Irrigation in Imperial Valley, California - Its Problems and Possibilities #270082

New River has its source at Volcano Lake and flows down the slope to the northwest across the boundary line through Imperial Valley and into Salton Sea, having a total fall from 24 feet above sea level at the source to — 287 feet at the bottom of the sink. Alamo River, formerly known as Salton River, runs first westward in Mexico, thence northward across the boundary line and through Im erial Valley to the Salton Sea. These two streams are the channe s by which any overflow of the Colorado toward the northwest enters the lowest ortion of Salton Sink. The olorado overflows its banks in Mexico annually and in recent years some of the water found its way into Salton Sink from natural causes, and once, through the work of man, it was unintentionally entirely diverted from its present channel into Salton Sink. Alamo River originally ran through Mesquit Lake by making a sha turn to the west at that point, but the channel was straightene by a ditch known as the Alamo cut-off, leaving the lake off its course. The lake has also been almost completely drained by another ditch. A few years a o the Alamo was larger than New River, but in recent floods most 0 the water in the Alamo passed over to New River through Beltran and Garza and Pink Mountain sloughs in Mexico, so that through Imperial Valley New River has been much the larger stream. The recent flood caused by the diversion of the Colorado into Salton Sink forming the sea is described in the latter part of this report, together with the cost] measures which restored the river to its former channel and whio will prevent any further 0 flow into New or Alamo rivers in the future.