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<br />CJ <br />-' <br />00 <br />~;' <br /> <br />c <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />~--'-- <br /> <br /> <br />CALIFORNIA <br /> <br />The Imperial Canal, which originally <br />carried Colorado River water to the Im- <br />perial Valley. had its head works on the <br />California side of the river about 100 <br />yards north of the international boundary. <br />The canal ran south .from the hcadworks, <br />paralleling the Colorado for 4 miles. <br />Then it tUllled west, away from the river, <br />and followed the Alamo River channel, <br />an old river course that ran to the Salton <br />Sink. <br /> <br />Colorado River ,qasin <br />"" ,. <br />,^~.:'\~\' <br /> <br />l1li <br /> <br />NEVADA <br /> <br />A spring flood in 1904 left the first 4 <br />miles of the canal filled with silt. When <br />the flood receded, not enough watcr <br />could be diver1ed through the headworks <br />for irrigation. So a bypass channel was <br />dredged directly from the river to the <br />point where the canal made its westward <br />turn. <br />No regulating gate was built for the <br />bypass- it was supposed to be closed <br />well before the next regular spring and <br />summer flonds. And winter floods had <br />been so rare that there was no particular <br /> <br />concern about one accuning. But the <br />winter of 1904-05 proved an exception. <br />By March 1905, three heavy floods had <br />already come down the river. Following <br />the third flood, measures were taken to <br />c1nse the bypass, but it was too late. A <br />fourth and then fifth flash flood came <br />along, destroying the dams intended to <br />plug the bypass channel. <br /> <br />II <br />