Report of meeting at Office of U. S. Engineers - Los Angeles, California, April 15, 1941

REPORT OF MEETING AT OFFICE OF U. S. ENGINEERS LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA, APRIL 15, 1941 At the instance of Alfred Merritt Smith, State Engineer of Nevada a meeting was held in the Los Angeles office of the U. S. Engineers between Railroad, the Indian Service and the State Engineer of Nevada for the purpose of discussing and outlining, if possible, a unit plan of cooperation on the pending program of flood water control in the Moapa Valley and Meadow Valley Wash areas and also for a general exchange of ideas. Attending the meeting were: For the U. S. Corps of Engineers: Lt. Col. E. C. Kelton, District Engineer, Los Angeles, California G. B. Bebout, Principal Engineer, Los Angeles, California E. C. LaRue, Engineer, Los Angeles, California G. G. Stroebe, Associate Engineer, Los Angeles, California M. K. Read, Associate Geologist, Los Angeles, California For the Soil Conservation Service: H. E. Reddick, Regional Conservator, Berkeley, California Geo. Hardman, Nevada State Coordinator, Reno, Nevada C. W. Pettit, Assistant regional Conservator For the U. S. Indian Service: E. C. Fortier, District Engineer, San Francisco, California For the Union Pacific Railroad: W. C. Perkins, District Engineer, Salt Luke City, Utah For the State Engineer of Nevada: Hugh A. Shamberger, Deputy State Engineer, Carson City, Nevada Mr. E. C. LaRue, Engineer, U. S. Engineer Department, outlined the work that had been done in the Moapa area by the Army Corps, which was mainly exploratory work consisted of core drilling the damsite, surveying out the reservoir site, making a relocation of the U. P. Railroad branch to Overton and the relocation of U. S. Highway No. 91. Other work on the Muddy River and Meadow Valley Wash had been temporarily set aside when it first appeared that a high dam could be located at this point which would protect the Lower Moapa Valley from any maximum flood and also would afford storage for Muddy River waters. Mr. LaRue stated that insofar as bedrock had not been found at the damsite, at least to a depth of around 135 feet, the Army had practically abandoned this site. Considerable discussion was entered into by all present regarding the Pine and Mathews Canyon damsites on tributaries to Clover Valley Wash and the Delmues damsite on Meadow Valley Wash above Panaca. A preliminary report on these damsites was made in 1938 by the Soil Conservation Service. In this report it was stated that the runoff originating in the Mathews and Pine Canyon watersheds probably represents approximately 60 to 70 percent of the flood waters causing damage in the lower region of the Meadow Valley Wash. Mr. W. C. Perkins, District Engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad, stated that the Sawmill Canyon watershed Mr. E. C. Fortier, District Engineer for the Indian Service, gave a review of the work being done by the Indian Service engineers at the White Narrows and Double Canyon damsites on the Upper Muddy River. Mr. Fortier stated that their studies indicated that the White Narrows damsite would be suitable for a low dam; that while the foundation was of sutiable material for a low dam, the abutments were unsatisfactory, although they could be made satisfactory for a dam not exceeding 30 feet in height without too much expense. He stated that a 30 foot dam would provide storage capacity of around 2500 acre-feet and flood water storage of 1000 acre-feet. From their studies now in progress of the silt that there should be a dam built further upstream to store the silt deposits as well as take care of major floods in order to insure the adequate functioning of a low dam at the White Narrows site. Mr. -Fortier stated that their surveys at Double Canyon indicated that a dam 80 feet in height would provide a storage of 35,000 acre-feet. A core drilling at this site showed bedrock at 65 feet, the drill hole extending 65 feet into the bedrock. Mr. LaRue expressed the army's willingness to continue the investigations of the Double Canyon site with the idea in mind that if this site was found suitable, the Army might construct a dam at this location as a purely flood control project and the Indian Service and Lower Moapa Valley water users construct the dam at the White Narrows site for storage of winter flows of the Muddy River, to act as a stabilizing reservoir, and to store what flood waters may occur within the 150 square miles of watershed between the White Narrows site and the Double Canyon site. In discussing the proposed White Narrows dam with Mr. Fortier after the meeting it was our opinion that such a dam could be constructed with CCC labor, thereby greatly decreasing the cost to the Indian Service and the lower users. It was also our thought that it may be possible to get some additional assistance from the Army for the White Narrows dam on the grounds that at least 1000 acre-feet capacity must be allowed for storage of flood waters originating on the watershed between the two proposed sites. All present were of the opinion that the meeting was a profitable one and that perhaps in about October or November after the studies have been completed Hugh Shamberger Deputy State Engineer