AZ vs. CA:24 California Exhibits, Vol. XXIV; Miscellaneous

page 129

PROBLEMS OF IMPERIAL VAT.T.TCY AND VICINITY. 129 A possible reservoir site at the junction of the North and South forks is filed on in the State engineer's office. Capacity is abqut 100,000 acre-feet, but this is not sufficient entirely to control the river. From Parkhill's report the Yellowjacket is the more feasible place to use the water; and if so, the supply available to Deadmans Bench project would be so reduced that the project is not considered in the ultimate irrigable acreage. SAVANNAH BUTTE PROJECT. rA diversion is proposed on the north side of White River in range 103 west to lands in Utah. Gross area, 80,000 acres, of which possibly 40,000 acres are irrigable. Judging from general descriptions of the country, construction would be very difficult. If Rangely reservoir is built, this project might be constructed without other storage. It is not listed in possible projects in this report. POWER POSSIBILITIES. On the headwaters of .the two rivers small amounts of power can be developed, but possibilities are small. Below irrigation and along the main rivers are reservoir sites where the entire flow of the river can be equated for power. YAMPA RIVER. Juniper Reservoir.1-This site is the first proceeding downstream. The discharge at present averages 1,300,000 acre-feet annually, but extension of irrigation, it is estimated, will reduce this to 1,140,000 acre-feet. Acre-feet. Discharge, Yampa at Maybell................................,.......... 1,300,000 Consumptive use on 90,000 acres to be irrigated above Maybell: 90,000 acres, at 1.25 acre-feet................1.............. 110,000 Diverted to Snake River slope............................. 125, 000 ----------- 235,000 Return flow from Yellowjacket project, which is to be watered from White River.......,...........:............................................ 75,000 Total............................;....'.......................... 1,140,000 Storage capacity of 1,550,000 acre-feet will equate the stream to 1,600 second-feet ultimate, or 1,800 second-feet present minus evaporation, although from an economic standpoint a smaller reservoir may be better. This is based on 10 years' record and does not include the extremely low period which occurred in the period 1899-1902. A dam raising the water surface 240 feet will provide this amount of storage and give 150 feet head below the storage. A higher dam is possible. This reservoir is also a part of a storage plan for Imperial Valley, as later discussed. • Cross Mountain.-Just below Juniper site and above the Little Snake confluence, the water surface can te raised 100 feet without interfering with Juniper and will use the discharge equated at Juniper. Other sites below exist, but data concerning them are not available. Upper Bear reservoir.-This is on the headwaters. A capacity of about 110,000 acre-feet will equate the stream to 150 second-feet. A dam, raising the water surface 200 feet, will give this storage and a3so create a head of 100 feet below the storage. It is not known whether the dam can be built higher. This would provide any storage needed by the Wessels project also.