Any one who has ever been involved in a major water right battle that resulted in state intervention witnessed the production of an adjudication report. In the front of the report is a section called the “Duty of Water.” In certain ways the foregoing is not entirely relevant to the topic at hand. However, state never makes reference to the “Power of Water,” and when it strikes, what to do about it.
This post after all has a focus on Long Valley Creek, per a request of a flood during the early 1940s, though the particular date and/or other information is still being sought. For the most part it is hard to fathom that Long Valley Creek can be transformed into a raging torrent of water, when to the casual observer during the summer months, at time its flow can be a mere trickle. Yet, as one can see from the photographs shown, what kind of havoc this small stream is capable of. Tomorrow, we explore a proposed dam develop that was to harness the stream to provide water for irrigation.