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<br />C"':' <br />- <br />00 <br />-, <br /> <br />c <br /> <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />,;~ <br /> <br />II <br />I <br />. <br /> <br />The flow from the river began cutting <br />away the sand and soft alluvial soil in the <br />channel, making it deeper and deeper. <br />Before long, the entire river had changed <br />course, flowing through the bypass chau- <br />nel into the Alamo and New Rivers and <br />on into the Salton Sink. The River was <br />out of control until November 4, 1906, <br />when the bypass channel was finally <br />closed. On December 5 a second flood <br />came down the Gila and into the Col. <br />orado. It breached the levees that had <br />been built, and again the river flowed to <br />the Salton Sea via the Imperial Canal. By <br />this time, however, the technique of <br />handling the unruly river was better <br /> <br />12 <br /> <br />"'. <br /> <br />5. <br /> <br />~""; <br /> <br /> <br />Rock and earth fill barrier was constructed at Imperial Canal inlet after the gales were destroyed ill the 1906 <br />jlood. <br /> <br />developed. This break was closed <br />February 10, 1907. <br />For about 16 months the river had <br />wreaked havoc in the Imperial Valley, <br />threatening lives, ruining fam1s and <br />agricultural land, destroying highways and <br />homes. The Southem Pacific Railroad, <br />which was forced to move its tracks to <br />higher ground, ultimately threw its <br />resources and engineering skill into the <br />battle. At a cost of nearly $3 million, the <br />Colorado was finally forced hack into its <br />own channel. <br />One good thing did result from the bout <br />with the river-the deeply excavated <br />Alamo and New River channels through <br />which the Coforado had poured its flood- <br />waters provided the start of a good <br />drainage system for the Imperial Valley. <br /> <br />But the fight had only begun. The Col- <br />orado's natural regimen had been upset <br />while it was flooding Imperial Valley. <br />When the river overflowed its bank south <br />of the main ca"al during the 1907 and <br />1908 summer floods, fingers of erosion <br />began cutting back toward the river from <br />the low area to the west. It was apparent <br />that the river could take a new course if <br />one of these fingers reached the main <br />channel- and that is exactly what hap- <br />pened during the 1909 summer flood. <br />After the flood passed, the entire Col- <br />orado River flow went down the Bee <br />River, another of the Colorado's old <br />overflow channels, to Volcano Lake, <br />