Eagle Lake’s Water Analyzed

Notice the lime deposits on the rocks at Gallatin boat ramp, October 31, 2022–D. Willis

One of the interesting issues to surface in 1928 regarding the inlet problem of Bly Tunnel was the alkalinity effects of water used from Eagle Lake on lands in the Honey Lake Valley. There had been lots of speculation but no scientific proof. In the fall of 1928 Professor P.H. Hibbard of the University of California, Berkeley well versed in soil and water analysis arrived on the scene to examine the situation.

In Hibbard’s findings the Eagle Lake water was not a detriment to the irrigated lands in Honey Lake Valley. The lands affected there already had alkali in the soil, and the issue from irrigation was compounded by the fact of poor drainage on those lands. Hibbard noted that lakes without outlets tend to have a higher mineral content. He went on to state that the rocks along the shoreline at Eagle Lake that had a white layer on them when the lake receded were lime deposits.

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