| OCR Text |
Show Record sand in varying quantities, and are generally subject to precipita- 1297 tion from melting snow and heavy rains in the late summer. So far as those two elements are concerned, leaving out the question of degree, there is not anything that differentiates this river from other rivers in the West. Rivers carrying large amounts of sand over long periods of time - in human periods of time - should equalize, fill up at times and scour out at times. The Missouri River below Kansas City, during freshets, builds bars and cuts banks and changes quite considerably. During the cut- out stage the Missouri River frequently stops after it has excavated a channel 1298 not more than three feet in depth. If it was never dredge then in low water around three feet would be the maximum depth over some of those bars between Kansas City and the mouth. 1303 If a river carries a large amount of sand the swift currents make faster changes and builds a shoaler river, depending somewhat on whether the river can spread out. The Colorado River can spread out between canyon walls by merely filling up its bed a few feet above where it is at the present time. Speaking generally I would say the Box canyon is 800 to 1000 feet wide, while the river surface is not more than 600 between Moab and the junction of the Green River, about 67 miles. The river in that stretch has a fall of roughly 67 feet. It is an unescapable law of nature that this river must create friction of 67 feet, use up energy corresponding to a 67 foot 1304 fall in going from Moab to the junction. If the fall were twice that great, it should be necessary for the river to create twice that much friction. Therefore, with a swift river flowing on a steep slope with an abundance of sand with which to build a bed, the steeper the slope the more shoal the river. With a river flowing sluggishly, it will build its bed so as to have on an average a deep river. The Mississippi River in its lower section has a depth of around 100 feet. Carrol Edward Dobbin testified for complainant on - 171- |
