners in 1879 are somewhat more moderate. The rights of the 
 ditches if determined under the present law would be based on beneficial 
 use. No applications to divert water from Mojave River have been 
 received by the State Water Commission since it has had jurisdiction 
 over appropriations under the new law effective January 1, 1914. One 
 filing for a flood water ditch near Barstow was recorded at the county 
 seat in the manner prescribed by the old law, since the new has been in 
 effect. 
 
 No complete adjudication of rights on Mojave River has been made 
 and the few priorities and decreed amounts are fixed only as regards 
 certain other ditches or as regards certain users under other ditches 
 involved in the litigation. The Rogers Ditch was decreed a capacity 
 of 800 miner's inches December 24, 1888, by the Superior Court and the 
 judgment was affirmed by the Supreme Court in Hesperia Land and 
 Water Company vs. Rogers (83 Cal. 11). The amount is extremely lib- 
 eral in consideration of the area irrigated. 
 
 Bledsoe et al. vs. Decrow et al. (132 Cal. 312) involved, on the part of 
 the plaintiffs : the Bledsoe, now the Haws and Robinson Ditch, and on 
 the part of the defendants : the Pioneer, the Meyer, formerly the Foote 
 and now the Bennette, and the Snodderly and Decrow ditches. The 
 plaintiffs sought to be adjulged the owners of 600 miner's inches inde- 
 pendent of any rights of the defendants, but the Superior Court on
 
 52 IRRIGATION" IXVKSTKiATIOXS IX ( 'AI.IFOHXI A. 
 
 May 1 s . 1ST!), found tluil the defendants had prior rights ;is against the 
 plaintiffs to divert \v;i1<'r ;it tlu-ir respective intakes as follows: Meyer, 
 175 miner's indies; Davids; n, I Semis and Lane, users under the Pioneer 
 Ditch, 230 miner's indies; and Decrow and Van Horn. 400 miner's 
 inches. The plaintiff accepted the decree to the defendants Meyer but 
 asked for a new trial as regards the other defendants which was ordered 
 by the court provisional on the parties being unable to agree on certain 
 specified terms different from those of the decree. The defendants 
 appealed from this order arid the Supreme Court on March 22, 1901, 
 affirmed the order for a new trial but gave an opinion that the lower 
 court should not state the terms of compromise different from the rights 
 found to belong to the several parties. As there is no further record of 
 this cas:' it appears that there was no second trial or compromise 
 and that the original decision stands. The plaintiffs were decreed the 
 water remaining to the extent of 600 miner's inches as against the 
 defendants after satisfying the prior rights of the defendants but this 
 case considers only a few of the ditches on the river. The rights of both 
 the plaintiffs and the defendants are now to a large extent in one 
 ownership. 
 
 At a later time several suits relating to water rights were filed making 
 the Arrowhead Reservoir and Power Company, the Appletoii Land. 
 Water and Power Company, Rancho Verde Company and other riparian 
 landowners parties, but no action has been brought on these and by stip- 
 ulation of the attorneys no action is to be brought by either party unless 
 the other be given ten days' notice. 
 
 Most of the appropriation rights for the ditches have been used long 
 enough to become prescriptive. So far as is known the only lack of 
 continuous use in the sense of using water when needed for a part of 
 each year, has been confined to the flood water ditches which can not 
 divert water in seasons of deficient supply. 
 
 Xearly all, if not all, of the ditch owners have riparian rights which 
 under the old law had preference over appropriation rights and were 
 not lost by nonuse. Under the present law all water not beneficially 
 used by 192-1: will then become subject to appropriation and the prefer- 
 ence of the riparian proprietor is reduced to the opportunity to estab- 
 lish his right by using the water on his land before that time. 
 
 Owing to uncertain legal definition of riparian land it has not been 
 considered advisable to undertake any exact determination of the extent 
 of such lands. The estimate of the area here given is based on the 
 assumption that the riparian land is limited to the smallest sub- 
 divisions that have existed at any time touching the high-water banks of 
 the river and its tributaries and lying within the drainage.
 
 I'TIUZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 53 
 
 Excepting the hinds of the Appleton Land, Water and Power Com- 
 pany, probably few. if any. of the original units exceeded 320 acres, 
 and some were only 1(>0 acres. Some of the original tracts have been 
 subdivided. Therefore it seems sufficient to assume as an average that 
 the riparian land does not extend back from the river more than one- 
 half mile 011 either side. Considering only irrigable land and land 
 where the flow is regular enough for crops to be matured, an estimate 
 of 20,000 acres of riparian land is given. Adding to this another 
 20,000 acres for the Appleton company lands, the total estimated area 
 of riparian lands that should be taken account of is about 40,000 acres. 
 
 Table No. 14 shows the area of land claimed by the owners to be 
 irrigated under each ditch, the total for all ditches being 3,095 acres of 
 which 2.785 acres are in the river bottom and 310 acres on the mesa at 
 Ilesperia. In addition to the 20.000 acres of riparian land owned by the 
 Appleton company other large holdings are estimated not to exceed as 
 follows: Victor C. Smith 5,300 acres, of which 1,500 acres are on 
 Rancho Las Flores. 600 acres are between the Forks and Victorville 
 and 3.200 acres are belo\v Victorville; Rancho Verde Company 1,500 
 acres; and Arrowhead Reservoir and Power Company 400 acres. The 
 other riparian lands are distributed among numerous owners. The 
 Appleton. Arrowhead and Verde companies control about 27,000 acres 
 of the riparian land. 
 
 UNDERGROUND WATERS. 
 
 Victor Valley is part of a great alluvial plain sloping northward from 
 the granite mountains of the Sierra Madre Range. The swell of the 
 debris indicates that this portion of the desert was formed in previous 
 geological time by the northward drainage of the San Gabriel Mountains 
 and when much more water flowed in this direction than is now carried 
 by Sheep Creek and the other small streams of the present. Oro Grande 
 and Antelope washes appear to have belonged to this older drainage. In 
 the earlier time, probably that portion of the north slope of the moun- 
 tains now drained southward by Lytle and Lone Pine creeks was 
 drained northward, the flow being turned southward later by the fault- 
 ing through Cajon Pass. 
 
 The more rounded peaks and more numerous flats of the San Bernar- 
 dino .Mountains in contrast to the sharper outlines and deeper cut 
 canyons resulting from long continued erosion of the San Gabriel 
 Mountains, show the former to have been uplifted in later time than the 
 latter. 1 The great scries of faults running diagonally through the range 
 and dividing the two groups of mountains occurred with this movement 
 in relatively recent geological time and formed Cajon Pass. 2 Appar- 
 
 lUnited States Geuk^k-al Survey, Water Supply 1'aper No. 219, by W. C. Mendenhall. 
 -Vnited States Geological Survey, Bulletin 613.
 
 54 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 ently the elevation of the San Bernardino group produced the drainage 
 of Mojave River which has eroded its channel across the old alluvium 
 separating what was formerly a continuous plain into the east and 
 west mesas. 
 
 Mojave River flows through a valley .5 to 2 miles wide and from 100 
 to 150 feet deep between the east and west mesas as far as the Lower 
 Narrows, and the terrace of the mesa continues on the west side of the 
 channel as far as Hicks. 
 
 The east mesa is limited on the north by mountains and buttes and 
 is open to the east only through the constricted pass between Granite 
 Mountain and the San Bernardinos. The west mesa (Plate VI, Fig. 1) 
 is of much broader extent and is only indefinitely bounded on the north 
 by the Shadow Mountains w T hile to the west it continues as the vast plain 
 of Mojave Desert for many miles beyond Victor Valley which may be 
 considered as reaching only to the San Bernardino and Los Angeles 
 County line. 
 
 The west mesa slopes from an elevation of 4,000 feet near the foothills 
 to 2,700 feet in a distance of 15 miles out on the plain. The slope is 
 about 100 feet per mile west of Hesperia and it gradually becomes 
 flatter towards the north. The east mesa is in general lower than the 
 west mesa and it has much less slope. 
 
 The materials of these mesas, where exposed by the banks of the 
 streams, are shown to have the character of rudely stratified stream 
 detritus. The logs of wells show the same materials to extend through- 
 out the plain. Some of the hills to the north of Victor Valley are of 
 volcanic origin and consist of tuff, rhyolite, and lava, 1 
 
 A survey was made of the wells and pumping plants to determine 
 location, depth to water, and the extent to which pumping can be relied 
 upon for the reclamation of the land. Levels were run to establish the 
 elevation of the water in the wells and for the platting of hydrographic 
 contours from which to make deductions concerning the slope and direc- 
 tion of movement of the underground water. The elevation of the water 
 along lines from east to west is in general above the river on the west 
 side and nearly level with the river on the east side. The slope of the 
 water is less than that of the land, the difference being more marked 
 on the west, than on the east side. In the center of the west mesa it is 
 15 feet per mile and to the north and northeast. On the east mesa 
 it is to the north but it becomes nearly level over a large area. The 
 ground water east of the river appears to have much more direct con- 
 nection with the stream than that on the west side. On the east the 
 main source is the river underflow and but minor additions are made 
 to the basin by the foothill drainage to the southeast. The water is 
 
 'United States Geological Survey, Bulletin 613.
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 55 
 
 held up and forced to return to the stream above the Upper Narrows 
 !>y the rocky barrier limiting Apple Valley on the north. The West 
 Fork probably contributes 1o the water in the west mesa and apparently 
 oilier waters move through the mesa from the foothills west of Cajon 
 Pass in a direction towards Yictorville and Oro Grande. The sub- 
 terranean basin in Mirage Valley no doubt received waters percolating 
 from the region of Sheep Creek. The Shadow Mountains and buttes 
 arrest these waters and divert them eastward or westward from the 
 Mirage dry lake or "Playa" (Plate VI, Fig. 2). 
 
 '& Numerous springs occur along the west bank % of the river from a 
 point 2 miles above, to a point 4.5 miles below, the Upper Narrows. 
 None are found on the east bank. The water seeps from the sandy 
 strata confined between alternating clay strata. The strongest flowing 
 are situated at the Turner ranch below the narrows and about midway 
 between Victorville and Oro Grande. Some of the springs have been 
 developed by tunneling into the sandy layers from which the water 
 outcrops and the flow is used for domestic purposes and for the 
 irrigation of gardens. Those at the Turner ranch fill a small reservoir 
 from w r hich the water is taken to irrigate a field of considerable size. 
 The several groups of springs vary in elevation but 40 feet throughout 
 the 6.5 miles along the river bank and their positions coincide with the 
 water plane of the mesa as shown by the wells. Those upstream and 
 most of those downstream from the Upper Narrows are above the level 
 of the river at that point and those at the Turner ranch, 3.5 miles below 
 Victorville, are but little lower than those near the town while the river 
 falls 07 feet in the same distance. The water in the test well just 
 northwest of the narrows stands 8 feet above the water in the river at 
 the narrows. This seems to show that the seepage water is not from the 
 river immediately above the narrows but, if from the river, rather 
 from some point farther upstream, or from the West Fork, by an 
 indirect route through the mesa. Other observations indicate that the 
 river underflow does not detour around the west side of the rock at 
 the Upper Narrows. The artesian flow from the wells above the nar- 
 rows is confined to the river bottom and it comes from strata below 
 bedrock in the narrows. The artesian head should not be produced if 
 the passage of the water around the narrows were not obstructed. The 
 same conclusion is reached from the stream flow. The measurements 
 show a loss in the West Fork from the mouth of Horsethief Creek to 
 the Forks, about the same in the main river at the Forks and at the 
 Upper Narrows and a gain from the upper, to the Lower Narrows. 
 
 In the event of water being impounded during a part of each season 
 by a dam at the upper narrows, it is probable that the head produced 
 by the stored water would reverse the movement of the seepage and
 
 5& IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 cause water to flow out of instead of into the basin above the west end 
 of the dam. It is also possible that such a reservoir would resist the 
 escape of seepage from the east mesa sufficiently to raise the level of the 
 ground water and lessen the pumping lift for wells on the First Bench 
 and the western portion of Apple Valley. 
 
 The ground water on being encountered in drilling has generally risen 
 above the first water bearing stratum in wells piercing more than one 
 such stratum. This artesian action is understood to have been as much 
 as 12 feet in parts of the east mesa and as much as 20 feet in parts of 
 the west mesa but it has not been sufficient to cause any wells outside 
 the river bottom to now. The water level is approximately shown by 
 the hydrographic contours and the depth to water is represented by the 
 difference between the topographic and hydrographie contours on the 
 map. Theoretically the water level is above the ground surface in the 
 artesian area. 
 
 Comparison of the elevations of the water level in 1917 with the 
 elevation when the wells were completed in cases where the records are 
 available from well owners and drillers shows that the water level has 
 receded throughout Victor Valley, in most wells not to exceed 10 feet, 
 The drop may, in part at least, be attributed to recent dry years occur- 
 ring in the declining portion of the supposed cycle of precipitation. 
 Observations have not covered a period of long enough duration to 
 determine whether or not pumping is depleting the underground basins 
 in excess of the average annual contribution to them. The well waters 
 are of good quality for irrigation. 
 
 Fig. 3 shows diagrams of the logs of some of the typical deeper w r ells 
 in the different parts of Victor Valley. 
 
 WELLS AND PUMPING. 
 
 The data obtained on wells is tabulated as an appendix to this report, 
 The information on wells 302 to 333 was furnished by the United States 
 Geological Survey. The numbering of the wells in the table corresponds 
 to the numbering on the accompanying map. In some cases it was not 
 practicable to obtain all of the data to make the table complete and only 
 such information as seems to be reasonably reliable has been included. 
 Some of the wells are owned by nonresidents who could not be reached. 
 The depth to water was measured wherever practicable. In other cases 
 the statement of the owner or driller was taken. The date of measure- 
 ment is given only for the wells in which depth to water was measured 
 for this investigation. The elevations of ground and water are those 
 determined for the mapping of the hydrographie contours. In the 
 column showing kind of pumps the terms "single deep well" and 
 "double deep well" refer to the single and double acting plunger
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE KIVEK. 
 
 57 
 
 WEU.HO.I05 WEUM0.79 WELL NO. 182 WELL.MO.I78 WEUNO.I74 WELL N0.202 WELLN0.248 
 
 o * 
 
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 lAWrUAY 
 
 
 
 
 CLAYtiAXO 
 
 
 ci*fi*r 
 
 
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 CLAY 
 
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 300 FT 
 
 
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 \ 542 FT. H 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 utr 
 
 
 CiAY 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 400 FT 
 
 
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 - 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 400 FT 
 
 
 
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 (M/irf0 a S92FT 
 
 
 
 
 
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 tlUl CLAY 
 
 
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 = 
 
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 SOOFT. 
 
 TT 
 
 
 
 
 SAMO 
 
 
 Jttf* 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 SOOFT. 
 
 " 4KFT7" 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 WATER L(|J 
 
 
 LAY 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 510 FT. 1 
 
 
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 SMOAKO 
 
 
 AND BOULO14S 
 
 
 
 
 MO HAll* 
 
 
 MHTt* SMO 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 SfiM 
 
 
 ^O^UAY 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 CMCHTCO 
 
 600 FT. 
 
 I 
 
 Z" 5 " 
 
 
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 f^ylK irirft 
 
 
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 CLAY C$95 FT. 
 
 
 = 
 
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 700 FT / 
 H7 FT. 
 
 
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 700 FT 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
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 53 FT. 
 
 
 
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 SOOFT. 
 
 
 lAHtliCLAY BOO FT 
 
 
 
 co/rctOMtiurt 
 
 ROCK ,' '*<*' ^ 
 
 
 ~r 
 
 861 FT. 
 
 Fig. 3. Diagrams of wells in Victor Valley.
 
 58 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 pumps of large size developed in southern California for irrigating 
 plants with high lifts. These pumps have become known commercially 
 as here designated and they are distinguished from the smaller cylinder 
 pumps used with windmills and domestic water plants. 
 
 In few cases only were the plants in operation and the discharge 
 measured on being visited. Most of the discharges are those claimed by 
 the owners or their representatives. Many have never been measured 
 and they are probably overestimated. The miner's inch here used is 
 equal to one-fiftieth part of a second-foot. Other columns in the table 
 require no explanation. 
 
 The total number of w r ells between the mountains on the south and 
 the north line of township 6 on the north and between Lucerne Valley 
 on the east and Los Angeles County line on the west is 333. Of these 
 214 are drilled and steel-cased and the remainder are dug-shafts. A 
 total of 125 wells, the mast of which are drilled, are equipped with 
 pumping machinery, the power being gasoline or oil engines with but 
 four exceptions, and -43 wells are pumped with windmills. Although 
 the main transmission line of the Southern Sierras Power Company 
 crosses Victor Valley, electric power is not distributed generally to 
 pumping plants. Thirteen* wells, all located in the river bottom just 
 above the Upper Narrows on Rancho Verde, now. 
 
 An abundance of ground water and low lifts make pumping econom- 
 ical and efficient in the river bottom and on the first bench of the east 
 mesa. This area embraces 48 pumping plants, the most of which have 
 lifts ranging from 50 to 100 feet and discharges from 50 to 200 miner's 
 inches. 
 
 The second or main bench of the east mesa, including the pass east 
 of Deadman Point, has 31 pumping plants. The highest discharge for 
 any of these is 70 miner's inches and the most are under 50 miner's 
 inches. Excluding the plants in the pass the lifts range from 72 to 
 242 feet. 
 
 The west mesa includes 40 pumping plants. The lift at llesperia 
 is 300 feet and at one well on Baldy Mesa it is 869 feet. Such lifts are 
 economically prohibitive for this region and but small streams of water 
 have been pumped from these wells. The lifts are lower and the wells 
 better near the settlement of Adelanto in Sunrise Valley and still better 
 conditions for pumping are found in Mirage Valley. The depth to water 
 is only about 20 feet in wells near the dry lake bed and some good 
 producing wells are located there. 
 
 Excluding the river bottom and first bench and considering the mesa 
 lands, it appears that the only sections in which pumping underground 
 water can be relied upon as the sole source of supply to irrigate large 
 solid areas are the north central portion of the east mesa, the lower
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 59 
 
 portion of Mirage Valley and possibly that in the vicinity of Adelanto. 
 A great majority of the west mesa and a portion of the east mesa can 
 he reclaimed only by stream flood waters, stored and conveyed by 
 gravity. 
 
 About one-halt' million dollars has Keen invested in wells and pumping 
 machinery in Victor Valley. In addition to the plants within the 
 territory of the map. numerous others are pumping from wells along 
 the lower part of the river the most being near Hicks, Barstow, Daggett 
 and Minneola. The plain about Hinckley, 6 miles northwest of the river 
 between Hicks and Barstow and where the underground water is no 
 doubt in part from the river, is also the scene of pumping activity. 
 
 Included herewith are estimates of the cost of pumping intended to 
 represent three sets of conditions found in Victor Valley. Case No. 1 
 is for the river bottom where the wells are comparatively shallow and 
 good producers, the pumping lifts low, the soil sandy, the crop alfalfa, 
 and the amount of water required high. Case No. 2 is typical of 
 orchard irrigation in portions of Apple Valley. Here the wells are 
 deeper, the lifts greater, the discharges less, the soil tighter and the 
 duty of water higher. This case would apply also to a limited portion 
 of Mirage Valey. Case No. 3 is suggested by conditions of the west 
 mesa, particularly those of the central portion. Here the water must 
 be used for orchards, sparingly on account of the small streams pro- 
 duced by the wells and the expense of pumping against high heads. 
 ( 'ase Xo. 4 is a duplicate of No. 3 except that an electric motor is snb- 
 stituled for the engine to compare the cast of the two modes of power. 
 Depreciation is not counted on well and building. The percentages 
 are selected for the several combinations of types of pumps and motive 
 power, considering the deep well pump more durable than the cen- 
 trifugal or the turbine, and the electric motor more durable than the 
 gasoline or semi-Diesel engine. The plant efficiency is also a combina- 
 tion of that for the power and the pump and in fixing the percentages, 
 preference is given slightly to motors over engines and more decidedly 
 to deep well pumps over the types with speedily moving parts. 
 Although deep well pumps have higher mechanical efficiency and longer 
 life than centrifugals and turbines they generally require more expense 
 for repairs under which is included the cost of renewing plunger 
 leathers and the pulling of the rods. The costs of machinery on which 
 computations of fixed charges are based are slightly less than those of 
 the present time (1917) and they approximate the prices that obtained 
 in 1915 which year is believed to better represent the normal.
 
 60 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Case No. 1. 
 
 Crop to be irrigated, alfalfa. 
 
 Depth of water oil land required. 5 ft. Amount of water furnished by well. 15M 
 mi. in. (3 sec. ft.). Season. 15O days (3.6<IO hrs. i. 
 
 Area plant will irrigate ISO acres. I,ift. 50 ft. Work done. 17 h. p. 
 
 Power required at 40 per cent efficiency. 43 h. p. 
 Cost of plant: 
 
 Well, 200 ft. deep, drilling at $2.00 per ft _________________ $400 00 
 
 Casing, 12 in., double stove pipe, 12 gage, 180 ft. at $2.25 
 
 per ft. ______________________________________________ 405 00 
 
 Starter, 20 ft., 3 ply, and ring __________________________ 80 00 
 
 Pit. G ft. x G ft. x 40 ft., redwood curbing at $2.00 per ft _____ 80 00 
 
 Pump, 7 in., single stage, vertical, centrifugal, wooden frame, shafting 
 
 pipe, pulley, installed complete _________________________________ 1 .25o no 
 
 Engine, oil. 5O h. p. freight, concrete foundation, installed complete ___ 1,X5<> Ui 
 
 Belt, 64 ft ____________________________________________________ 85 00 
 
 Building, 10 ft. x 48 ft. and derrick___ 500 00 
 
 Total, $4,650 00 
 
 Cost of plant per mi. in., $31.00. 
 Cost of plant per acre, $25.83. 
 Cost of operation : 
 
 Interest, $4,650.00 at G per cent $279 00 
 
 Taxes and insurance, $4,650 at 1 per cent 46 00 
 
 Depreciation on machinery, $3,185 at 12 per cent 382 20 
 
 $707 70 
 Fuel, 40 degree (Baume) oil, 43 h. p.. 3,600 hrs., J gal. per h. p. hr., 
 
 19,350 gal. at $.07 per gal. delivered l.:554 5u 
 
 Attendance. 150 days at $2.00 per day 300 00 
 
 Repairs, lubricating oil, etc 50 00 
 
 Total $2,412 20 
 
 Amount of water pumped, 150 mi. in. for 3,600 hrs.. 900 acre ft. 
 
 Cost of water per acre ft., $2,68. 
 
 Cost of water per mi. in. per hr.. $.<u)45. 
 
 Cost of water per acre per annum, $13.40. 
 
 Case No. 2. 
 
 Crop to be irrigated, apples. 
 Depth of water on land 1.5 ft. Amount of water furnished by well, 50 mi. in. 
 
 (1 sec. ft.). Season. 150 days CKiCO hrs. I . 
 
 Area plant will irrigate 200 acres. Lift. KM> ft. Work done. 11.4 h. p. 
 Power required at .'!."> per cent efficiency, 32.5. 
 
 Cost of plant : 
 
 Well, 400 ft. deep, drilling at $2.00 per ft $800 00 
 
 Casing, 12 in. double stove pipe, 12 gage, 380 ft. at $2.25 
 
 per ft. 855 00 
 
 Starter, 20 ft., 3 ply, and ring 90 00 
 
 - $1,745 00 
 
 Pump, 9J in., 8 stage, turbine, installed complete 2,150 00 
 
 Engine, oil, 35 h. p.. freight, concrete foundation, installed complete 1,400 00 
 
 Belt, 60 ft. 70 00 
 
 Building 10 f t. x 4S ft. and derrick 500 00' 
 
 Total __ _ $5,865 00
 
 UTILIZATION OF MO.IAVE RIVER. 61 
 
 Cost of [.Unit per mi. in., $117.30. 
 Cost of plain per acre. X2'.>.32. 
 ( !oal of operation : 
 
 Inteivst, $5,!St',.-> at 6 per cent $351 90 
 
 Taxes and insurance, s.l.sc,;, at 1 per cent 58 65 
 
 Depreciation on machinery, $3,620 at 33 per cent 470 60 
 
 . $881 13 
 
 Fuel, 40 degree (Baume) oil, 32.5 h. p., 3,600 hrs., J gal. per h. p. hr., 
 
 14,(i23 gal. at $.07 per gal. delivered 1,023 75 
 
 Attendance. ir>o days at $2.00 per day 300 00 
 
 Repairs, lubricating oil. etc 50 00 
 
 Total $2,254 90 
 
 Amount of water pumped. 5O mi. in. for 3,600 hrs., 300 acre ft. 
 Cost of water per acre ft., $7.52. 
 
 Cos! of wafer per mi. in. per hr.. $.012.~i. 
 Cost of water per acre per annum. $1.1.27. 
 
 Case No. 3. 
 
 ( 'rop to lie irrigated, apples. 
 
 I)epth of water on land. 1.25 ft. Amount of water furnished by well, 25 mi. in. 
 1.5 sic. ft. I. Season. 150 days (3,600 hrs.) 
 
 Area plant will irrigate 120 acres. Lift, 25O ft. Work done, 14.2 h. p. 
 Power required at 5(> per cent efficiency. 2X.4 h. p. 
 Cost of plant : 
 
 Well. 500 fr. deep, drilling at $2.00 per ft $1,000 00 
 
 Casing, 12 in., double stove pipe. 12 gage, 480 ft. at $2.25 
 
 per ft. 1,080 00 
 
 Starter. 2<) ft.. 3 ply. and ring 90 00 
 
 - $2,170 00 
 
 Pump, double acting, deep well, plunger, 20 h. p. 8 in. cyl., 5(5 in. 
 double stroke, 20 strokes per min., concrete foundation, derrick and 
 
 hoist, installed complete 2,400 00 
 
 Kngine. oil. 30 h. p., concrete foundation, installed complete, including 
 
 freight 1,250 00 
 
 Belt. <!0 ft 50 00 
 
 Building. 10 ft. x 48 ft.__ 400 CO 
 
 Total $6,270 00 
 
 Cosi uf plant per mi. in.. .S250.SO. 
 Cost of plant per acre, $52.25. 
 Cost of operation : 
 
 Interest. $6,27O at 6 per cent $376 20 
 
 Taxes and insurance, $6,270 at 1 per cent 62 70 
 
 Deputation on machinery, $3,700 at 10 per cent 370 00 
 
 $808 90 
 
 Fuel, 40 degree (Baume) oil, 28.4 h. p., 3,600 hrs., J gal. per h. p. hr., 
 
 12,780 gal. at $.07 per gal. delivered 894 60 
 
 Attendance, 150 days at $1.50 per day 225 00 
 
 Repairs, lubricating oil, etc 10Q 00 
 
 Total - $2,028 50 
 
 Amount of water pumped. 25 mi. in. for 3,600 hrs., 150 acre feet. 
 Cost of water per acre foot, $13.52. 
 Cost of water per mi. in. per hr., $.0225. 
 Cost of water per acre per annum, $16.90.
 
 62 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Case No. 4. 
 
 Crop to bo irrigated, apples. 
 
 Depth of water on land 1.25 ft. Amount of water furnished by well. 25 mi. in. 
 (.5 sec. ft.). Season, 150 days (3,600 hrs.). 
 
 Area plant will irrigate, 120 acres. Lift, 250 ft. Work done, 14.2 h. p. 
 Power required at 55 per cent efficiency, 25.8 h. p. 
 Cost of plant: 
 
 Well, 500 ft. deep, drilling at $2.00 per ft $1,000 00 
 
 Casing, 12 in., double stove pipe, 12 gage, 480 ft. at $2.25 
 
 per ft. 1,080 00 
 
 Starter, 20 ft, 3 ply, and ring 90 00 
 
 - $2,170 00 
 
 Pump, double acting, deep well, plunger, 20 h. p., 8 in. cyl., 50 in. 
 double stroke, 20 strokes per min., concrete foundation, derrick and 
 
 hoist, installed complete 2,400 00 
 
 Motor, 30 h. p., induction, 550 volt, 60 cycle, 3 phase, 1,800 r. p. in., 
 
 concrete foundation, installed complete, including freight 520 00 
 
 Belt, 60 ft. 50 00 
 
 Building, 10 f t. x 48 ft. 40000 
 
 Total $5,540 00 
 
 Cost of plant per mi. in., $221.60. 
 
 Cost of plant per acre, $4<US. 
 Cost of operation : 
 
 Interest, $5,540 at 6 per cent $332 40 
 
 Taxes and insurance, $5,540 at 1 per cent 55 40 
 
 Depreciation on machinery, $2,970 at 8 per cent 237 00 
 
 $625 40 
 Electrical power 19.25 k.w. (25.8 h.p.) 3,600 hrs., 69,300 k.w. hrs., 
 
 at $.0175 per k.w. hr 1,212 75 
 
 Attendance, 150 days at $1.00 per day 150 00 
 
 .Repairs and lubricating oil 75 00 
 
 Total $2,063 15 
 
 Amount of water pumped, 25 mi. in. for 3,600 hrs., 150 acre ft. 
 
 Cost of water per acre ft., $13.74. 
 
 Cost of water per mi. in. per hr., $.0229. 
 
 Cost of water per acre per annum, $17.19. 
 
 For orchard irrigation, especially with expensive water as under cases No. 3 and 
 
 No. 4, it would be economical and desirable to use concrete pipe underground to 
 
 convey and distribute the water to the furrows and trees. Such a system for a 
 
 10 acre tract is estimated to cost as follows : 
 
 630 ft. of 8 in. concrete pipe at $.18 per ft. laid $113 40 
 
 21 stands, 30 ft. apart, with iron valves at $2.00 each 42 00 
 
 1 gate basin with iron slide gate 8 00 
 
 $163 40 
 Cost per acre, $16.34. 
 
 STREAM DISCHARGE. 
 
 The mountain watershed of Mojave Eiver has an area of 217 square 
 miles of which 142 square miles are drained by Deep Creek or the East 
 Fork and 75 square miles are drained by the West Fork. The water- 
 shed varies from an elevation of 8,000 feet at its highest point to 3,000 
 feet at the Forks where the entire drainage is brought together in the
 
 UTILIZATION OF MO.JAVE KIVER. 63 
 
 main river. The norl hern slopes (Plate 111. Kig. 1) of the Sierra 
 Madre Range receive less precipitation than the southern slopes but 
 they are less steep, less subject to direct rays of the sun, better timbered 
 and they hold the snows longer and have slower runoff in proportion to 
 precipitation than southern slopes. 
 
 The comprehensive metereological observations made throughout the 
 watershed by the Arrowhead Reservoir and Power Company for over 
 20 years show the precipitation to vary from about 15 inches at the 
 Forks to about 50 inches near the summit, the maximum occurring in 
 the Hats situated just north of the crest of the range, and flanked by 
 peaks. The precipitation falls off rapidly towards the desert on the 
 northeast. The more elevated portions of the watershed are in heavy 
 timber of pine and fir without much undergrowth and the lower 
 portions are covered with thick brush. Table No. 14 shows the areas 
 drained by the branches grouped according to the reservoir sites into 
 which they are tributary. The drainage of Deep Creek below the upper 
 storage works can be made tributary to the Forks site by diversion. 
 
 TABLE No. 15. 
 
 Mountain Drainage Areas of Mojave River. 
 
 Deep Creek (East Fork). 
 Above Little Bear Valley reservoir and tunnel 
 
 Little Bear Creek 6.64 ' 
 
 Hooks, Fern, Shake, Cedar and Sheep creeks 3.61 
 
 Deep Creek 16.10 
 
 Crab Creek 3.70 
 
 Holbrook Creek and tributaries 33.76 
 
 Cox Creek _ 9.39 
 
 Grass Valley Creek 1 2.72 
 
 Total, Little Bear Valley reservoir 75.92 
 
 Below Little Bear Valley reservoir and tunnel 65.88 
 
 Total, Deep Creek 141.80 
 
 West Fork. 
 Above dam site No. 2 
 
 East Fork of West Fork 18.82 
 
 West Fork of West Fork 11.05 
 
 Between dam sites Nos. 2 and 3.. 4.95 
 
 Total, reservoir sites No. 2 and No. 3 34.82 ; 
 
 Below dam site No. 2 and Grass Valley dam site i 39.96 
 
 Total, West Fork (Forks reservoir site). 
 
 Total, Mojave River. 
 
 74.78 
 
 216.58 
 
 1 Naturally tributary to West Fork.
 
 64 
 
 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 An examination of the precipitation records for .southern California 
 suggests th< j selection of a period of about IT years as a proper one on 
 which to base the average runoff. Tables No. 16 to No. 20 show the 
 precipitation at several stations ; the first for 65 seasons at San Diego, 
 the longest record in southern California ; the next for 45 seasons at San 
 Bernardino, the second longest record, and the others for Glen Ranch, 
 Bear Valley Dam and Gate House, the latter being at Little Bear Valley 
 Dam, and the only one in the Mo.jave River watershed. The table for 
 San Diego shows the average for periods of different lengths terminating 
 with 1914-15, also the ratios of these averages to the average for the 
 longest period. It is noticed that 17 seasons must be included to obtain 
 a period terminating with 1914-15 to give an average equal to the aver- 
 age for the longest period. 
 
 The tables for the other stations show the ratios of averages for the 
 different periods to the average for the longest period equated to the 
 longer 65 season record at San Diego. The average for the last 17 
 seasons at the several stations agree remarkably well and it seems that 
 this represents a cycle from which safe deductions of runoff can be 
 made. However, from a study of the precipitation records of this 
 immediate late period and from common knowledge of several seasons 
 of low flood discharges about this time, it seems advisable, in order to 
 consider the most unfavorable conditions which may arise, to extend 
 the period back one additional season to include the low seasonal dis- 
 charge for 1897-98, making the period 18 seasons. 
 
 TABLE No. 16. 
 Precipitation at San Diego. 
 
 1850-51 
 1851-52 
 1852-53 
 1&5S-54 
 1854-55 
 18.55-56 
 1856-57 
 1857-58 
 18.58-59 
 1859-60 
 
 1861-62 
 1862-63 
 1863-64 
 1864-65 
 
 Elevation, 93 feet. 
 
 Season 
 
 Precipita- 
 tion. I Period 
 inches | 
 
 ! 
 
 S- ; SSr 
 ss ; '" " 
 
 Number 
 
 seasons 
 
 8.41 
 9.48 
 
 11.03 
 9.77 
 
 13.56 
 9.89 
 4.76 
 7.54 
 6.61 
 6.58 
 7.90 
 
 15.64 
 3.87 
 5.1 ! 
 8.45 
 
 1*65-66 12.82 
 
 1866-67 .. I 13.73 
 
 1850-1915 
 1851-1915 
 1852-1915 
 1853-1915 
 1854-1915 
 1855-1915 
 1856-1915 
 1857-1915 
 1858-1915 
 1859-1915 
 1860-1915 
 1861-1915 
 1862-1915 
 1863-1915 
 1864-1915 
 1865-1915 
 1866-1915 
 
 9.70 
 9.72 
 9.72 
 9.70 
 9.70 
 9.64 
 963 
 9.72 
 9.76 
 9.81 
 9.87 
 9.90 
 9.80 
 9.91 
 10.00 
 10.04 
 
 100.00 
 100.21 
 100.21 
 100.00 
 100.00 
 99.37 
 99.27 
 100.21 
 100.62 
 101.13 
 101.75 
 102.C6 
 101.03 
 102.16 
 
 103.51 
 102.89
 
 UTILIZATION OF MO.JAVE RIVER. 
 
 TABLE No. 16 Continued. 
 Precipitation at San Diego. 
 
 Season 
 
 Precipita- 
 tion, 
 inches 
 
 Period 
 
 Average 
 precipita- 
 tion for 
 period, 
 inches 
 
 Ratio to 
 65 season 
 average, 
 per cent 
 
 Number 
 of 
 seasons 
 in 
 period 
 
 '"'67-68 
 
 1123 
 
 1867 1915 
 
 990 
 
 109 Ofi 
 
 
 1868-69 
 
 11.68 
 
 1868-1915 
 
 987 
 
 101 75 
 
 47 
 
 1869-70 _ 
 
 5.48 
 
 1869-1!)!.-, 
 
 ft.83 
 
 101 34 
 
 4fi 
 
 1871-72 
 
 1873-74 
 1S74-7.-) 
 1875-76 
 1876-77 
 1877-78 
 1878-79 
 1879-80 
 1880-81 
 1881-82 
 1882-83 
 1883-84 
 1884-85 
 1885-86 
 1886-87 
 1887-88 
 
 7.18 
 <).50 
 
 It). 88 
 .-..7:! 
 
 10.11 
 
 1871-1915 j 
 1872-1915 | 
 1873-1915 I 
 1874-1915 : 
 1875-1915 
 
 1889-90 
 1890-91 
 1891-92 
 1892-93 
 1883-94 
 1894-95 
 1895-96 
 1896-97 
 1897-98 
 
 1900-01 
 1901-02 
 1902-03 
 1903-04 
 1904-05 
 1905-06 
 1906-07 
 1907-08 
 
 3.75 ^X 1876-1915 
 
 16.10 
 7.88 
 
 14.36 
 9.66 
 9.51 
 4.92 
 
 1877-1915 ; 
 
 1878-1915 
 
 1879-1915 
 
 1880-1915 
 
 1881-1915 
 
 1882-1915 
 
 25.97^1883-1915 
 
 1909-10 
 1910-11 
 1911-12 
 1912-13 
 1913-14 
 1914-15 
 
 8.67 
 16.96 
 8.32 
 9.82 
 11.02 
 15.02 
 10.47 
 8.70 
 9.26 
 4.97 
 11.90 
 6.21 
 11.78 
 4.99 
 5.24 
 5.97 
 10.45 
 6.17 
 11.76 
 4.40 
 14.32 
 
 8.55 
 10.23 
 
 9.79 
 11.99 
 10.72 
 
 5.97 
 
 9.83 
 14.41 
 
 1884-1915 
 1885-1915 
 1886-1915 
 1887-1915 
 1888-1915 
 1889-1915 
 1890-1915 
 1891-1915 
 1892-1915 
 
 1894-1915 
 
 1895-1915 j 
 
 1896-1915 ; 
 
 1897-1915 
 
 1898-1915 
 
 1899-1915 
 
 1900-1915 i 
 
 1901-1915 i 
 
 1902-1915 
 
 1903-1915 
 
 1904-1915 
 
 1905-1915 
 
 1906-1915 
 
 1907-1915 
 
 1908-1915 
 
 1909-1915 
 
 1910-1915 
 
 1911-1915 
 
 1912-1915 
 
 1913-1915 
 
 1914-1915 
 
 10.04 
 10.11 
 10.19 
 10.02 
 10.14 
 10.13 
 10.30 
 10.15 
 10.21 | 
 10.09 
 10.11 
 10.12 
 10.29 
 9.78 ! 
 9.82 
 9.57 
 
 9.61 
 
 9.55 
 
 9.33 
 
 9.29/K 
 
 9.31 
 
 9.32 
 
 9.52 ! 
 
 9.40] 
 
 9.57 
 
 9.45 
 
 9.71 
 
 9.99 
 10.26 
 10.24 
 10.56 
 10.46 
 11.01 
 10.68 
 10.23 
 10.19 
 10.42 
 10.45 
 10.58 
 10.23 ! 
 10.07 
 12.12 
 14.41 
 
 103.51 
 
 104.23 
 
 105.05 
 
 103.30 
 
 104.54 
 
 104.43 
 
 106.18 
 
 104.64 
 
 105.25 
 
 104.02 
 
 104.22 
 
 104.33 
 
 106.08 
 
 100.82 
 
 101.24 
 
 98.66 
 
 99.17 
 
 99.07 
 
 98.45 
 
 96.18 
 
 ZSft77 
 
 95.88 
 
 96.08 
 
 98.14 
 
 96.91 
 
 98.66 
 
 97.42 
 
 100.10 
 
 102.99 
 
 105.77 
 
 105.57 
 
 108.87 
 
 107.83 
 
 W13.50 
 
 110.10 
 
 105.46 
 
 105.05 
 
 107.42 
 
 107.73 
 
 109.07 
 
 105.46 
 
 103.81 
 
 124.95 
 
 148.55
 
 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 TABLE No. 17. 
 
 Precipitation at San Bernardino. 
 
 Elevation, 1,054 feet. 
 
 Season 
 
 Precipita- 
 tion. 
 Inches 
 
 Period 
 
 Average 
 precipita- 
 tion for 
 period, 
 inches 
 
 Ratio to 
 45 season 
 average, 
 per cent 
 
 Ratio to 
 equated 
 65 season 
 average, 
 per cent 
 
 Number 
 of 
 
 seasons 
 
 period 
 
 1870-71 
 
 1394 
 
 1870-1915 
 
 1601 
 
 10000 
 
 10237 
 
 45 
 
 1871-72 
 
 8.98 
 
 1871-1915 
 
 16.05 
 
 10025 
 
 102.62 
 
 44 
 
 1872-78 
 
 15.10 
 
 1872-1915 
 
 1622 
 
 101 31 
 
 10371 
 
 43 
 
 1873-74 - - 
 
 23.81 
 
 1873-1915 
 
 16.24 
 
 101.43 
 
 103.84 
 
 42 
 
 1874-75 
 
 13.65 
 
 1874-1915 
 
 16.06 
 
 10031 
 
 10269 
 
 41 
 
 1875-76 
 
 19.90 
 
 1875-1915 
 
 16.12 
 
 100.69 
 
 103.07 
 
 40 
 
 1876-77 
 
 9.52 
 
 1876-1915 
 
 16.02 
 
 10006 
 
 10243 
 
 39 
 
 1877-78 
 
 20.33 
 
 1877-1915 
 
 1619 
 
 101 12 
 
 103 52 
 
 38 
 
 1878-79 . ._ . 
 
 11.54 
 
 1878-1915 
 
 16.08 
 
 100.43 
 
 10282 
 
 37 
 
 1S79-80 
 
 20.36 
 
 1879-1915 
 
 1621 
 
 101 24 
 
 10364 
 
 36 
 
 l^SO-81 
 
 13.50 
 
 1880-1915 
 
 16.09 
 
 100.50 
 
 10288 
 
 35 
 
 1881-82 
 
 11.54 
 
 1881-1915 
 
 16.17 
 
 10099 
 
 10339 
 
 34 
 
 1882-83 
 
 9.17 
 
 1882-1915 
 
 16.31 
 
 101.87 
 
 102.60 
 
 33 
 
 1883-84 
 
 37.51 y/ 
 
 1883-1915 
 
 16.53 
 
 10325 
 
 10569 
 
 32 
 
 1884-85 
 
 10.81 
 
 1884-1915 
 
 15.85 
 
 99.00 
 
 101.34 
 
 31 
 
 1885-86 
 
 21.93 
 
 1885-1915 
 
 1602 
 
 100.06 
 
 10263 
 
 30 
 
 1886-87 
 
 1450 
 
 1886-1915 
 
 1582 
 
 9881 
 
 101 15 
 
 29 
 
 1887-88 ... -. ._ 
 
 17.76 
 
 1887-1915 
 
 15.86 
 
 9906 
 
 101 41 
 
 8 
 
 1888-89 
 
 20.97 
 
 1888-1915 
 
 1579 
 
 9862 
 
 10096 
 
 27 
 
 1889-90 
 
 25.45 
 
 1889-1915 
 
 15.68 
 
 97.94 
 
 100.02 
 
 26 
 
 1890-91 
 
 18.08 
 
 1890-1915 
 
 1520 
 
 9494 
 
 9719 
 
 25 
 
 1891-92 
 
 14.35 
 
 1891-1915 
 
 15.08 
 
 94.19 
 
 96.42 
 
 24 
 
 1892-93 
 
 19.82 
 
 1892-1915 
 
 15.11 
 
 9437 
 
 96.61 
 
 23 
 
 1893-94 
 
 813 
 
 1893-1915 
 
 1490 
 
 */ V9306 
 
 9527 
 
 22 
 
 1894-95 _ - 
 
 20.98 / 
 
 1894-1915 
 
 15.22 
 
 95.06 
 
 9732 
 
 21 
 
 1895--% 
 
 8.11V 
 
 1895-1915 
 
 14 94 
 
 9331 
 
 9552 
 
 20 
 
 1896-97 
 
 16.74 
 
 1896-1915 
 
 15.29 
 
 95.50 
 
 97.76 
 
 19 
 
 1897-98 
 
 8.24 
 
 1897-1915 
 
 1521 
 
 9503 
 
 9725 
 
 18 
 
 1898-99 
 
 7.49 
 
 1898-1915 
 
 15.62 
 
 97.56 
 
 99.87 
 
 17 
 
 1899-00 . 
 
 8.64 
 
 1899-1915 
 
 1613 
 
 10074 
 
 10313 
 
 16 
 
 1900-01 
 
 1736 
 
 1900-1915 
 
 16 63 
 
 10387 
 
 10633 
 
 15 
 
 1901-02 ._ ._ ._ 
 
 11.15 
 
 1901-1915 
 
 16.58 
 
 10356 
 
 10601 
 
 14 
 
 1902-03 
 
 17.42 
 
 1902 1915 
 
 1699 
 
 10612 
 
 10863 
 
 13 
 
 1903-04 
 
 937 
 
 1903-1915 
 
 16.96 
 
 105.93 
 
 108.44 
 
 12 
 
 1904-05 
 
 20.78 
 
 1904-1915 
 
 17.65 
 
 l/vilf).24 
 
 112.85 
 
 11 
 
 1905-06 
 
 19.88 
 
 1905-1915 
 
 17.34 
 
 108.31 
 
 110.87 
 
 10 
 
 1906-07 
 
 23.17 
 
 1906-1915 
 
 17.06 
 
 106.56 
 
 109.08 
 
 9 
 
 1907-08 
 
 15.62 
 
 1907-1915 
 
 16.29 
 
 101.12 
 
 104.16 
 
 8 
 
 1908-09 
 
 17.36 
 
 1908-1915 
 
 16.39 
 
 102.37 
 
 104.80 
 
 7 
 
 1909-10 ._ 
 
 15.02 
 
 1909-1915 
 
 16.23 
 
 101.37 
 
 103.77 
 
 6 
 
 1910-11 
 
 1634 
 
 1910-1915 
 
 1647 
 
 102.87 
 
 103.06 
 
 5 
 
 1911-12 
 
 13.84 
 
 1911-1915 
 
 16.50 
 
 103.06 
 
 105.50 
 
 4 
 
 1912-13 ._ 
 
 11.08 
 
 1912-1915 
 
 17.39 
 
 108.62 
 
 111.19 
 
 3 
 
 1913-14 
 
 21 45 
 
 1913-1915 
 
 2055 
 
 128.36 
 
 131.39 
 
 2 
 
 1914-15 ._ 
 
 19.64 
 
 1914-1915 
 
 19.64 
 
 122.67 
 
 125.58 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 
 
 67 
 
 TABLE No. 18. 
 Precipitation at Glen Ranch, San Bernardino Mountains. 
 
 Elevation, 3,256 leet. 
 
 Preclpita- 
 Season tion, 
 inches 
 
 Period 
 
 Average 
 precipita- 
 tion for 
 period, 
 inches 
 
 Ratio to 
 15 season 
 average, 
 per cent 
 
 Ratio to 
 equated 
 65 season 
 average, 
 per cent 
 
 Number 
 of 
 seasons 
 in 
 period 
 
 1900-01 ._ 29.27 
 
 1900-1915 
 
 3376 
 
 100 00 
 
 ^106 33 
 
 
 1901-02 VrtOO 
 
 1901 1915 
 
 34 08 
 
 
 
 
 1902-03 ~ 29.75 
 
 1902-1915 
 
 3555 
 
 10530 
 
 111 97 
 
 
 1903-04 18.53 
 
 1903-1915 
 
 3604 
 
 106 75 
 
 
 
 1904-05 3841 
 
 1904 1915 
 
 3763 
 
 111 46 
 
 
 
 1905-06 -. i 37.63 
 
 1905-1915 
 
 3755 
 
 111 22 
 
 118 26 
 
 
 1906-07 K9.69 
 
 1906-1915 
 
 3754 
 
 111 19 
 
 118 23 
 
 
 1907-08 - ... 25.95 
 
 1907-1915 
 
 3602 
 
 10669 
 
 113 44 
 
 
 1908-09 . 33.88 
 
 1908-1915 
 
 3746 
 
 11096 
 
 117 98 
 
 
 1909-10 34 67 
 
 1909-1915 
 
 3806 
 
 112 73 
 
 11Q 87 
 
 
 1910-11 . _, .. 45.86 
 
 1910-1915 
 
 3875 
 
 11478 
 
 122 05 
 
 
 1911 12 3645 
 
 1911 1915 
 
 36 95 
 
 
 
 
 1912-13 20.13 
 
 1912-1915 
 
 3712 
 
 10995 
 
 116 91 
 
 3 
 
 1913-14 .. _ v3.61 
 
 1913-1915 
 
 4562 
 
 13513 
 
 14368 
 
 2 
 
 1914-15 37 63 
 
 1914 1915 
 
 3763 
 
 111 46 
 
 
 1 
 
 ; 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 TABLE No. 19. 
 Precipitation at Bear Valley Dam. 
 
 Elevation, 0,500 feet. 
 
 Season 
 
 : Precipita- 
 tion, 
 inches 
 
 Period 
 
 Average 
 precipita- 
 tion for 
 period, 
 inches 
 
 Ratio to 
 23 season 
 average, 
 per cent 
 
 Ratio to 
 equated 
 65 season 
 average, 
 per cent 
 
 Nu r r 
 
 seasons 
 period 
 
 1S92-93 .. 
 
 j 
 .. ._ ! 44.31 
 
 1892-1915 
 
 34.37 
 
 100.00 
 
 96.35 
 
 23 
 
 1893-94 
 
 24.86 
 
 1893-1915 
 
 33.92 
 
 98.69 
 
 95.09 
 
 22 
 
 1894-95 
 
 t/50.29 
 
 1894-1915 
 
 34.35 
 
 99.94 
 
 96.30 
 
 91 
 
 1895-96 .- 
 
 U1.29 
 
 1895-1915 
 
 33.56 
 
 97.64 
 
 94.83 
 
 20 
 
 1896-97 
 
 33.25 
 
 1896-1915 
 
 34.73 
 
 101.04 
 
 97.35 
 
 19 
 
 1897-98 
 
 i 2022 
 
 1897-1915 
 
 34.81 
 
 10128 
 
 97.59 
 
 18 
 
 1898-99 .- .- 
 
 i 13.93 
 
 1898-1915 
 
 35.67 
 
 103.78 
 
 100.00 
 
 17 
 
 1899-00 
 
 __ ! 20.47 
 
 1899-1915 
 
 37.03 
 
 107.74 
 
 103.81 
 
 16 
 
 1900-01 
 
 31.52 
 
 1900-1915 
 
 38.13 
 
 110.93 
 
 106.88 
 
 15 
 
 1901-02 -. . 
 
 .. ... ' 26.68 
 
 1901-1915 
 
 38.61 
 
 112.33 
 
 108.23 
 
 14 
 
 1902-03 
 
 40.42 
 
 1902-1915 
 
 39.52 
 
 114.98 
 
 110.79 
 
 13 
 
 1903-04 
 
 25.15 
 
 1903-1915 
 
 39.45 
 
 114,78 
 
 110.60 
 
 12 
 
 1904-05 - - .- 
 
 ! 44.36 
 
 1904-1915 
 
 40.75 
 
 118.56 
 
 114.24 
 
 11 
 
 1905-06 
 
 ! 48.25 
 
 1905-1915 
 
 40.39 
 
 117.51 
 
 113.23 
 
 10 
 
 1906-07 
 
 1 48.38 
 
 1906-1915 
 
 39.51 
 
 114.95 
 
 110.26 
 
 9 
 
 1M)7-08 
 
 _ ... 30.12 
 
 1907-1915 
 
 38.41 
 
 111.75 
 
 107.68 
 
 8 
 
 1908-09 
 
 i 38.20 
 
 1908-1915 
 
 39.59 
 
 115.18 
 
 110.84 
 
 7 
 
 1909-10 
 
 .. ... 34.15 
 
 1909-1915 
 
 39.82 
 
 115.85 
 
 111.63 
 
 6 
 
 1910-11 
 
 49.21 
 
 1910-1915 
 
 40.96 
 
 119.17 
 
 114.83 
 
 5 
 
 1911-12 
 
 25.60 
 
 1911-1915 
 
 38.89 
 
 113.15 
 
 109.02 
 
 4 
 
 1912-13 _. .- -. 
 
 ._ __j 22.00 
 
 1912-1915 
 
 43.32 
 
 126.04 
 
 121.45 
 
 3 
 
 1913-14 
 
 ^53.05 
 
 1913-1915 
 
 53.90 
 
 156.82 
 
 151.11 
 
 2 
 
 1914-15 
 
 .t/54.93 
 
 1914-1915 
 
 54.93 
 
 159.82 
 
 154.00 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 TABLE No. 20. 
 Precipitation at Gate House, Little Bear Valley. 
 
 Elevation. 5,200 feet. 
 
 Season 
 
 Precipita- 
 tion, 
 inches 
 
 Period 
 
 Average 
 precipita- 
 tion for 
 period, 
 inches 
 
 llatio to 
 
 average, 
 per cent 
 
 Ratio to 
 equated 
 65 season 
 average, 
 per cent 
 
 Number 
 of 
 
 period 
 
 1893-94 
 
 23.60 
 
 1893-1915 
 
 31.36 
 
 100.00 
 
 96.79 
 
 22 
 
 1894-95 
 1895-96 
 
 48.66 
 
 13.81 
 
 1894-1915 
 1895-1915 
 
 31.73 
 
 30.88 
 
 101.18 
 
 98.46 
 
 97.93 
 95.30 
 
 21 
 20 
 
 1896-97 
 
 33.65 
 
 1896-191 5 
 
 31.78 
 
 mi ::i 
 
 9809 
 
 19 
 
 1897-98 
 
 19 1(1 
 
 1897-1 915 
 
 31 68 
 
 101 (I'* 
 
 9778 
 
 18 
 
 1898-99 
 
 13.66 
 
 1898-1915 
 
 32,40 
 
 K!:::il 
 
 100.00 
 
 17 
 
 1899-<X) 
 
 2277 
 
 1899-1915 
 
 33 57 
 
 1 1 '<> ( 1.") 
 
 9878 
 
 16 
 
 1900-01 .. ._ 
 
 36.73 
 
 1900-1915 
 
 34.09 
 
 108.71 
 
 19&.22 
 
 15 
 
 1901-02 
 
 20.70 
 
 1901-1915 
 
 34 12 
 
 108.80 
 
 105 31 
 
 14 
 
 1902-03 .. ._ 
 
 30.13 
 
 1902-1915 
 
 86.15 
 
 112.08 
 
 108.48 
 
 13 
 
 1903-04 
 
 24.32 
 
 1903-1915 
 
 35.57 
 
 113.42 
 
 10978 
 
 12 
 
 1904-05 . .- 
 
 36.68 
 
 1904-1915 
 
 36.59 
 
 116.68 
 
 112.94 
 
 11 
 
 1905-06 
 
 42.95 
 
 1905-1915 
 
 36.59 
 
 116.68 
 
 11294 
 
 10 
 
 1906-07 
 
 57.48 
 
 1906-1915 
 
 35.88 
 
 114.41 
 
 110.74 
 
 9 
 
 1907-08 
 
 26.29 
 
 1907-1915 
 
 33.18 
 
 105.80 
 
 102.41 
 
 8 
 
 lf*08-09 
 
 40.66 
 
 1908-1915 
 
 3416 
 
 10928 
 
 10577 
 
 7 
 
 1909-10 
 
 33.23 
 
 1909-1915 
 
 33.06 
 
 105.42 
 
 102.04 
 
 6 
 
 1910-11 
 
 44.63 
 
 1910-1915 
 
 33 05 
 
 10538 
 
 10200 
 
 5 
 
 1911-12 ... 
 
 23.18 
 
 1911-1915 
 
 30.16 
 
 96.17 
 
 93.08 
 
 4 
 
 1912-13 
 
 21.99 
 
 1912-1915 
 
 3248 
 
 10357 
 
 10025 
 
 3 
 
 1913-14 __ .. ._ 
 
 43.88 
 
 1913-1915 
 
 37.73 
 
 120.31 
 
 116.46 
 
 2 
 
 1914-15 
 
 31.59 
 
 1914-1915 
 
 31 59 
 
 10073 
 
 97.50 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Several sets of measurements have been used to determine the mean 
 annual discharge of Mojave River in the preparation of this report. 
 The Arrowhead Reservoir and Power Company measured the streams 
 in the upper watershed now tributary or to be tributary to Little Bear 
 Valley reservoir beginning with 1891-2, except the seasons 1900-1 to 
 1903-4, inclusive, also the East and West Forks at the Forks (Plate II, 
 Fig. 2) and the main river at the Lower Narrows (Plate V, Fig. 2) 
 continuously beginning with 1905-6. The United States Geological 
 Survey maintained a gaging station on the river at the Upper Nar- 
 rows (Plate V, Fig. 1) 1899-1900 to 1905-6, inclusive, and the Mojave 
 Water and Power Company continued the measurements to and includ- 
 ing 1913-14, also measured the East and West Forks at the Forks 
 1906-7 to 1913-14, inclusive. Thus both the Arrowhead and Mojave 
 companies gaged the flow at the Forks from 1908-9 to 1913-14, inclusive, 
 so that these measurements, being for the same seasons at the same point 
 are directly comparable. The several measurements were compared and 
 correlated in the following manner : All apparent conflicts between the 
 several series were subjected to detailed study, the computations being
 
 UTILIZATION OP MOJAVE RIVER. 69 
 
 checked from the original daily records. It was found that the only 
 material differences occurred in the records of the heavier winter floods. 
 In one instance of considerable conflict, the Forks records for 1911-12, 
 regarding which no other method of weighing the value of the records 
 suggested itself, recourse was had to the precipitation record which 
 definitely indicated that preference should be given the Arrowhead 
 company 's measurement. 
 
 In general, the precipitation records were not of as much value in 
 checking the discharge as the comparison of the discharge measure- 
 ments themselves. A study of the precipitation is, however, not with- 
 out interest. In only two seasons were any errors of consequence 
 found in the Forks measurements of the Arrowhead company. Both 
 appeared to have occurred in plotting the larger flood records and to 
 be due to infrequency of measurements, probably caused by the difficulty 
 of obtaining them during the period of excessive flow. In only one 
 instance was the error of enough magnitude to affect appreciably the 
 average for a period of years. This was for the heavy flood of 1909-10 
 where the measurement of Deep Creek was 130,000 acre-feet while that 
 of the Mojave Water and Power Company was 76,000 acre-feet. 
 Fortunately measurements were 1 made at both the Upper and Lower 
 Narrows for this season. By plotting these with allowance for the dif- 
 ference in time of the peak of the flood at the different points and with 
 an interpolation of the curve of the declining flood as obtained from 
 the more frequent measurements at the Narrows during the same time 
 a corrected curve was obtained for the Forks which reduced the Arrow- 
 head company's measurement about 31,000, but still left a difference of 
 about 23,000 acre-feet between the measurement of this company and 
 that of the Mo.jave company. As these could not be further reconciled 
 nn average of them was taken. The same method was applied for the 
 seasons TIM IS-!) to 11)13-14. inclusive, during which the two measure- 
 ments were made at the Forks. The Arrowhead company made the 
 only measurements at the Forks for 1906-7 and 1907-8. The records 
 agree so well with those of the Mojave company at the Upper Narrows 
 that they are assumed to be correct. 
 
 A marked discrepancy occurs for the season 1905-6 between the 
 measurements of the Arrowhead company at the Forks and those of the 
 Geological Survey at the Upper Narrows as shown by Table No. 21. 
 The published government records 1 are incomplete for the latter part 
 of the season and the data were supplied by the Mojave Water and 
 Power Company. 
 
 1 United States Geological Survey. Water Supply Paper No. 300.
 
 70 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 TABLE No. 21. 
 Discharge of Mojave River at Forks and Upper and Lower Narrows 1905-1906. 
 
 Month 
 
 Discharge 
 at Forks 
 (A. R. & 
 P. Co. ) 
 Acre feet 
 
 Discharge 
 at Upper 
 Narrows 
 (U. S. G. S.) 
 Acre feet 
 
 Discharge 
 at Lower 
 Narrows 
 (A. R. & 
 P. Co.) 
 Acre feet 
 
 July 
 
 449 
 
 1 986 
 
 1 318 
 
 August __ 
 
 82 
 
 1943 
 
 1602 
 
 September 
 
 43 
 
 2380 
 
 1 659 
 
 October 
 
 102 
 
 2859 
 
 2383 
 
 November 
 
 360 
 
 3808 
 
 2761 
 
 December 
 
 659 
 
 4120 
 
 2841 
 
 January 
 
 3703 
 
 4205 
 
 2888 
 
 February 
 
 4376 
 
 3637 
 
 2493 
 
 March 
 
 84406 
 
 126153 
 
 56790 
 
 April 
 
 21771 
 
 23766 
 
 17,753 
 
 May 
 
 12994 
 
 6800 
 
 8357 
 
 Juno 
 
 6305 
 
 3,909 
 
 3,135 
 
 
 
 
 
 Season 
 
 135220 
 
 185596 
 
 103,970 
 
 
 
 
 
 The Forks measurement for this season is approximately 135,000 
 acre-feet while that at the Upper Narrows is approximately 185,000 
 acre-feet. This increase is too large to be explained as inflow from 
 the underground basin above the Narrows or as local runoff from the 
 valley below the Forks. The flow at the Lower Narrows for this season 
 was measured by the Arrowhead company to be approximately 104,000 
 acre-feet. The records for this season at the three points of measure- 
 ment show reasonable agreement except for the month of March. The 
 records for this month at the Forks and Lower Narrows are within the 
 limits of what might be expected <ix difference between these points. 
 The flow recorded for the Upper Narrows is manifestly incorrect if the 
 other records are relied upon. It was therefore decided to regard the 
 Forks record as being correct. 
 
 Disregarding 1905-6, and taking the average for 1906-7 to 1913-14, 
 inclusive, as shown by Table No. 22, the average for these 7 years at 
 the Forks varies less than 2 per cent from the average for the same 
 period at the Upper Narrows.
 
 UTILIZATION OP MOJAVE RIVER. 
 
 TABLE No. 22. 
 Discharge of Mojave River at Forks and Upper Narrows. 
 
 71 
 
 Season 
 
 East Fork 
 at Forks 
 (Acre feet) 
 
 West Fork 
 at Forks 
 (Acre feet) 
 
 Mojave River 
 at Forks 
 (Acre feet) 
 
 Mojave River 
 at Upper 
 Narrows 
 (Acre feet) 
 
 Per cent of 
 discharge at 
 Forks to 
 discharge at 
 Upper 
 Narrows 
 
 1905-06 
 
 87633 
 
 47 587 
 
 ioc nnn 
 
 
 
 1906-07 _- .- - 
 
 136052 
 
 118265 
 
 254 317 
 
 2 t )QQflfi 
 
 
 1907-08 
 
 40920 
 
 19856 
 
 60 776 
 
 
 
 1908-09 
 
 54257 
 
 35483 
 
 89 740 
 
 Q7 781 
 
 
 1909-10 
 
 87656 
 
 48049 
 
 135705 
 
 
 
 1910-11 .. 
 
 86627 
 
 61 311 
 
 147 938 
 
 135 903 
 
 
 1911-12 
 
 29037 
 
 17 927 
 
 46 964 
 
 
 
 1912-13 . . 
 
 14900 
 
 11 460 
 
 26 360 
 
 OK OQ7 
 
 74 fi 
 
 1913-14 
 
 105,130 
 
 64805 
 
 
 
 
 1914-15 ... 
 
 77,331 
 
 45,305 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 In general, there is a loss from the Forks to the Upper Narrows in 
 years of heavy flood and a gain in years of relatively small flood. This 
 may he explained on the theory that water in this part of the river is 
 lost from the surface flow to the underflow in the heavy floods and 
 returned by the charged gravels to the surface stream above the Nar- 
 rows in seasons of light discharge. It appears from the measurements 
 that practically all of the water which enters the underground basin 
 below the Forks is re-collected above the Narrows and flows out through 
 them. The observations on underground water serve to confirm this 
 belief. 
 
 The close relation shown to exist between the flow at the Forks and 
 that at the Upper Narrows suggests an interpolation of discharge for 
 1S!)!)-1900 to 1904-5, inclusive, during which period no gagings were 
 made at the Forks. Table No. 22 shows the relation between the dis- 
 charge at the Forks and that at the Upper Narrows from 1905-6 to 1912- 
 13, inclusive. 
 
 From these percentages and from the recorded discharges at the 
 Upper Narrows from 1899-1900 to 1904-5, inclusive, the probable per- 
 centage of discharge at the Forks to that at the Upper Narrows for each 
 season was obtained and used to compute discharges at the Forks. 
 These results vary less than 5 per cent from the measurements at the 
 Upper Narrows by the Geological Survey. 
 
 A report of J. B. Lippincott gives some discharges interpolated from 
 the ratio of flow at the Forks to that of the upper tributaries for seasons 
 where the records are available for comparison. Table No. 23 shows 
 these interpolated results and those based on the flow at the Upper Nar- 
 rows, although obtained in widely different manner, to be in reasonably 
 close agreement. There are no complete measurements for the Forks or
 
 72 
 
 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 either the Upper or Lower Narrows for 1897-8 and 1898-9 and the 
 interpolated values deduced by Mr. Lippincott are assumed to be 
 correct. 
 
 TABLE No. 23. 
 Interpolated Discharge of Mojave River. 
 
 Season 
 
 Discharge 
 at Forks 
 interpolated 
 from dis- 
 charge of 
 upper 
 tributaries 
 (Acre feet) 
 
 Discharge 
 
 at Forks 
 interpolated 
 from dis- 
 charge at 
 Upper 
 Narrows 
 (Acre feet) 
 
 1897-1898 
 
 27 040 
 
 
 1898-1899 _ 
 
 7710 
 
 13 898 
 
 1899-1900 .. 
 
 20000 
 
 18132 
 
 1900-1901 __ 
 
 108100 
 
 96 598 
 
 1901-1902 
 
 33610 
 
 33789 
 
 1902-1903 
 
 111 800 
 
 107 315 
 
 1903-1904 
 
 35210 
 
 28232 
 
 1904-1905 - 
 
 103294 
 
 95 016 
 
 
 
 
 In this manner Table No. 24 of discharges of Mojave River at the 
 Forks has been compiled for the 18 seasons 1897-8 to 1914-15, inclusive. 
 The average annual discharge of the river where it enters the Victor 
 Valley basin is shown to be approximately 90,000 acre-feet. 
 
 TABLE No. 24. 
 Discharge of Mojave River at Forks 1897-1915, Inclusive. 
 
 Season 
 
 Discharge 
 (Acre feet) 
 
 1897 1898 
 
 97 040 
 
 1898-1899 
 
 13 878 
 
 1899-1900 
 
 18 132 
 
 1900-1901 
 
 96598 
 
 1901 1902 
 
 33 789 
 
 1902-1903 _ - - 
 
 107,315 
 
 1903-1904 
 
 28232 
 
 1904-1905 
 
 95,016 
 
 1905-1906 
 
 135 220 
 
 1906-1907 -- -- ... - - 
 
 254,317 
 
 1907 1908 
 
 60776 
 
 1908-1909 -- 
 
 69,740 
 
 1909-1910 
 
 135,705 
 
 1910-1911 -_- .__ 
 
 147,938 
 
 1911-1912 
 
 46,964 
 
 1912-1913 
 
 26.360 
 
 1913-1914 ... . _ 
 
 169,935 
 
 1914-1915 
 
 122,636 
 
 
 
 Average _. 
 
 89,416
 
 UTILIZATION OP MOJAVE RIVER. 73 
 
 FORKS RESERVOIR SITE. 
 
 The reservoir site on the West Fork of Mojave River just above the 
 Forks may be designated West Fork reservoir site No. 1, or as it is 
 generally know, the Forks reservoir site. The land in this basin, or 
 nearly all of it including the dam site, is controlled by the Arrowhead 
 Reservoir and Power Company. It was the original plan of the Mojave 
 River Irrigation District to acquire and develop this site to impound the 
 flood discharge of the West Fork and to store, by diversion, that in the 
 lower part of the East Fork and to convey the water by gravity to the 
 cast mesa. The district, however, did not make known definite design, 
 if any was decided upon, for the imporvement of the site. 
 
 The Arrowhead company has proposed a dam at the Fork site (Plate 
 IV, Fig. 2) 150 feet high which would give a capacity of 102,000 acre- 
 feet for storing both East and West Fork flood waters. Borings made 
 by the company at the dam site show bedrock to be at a maximum 
 depth of 18 feet below stream bed. The natural rim of the basin at 
 one point is only 110 feet above the stream channel at the dam site and 
 the plans include the necesary raising of this bank 50 feet to give the 
 desired capacity. The bank is here merely a narrow remnant of detrital 
 deposit between the channel of the West Fork and the channel of the 
 main river at a lower elevation than the West Fork. The peculiar 
 topography of this locality can be best understood by reference to the 
 map. The only foundation for a dam to raise the bank, as shown by 
 excavations made by the company, is a layer of hardpan at a depth of 
 75 feet below the crest of the rim. 
 
 Moderate leakage, provided the water reappeared as surface flow in 
 the river, might not be a sufficient reason for condemning the site, for 
 the water lost would help satisfy the owners of riparian lands and the 
 appropriatori on the stream below, but excessive leakage would impair 
 the value of the reservoir. Robert T. Hill reported to the commission 
 on the geology of the site as follows : 
 
 "The Forks reservoir site is an elongated basin which has been 
 developed by erosion at the junction of the north side of the San 
 Bernardino Range and the southern margin of the so-called Mojave 
 Desert. It is triangular in shape and about five miles long, in a north- 
 east-southwest direction, and about two miles in width at its widest 
 place. It is bordered on the southeast and southwest sides by the high, 
 and somewhat precipitous north front of the San Bernardino Range, 
 and on the north by the even topped escarpment of the south side of 
 the Mojave plain, which slopes away therefrom to the northeast. The 
 floor of this basin, which is some 250 feet beneath the summit of this 
 escarpment, shows several old levels and terraces of alluvial material,
 
 74 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 below which the river has cut to its present level close to the northern 
 wall. 
 
 ' ' The northeast end of the basin is closed by a natural dam which has 
 only recently in geological time been cut through by a deep gorge at its 
 southern end through which the river now finds an outlet. The eastern 
 end of this dam is a low conical granitic peak, which sets out from the 
 edge of the main escarpment of the mountain, while the western half is 
 a low residual embankment which represents the former continuation of 
 the north wall to a junction with the granite outlier above mentioned. 
 The top of this natural embankment is perhaps a hundred feet lower 
 than that of the main northern escarpment. 
 
 "The Mojave River now escapes from the basin at the east end of 
 this natural barrier by a deep and narrow canyon in the granite, in 
 which it is proposed to construct a dam for the retention of the water 
 in the reservoir. In my opinion this granite is an excellent site for a 
 dam (Plate IV, Fig. 2), and there arc no geological reasons why one 
 should not be constructed here. 
 
 "The southern or mountain side of the basin is composed almost 
 exclusively of a granitic rock characterized by large phenocrysts of pink 
 orthoclase feldspar associated with a finer ground mass of plagioclase 
 and biotite, and which may be termed a biotite quartz mononite 
 porphyry in contradistinction from the gray granite in the Victorville 
 hills which is a granodiorite. Like all the granite masses of the desert 
 side whose surfaces are exposed to the weather, this rock is much jointed 
 and broken at the surface by the expansion and contraction due to the 
 diurnal variations of temperature, but the joints will be found closed 
 at slight depths. In general, it may be considered a highly impervious 
 material, well adapted for retaining water when the latter is impounded 
 against it, and also excellent material upon which to construct dams. 
 
 "The north escarpment of the basin consists of a steeply sloping 
 cliff of the so-called Hesperia formation, which at one place affords a 
 fresh exposure in a vertical cliff nearly 200 feet in height. Here it is 
 seen to consist of alternating beds of varying thickness of coarse uncon- 
 solidated gray angular sands and slightly reddish colored sands con- 
 taining a very small amount of clay. These beds dip slightly to the 
 north. They are very porous, much more so than is desirable, and the 
 question of leakage through them is a subject which deserves serious 
 consideration before reaching final conclusions as to the availability of 
 this basin for a reservoir site. 
 
 "That portion of the northeast barrier of the basin which is composed 
 of the Hesperia formation is the weakest link in the valley wall. It is 
 not only porous like the main north wall, but it is narrow and 'bordered 
 by lower land on its downstream side. Also I doubt if it will afford a
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 75 
 
 suitable foundation for constructing a higher dam at this point. 
 Serious study should be given to the capacity of this section for the 
 inhibition and transmission of water." 
 
 UPPER WEST FORK RESERVOIR SITES. 
 
 Two sites for reservoirs shown by the map, Plate VII, are located on 
 the upper part of the West Fork of Mojave River. For the purpose of 
 reference, these reservoir sites have been designated as West Fork 
 Reservoir No. 2, and West Fork Reservoir No. 3, in order of location 
 looking upstream. The commission made surveys of these for the 
 plotting of ten-foot contours, but the scale of the map, Plate VII, does 
 not permit showing more than each 20-foot contour. Area and capacity 
 curves for these sites are shown by Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. 
 
 Three locations for the dam were considered for Reservoir No. 3. 
 The first, designated as Dam Site No. 3, was abandoned in favor of 
 another further down stream, which appeared more advantageous, and 
 which was designated as Dam Site "No. 3-A. The cost for the reservoir 
 was worked up on the basis of using this site No. 3-A. Later it was dis- 
 covered that saving could be made by shifting still further downstream 
 to a point which has been designated as Dam Site No. 3-B, and it is this 
 location which would be recommended, subject to satisfactory examina- 
 tion by test borings, as the place for a dam. 
 
 The report of Robert T. Hill, consulting geologist, on Dam Sites Nos. 
 2, 3-A and 3-B is as follows: 
 
 "I examined the geological conditions of the proposed dam sites 
 within the northern edge of the mountain area along the course of the 
 West Fork of the Mo.jav<> Kiver. These sites are three in number, and 
 consist of narrow constrictions of the canyon Avails which are to be the 
 dam sites, alternating with wide expansions of the valley which are to 
 constitute the reservoir sites. These dam sites (Plate III, Fig. 2, and 
 Plate IV, Fig. 1)- are strongly entrenched ridges of the same granitic 
 rock as that which we have previously described, and there are no 
 geological reasons why they should not be considered excellent locations 
 for the contemplated works. 
 
 "Some fear has been expressed regarding the proximity of the dam 
 sites to the fault lines which seem to dominate the physiography of this 
 district. It is* my opinion that no serious trouble need necessarily be 
 anticipated from these conditions. The displacements seem to be 
 ancient in comparison to those now taking place on the southwest side 
 of the range. There are no large or open fault fissures which would 
 be conducive to leakage. The only danger would be that of earthquake 
 jars to masonry dams, and so far as is ascertained, this particular area
 
 76 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 is about as free from seismic disturbances as any part of .southern 
 California." 
 
 To obtain some standard for ready comparison a safe section of grav- 
 ity dam is assumed, all dimensions of which are expressed in terms of 
 the height. The top width is .15h and this continues down for a depth of 
 .20h from whence the section widens in the form of a trapezoid to .65h 
 at the base. The area of cross section thus provided is .33h 2 . While 
 not the most effective or economical dam it is sufficiently strong and it 
 offers a section for preliminary comparison of one dam with another. 
 Cross sections of the dam sites as shown by Plate VII were taken and as 
 careful examinations as could be made for dams for varying dimensions. 
 
 In order to present the results in the form of cost curves rather than 
 yardage curves a cost of $6.00 per cubic yard was assumed for all con- 
 crete. The cost of the dams was then computed for heights from 10 to 
 150 feet and the unit cost was determined for the different capacities. 
 The unit costs for different capacities when plotted give a fairly 
 uniform curve. Fig. 4 shows area, capacity, and cost curves for the 
 reservoirs, area being plotted against depth, capacity against depth, 
 and unit cost against capacity. The unit cost curves are then used to 
 make Fig. 5 in which the several curves represent different combined 
 capacities for the reservoirs and in which the diagrams show the 
 capacity that should be given each reservoir for the most economic com- 
 bination together with the corresponding unit cost. The curve at the 
 bottom of Fig. 5 is a summary of those above, and shows the unit cost in 
 dollars per acre-foot for the most economic combined capacities in acre- 
 feet. It is found that the most economic combinations within the 
 range of total storage which would be desirable require that the greater 
 part of the capacity be in Reservoir No. 3-A, also that the ratio between 
 the capacities of the two basins is not constant for varying total 
 capacity. 
 
 The maximum economic capacity for Reservoir No. 3-A is approxi- 
 mately 35,000 acre-feet which is shown to correspond to the minimum 
 unit cost of $34.50 per acre-foot. Using the same figure as the 
 maximum allowable unit cost for Reservoir No. 2 the maximum 
 economic capacity for this reservoir is 34,000 acre-feet. Again consid- 
 ering the same unit cost as the limit of expense the minimum economic 
 capacity for Reservoir No. 3-A is 28,000 acre-feet and for Reservoir 
 No. 2, 9,400 acre-feet. 
 
 Either of these sites is suitable to serve as the raservoir for the first 
 unit in the development of a project and it is gratifying to find such 
 possibilities for economic storage ba^rd <>n such small unils. It is in 
 these units that hope for a successful project in Victor Valley must lie.
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 
 
 77 
 
 301 300 
 
 CAPACITY IN ACRE FEET 
 
 7 
 
 DAM SITE NO. 2 
 
 Fig. 4. Ar
 
 78 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 For the complete and most economic utilization of the West Fork 
 waters a much larger storage is needed and a combination of these res- 
 ervoirs offers the means to this end. The curve, Fig. 5, shows a wide 
 range of capacity to be possible through advantageous combinations of 
 the two reservoirs without much variation in unit cost. For example, 
 by proper combination a total capacity of 60,000 acre-feet can be 
 obtained for approximately $33.25 per acre-foot while a total capacity 
 of only 31,000 acre-feet can be had for $34.00 per acre-foot, with an 
 optimum economic total capacity between these two of 52,000 acre-feet 
 for $32.85 per acre-foot. This indicates a possible flexibility of design 
 which is very desirable and which is seldom obtained. 
 
 If the area to be first put under cultivation is too large it may become 
 unwieldy with nonproductive acreage and difficult to carry through the 
 development period while if it be too small the first cost may be too 
 high and the overhead charges proportionately too large. Where a 
 project offers such nearly equal unit cost for varying sizes, the first unit 
 may be conveniently given the most desirable size. In the present case 
 an initial or nucleus project should comprise from 15,000 to 18,000 
 acres. 
 
 With a gross duty of 1.25 acre-feet the water supply required for a 
 district of 16,500 acres, or assuming that 15 per cent of the land is 
 unirrigated, a net area of 14,000 acres is 17,500 acre-feet annually. 
 
 The mean annual discharge of the West Fork of Mojave River at the 
 Forks including Grass Valley Creek is about 39,200 acre-feet. The 
 mean annual discharge at the upper dam sites as determined by com- 
 paring the measurements at the upper sites with those at the Forks, is 
 about 30,000 acre-feet. It appears from the discharge records that for 
 an annual storage of approximately 30,000 acre-feet, a draft of 60 per 
 cent of the total storage or approximately 18,000 acre-feet per year may 
 safely be made. This is sufficient for a net area of 14,000 acres or 
 allowing for 15 per cent of the district being unirrigated a gross area 
 of 16,500 acres. 
 
 If, however, Reservoir No. 3-A only should be used for this initial 
 project some study should be made of the most economic use of this 
 reservoir and of the form of unit development that would be consistent 
 with the full development of the combined reservoirs. Ultimate 
 development would use the full 60,000 acre-feet capacity which should 
 give an annual draft of approximately 30,000 acre-feet or practically 
 the entire average flow of the West Fork. 
 
 Fig. 5 shows the economic division of this capacity to be 33,000 acre- 
 feet in Reservoir No. 3-A and 27,000 acre-feet in Reservoir No. 2. 
 Therefore, as a tentative plan it is suggested that Reservoir No. 3-A be 
 constructed to a capacity of 33,000 acre-feet for the first unit. This
 
 UTILIZATION OF MOJAVE RIVER. 
 
 7!) 
 
 CURVES OF|COMBNED CAPACITY 
 SHOWING MOST ECONOMIC PROPORTION FOR 
 
 22000 2<000 2MOO MflflO 30000 52000 
 PROPORTION OF COMBINED CAPACITY IN ACRE FEET FOR RESERVOIR HO.J-A 
 
 CURVES OF COMBINED CAPACITY 
 SHOWING MOST ECONOMIC. PROPORTION 
 
 16000 12030 14000 16000 18000 20000 72000 24000 26000 26000 30000 52000 54000 54000 
 PROPORTION OF COM2INED CAPACITY IN ACRE FEET FOR RESERVOIR NO. 2 
 
 21W1 J8000 3MOO J2000 34000 14000 58COO 40000 47000 44000 4(000 48000 50000 S2000 S4000 54000 58000 
 COMBINED CAPACITY IN ACRE FEET 
 
 Fig. 5. Curves for reservoir sites on West Fork of Mojave River.
 
 SO IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS' IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 should allow a safe annual draft of about 20,000 acre-feet or on the 
 basis of 1.25 acre-feet duty should irrigate a net area of the west mesa 
 of 16,000 acres, or allowing 15 per cent for lands not cultivated, should 
 supply a district of approximately 19,000 acres. The following is an 
 estimate of the cost of such a project : 
 
 Dam $1,125,300 00 
 
 Spillway 20,000 00 
 
 Land, 400 acres at $100 per acre 40,000 00 
 
 Main conduits 198,000 00 
 
 Distribution system 322,000 00 
 
 Total $1.7<KVJOO (Ml 
 
 The foregoing makes no allowance for interest during construction 
 which would require two years. During the first six months of this 
 period it is probable that the work would be of a preliminary character 
 including the making of the necessary surveys and designs and the 
 acquisition of the lands and water rights pertaining to the project. The 
 cost of this preliminary work is estimated at $100,000. For a tentative 
 scheme of financing therefore it is estimated that interest would be 
 paid on sums as follows : 
 
 $100,000 at 5 per cent for 2 years $10,000 00 
 
 500,000 at 5 per cent for 14 years 37,500 00 
 
 000,000 at 5 per cent for 1 year 30,000 00 
 
 000,000 at 5 per cent for \ year _ 15,000 00 
 
 Total $92,500 00 
 
 Adding interest to construction cost gives a total estimated cost of 
 $1,797,800, or a cost of $94.62 per acre. A careful design of the dam 
 should reduce the estimated cost 10 or 15 per cent below the estimate 
 based on the arbitrary section of dam assumed for this preliminary 
 study and comparison. Such a reduction would lower the estimated 
 unit cost of the project to approximately $90.00 per acre including 
 interest. 
 
 CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 No plan for the utilization of Mojave River would be complete with- 
 out considering the Little Bear Valley Reservoir. The Arrowhead 
 Reservoir and Power Company has invested a large amount in this 
 system for impounding and using the water supply of the upper water- 
 shed of the East Fork and is in possession of valuable data on the 
 runoff from the entire watershed. This company controls a large 
 amount of riparian land along the river and has acquired additional 
 appropriation rights. Options on the company's properties are held 
 by the Victor Valley Irrigation District. It is not evident that this
 
 UTILIZATION OP MOJAVE RIVER. 81 
 
 district can be properly supplied with water from Little Bear Valley 
 reservoir at reasonable cost. The length of conduit and the expensive 
 nature of construction required, the limited quantity of water avail- 
 able and the comparatively small amount of power which may be 
 developed point to such a large unit cost as to render the project imprac- 
 ticable. The report of J. B. Lippincott points out that the project 
 is feasible only on the basis of a high duty of water such as one acre- 
 foot and indicates uncertainty as to the sufficiency of this duty. We 
 are of the opinion that a duty of one acre-foot is insufficient for the 
 area included in the district. 
 
 We deem it unwise to give special consideration to any particular 
 body of land and hold that the broad problem is not how to deliver the 
 water to some particular lands but how to devise the most economical 
 plan to properly irrigate part of the valley. There is a large area of 
 land but a limited quantity of water. 
 
 The flood waters may also be stored at the Victor reservoir site con- 
 trolled by the Mojave Water and Power Company and although this 
 site is too low to be of service to either of the irrigation districts, plenty 
 of good land on which the water may be used is situated below the site. 
 
 In the pursuit of practical means for the utilization of Little Bear 
 Valley Keservoir we suggest that some land of the east mesa may be 
 irrigated with this supply at less expense than may the lands of the 
 west mesa and that such a distribution would also permit the develop- 
 ment of more electrical energy. The West Fork reservoir sites may be 
 used to store water for the west mesa lands. 
 
 The Appleton Land, Water and Power Company owns extensive lands 
 having riparian rights and some appropriation rights and the pipe lines 
 of this company are in a position to receive the discharge from Little 
 Bear Valley reservoir. For the nucleus of development on the east side 
 and near the river on the west side it would seem that this company's 
 ditch and pipe lines might have a very definite value if used with the 
 Arrowhead Eeservoir and Power Company's properties. 
 
 The following is a summary of the suggestions and findings. 
 
 (1) The proper duty of water is approximately 1.50 acre-feet per 
 acre per annum for the east mesa and 1.25 acre-feet per acre per annum 
 for the west mesa. 
 
 (2) The total annual average discharge of Mojave River is approx- 
 imately 90,000 acre-feet, of which about one-third is available for 
 storage in Little Bear Valley reservoir now partially constructed, 
 about one-third is available for storage in proposed upper West Fork 
 reservoirs, and about one-third should be allowed for the riparian lands 
 along the river.
 
 82 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 (3) We suggest the use of the water supply under two projects; one 
 for the west mesa to make use of the upper West Fork reservoirs with 
 an initial unit having storage in Reservoir No. 3-A of 33,000 acre-feet 
 and a district of 18,400 acres and an ultimate project with storage in 
 both reservoirs of 60,000 acre-feet and a district of 29,000 acres; the 
 other to use Little Bear Valley reservoir water from which may be 
 delivered by the shortest route to the lands of the east mesa, utilizing 
 the greater inherent power en route and irrigating approximately 20,000 
 acres net, or allowing for 15 per cent of the total being unirrigated, a 
 total project area of 23,000 acres. The total net area under the two 
 systems would be about 45,000 acres, and allowing 15 per cent for lands 
 unirrigated within the exterior boundaries a total gross area of about 
 52,000 acres.
 
 APPENDIX
 
 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
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 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
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 UTILIZATION OF, MOJAVE RIVER. 
 
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 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA.
 
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