N^ ' n\v> ' ^ m Typical View on the Lower Illinois River. DEPARTMENT OF Public Works and Buildings Division of Waterways Frank I. Bennett, Director. William L. Sackett, Supt. Second Edition of Report Made to Former ^ft.^'^-^^^RIVERS AND LAKES COMMISSION. ON The Illinois River and Its Bottom Lands With Reference to the Conservation of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Control of Floods BY JOHN W. ALVORD and CHARLES B. BURDICK. Consulting Engineers [Reprinted by authority of the State of Illinois.] /^/^3 'VI & ^ ^ n~ o- -A ^^ P 5 c^ c^ Springfield, III. Illinois State Journal Co., State Printers. 19 19 20533—500 TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART I. PAGE. Summarized Fiin^dings axd Conclusions 11 PART II. The Iillnois River Watershed and its Hydro-Geology 19 General Description and Size of Watershed — The River Bottoms — Geology. PART III. Flow and Gage Heights — Dams — Submerged Lands 24 Prevailing Gage Heights — Natural Flow — Flow of Chicago Drainage Canal — Navigation Dams — Survey of 1902-1904 — Submerged Lands. PART IV. Agriculture 54 Growth of Agriculture — Growth of Levee Districts — Principal Data of Levee Districts — Investigation of Districts and Levees — Productivity of Agricultural Lands. PART V. i!"TSHERIES 64 Growth in Production — Fish Prices — Factors Affecting the General Welfare of Fishes — Fish Yield by Districts — Possibilities of Fish Culture compared with Illinois River Yields. PART VI. Past and Future Floods 84 Flood of 1904— Flood of 1844— Flood of 1913— Probable Flood of the Future — Flood Rates on other Streams — Artificial and Natural Con- ditions Affecting Flood Rates — Comparison by Ratios — Fuller's Formula Applied to Ratios — Conclusions as to Flood Rates. PART VII. Future Flood Heights 102 Computed Flood Profiles — Values in Flow Formula During Flood of 1904 — Effect of Trees on Flood Values — Values in Flow Formula During Flood of 1913 — l^low Values Used in Computations — Flow — Values Observed on Other Rivers — Estimate of Future Flood Heights — Proper Levee Heights. PART VIII. I Discussion of Remedies f 113 General Principles — Flood Abatement by Storage — Teiidency of Levees to Increase Flow Rates— The Future River Valley — Effect of Stor- age on Flow — Pl-oper Levee Heights without Storage — Proper Levee Heights with Apex Storage — Bases of Comparison — new Expenditures with High Levees and No Storage — New Expenditures with Storage — Comparative Income and Expense — Other Consider- ations — Effect of Waterway Projects — Increased Width between Levees — Storage in the Tributaries — Flood Protection Conclusion — Best Use of Remaining Lakes and Lands — Inclosure of Meandered Lakes — Clean Banks — Game, Fishing and Hunting — Cooperation with the Sanitary District — Ackknowledgment. PART IX. Appendix 136 Report of the Rivers and Lakes Commission to the Governor and Attorney General on Thompson Lake. Recommendations of the Commission Regarding the Removal of Dams. ILLUSTEATIONS. PART I. Typical View on the Lower Illinois River Frontispiece FIGURE . NO. PART II. PAGE. 1. Map — Watershed of the Illinois River 20 PART III. 2. Profiles of Water Levels and River Bottom 27 3. Diagram — Prevailing Gage Heights at Various Places 27 4. Diagram — Gage Heights at Grafton, LaGrange and Peoria and Hydrograph at Peoria 29 5. Map of Illinois — Average Annual Precipitation 36 5A. Views of LaGrange Lock and Dam 39 6. Map — Illinois River and Flood Plain below LaSalle 7. Diagram — Prevailing Heads at Navigation Dams 41 8. Diagram — Head at Dams and Rise of Tail Water 42 9. Diagram — Rating Curves 45 10. Profile — Normal Relations of Water Elevations 11. Diagram — Acres Submerged — Kampsville Dam to Mouth of River.. 46 12. Diagram — Acres Submerged — Mile 52.39 to Kampsville Dam 47 13. Diagram — Acres Submerged — LaGrange Dam to Mile 52.39 48 14. Diagram — Acres Submerged — Mile 108.63 to LaGrange Dam 49 15. Diagram — Acres Submerged — Copperas Creek Dam to Mile 108.63.. 50 16. Diagram — Acres Submerged — Peoria, Lower Bridge to Copperas Creek Dam 51 17. Diagram — Acres Submerged — Henry Dam to Peoria Lower Bridge.. 51 18. Diagram — Acres Submerged — LaSalle to Henry Dam 51 19. Diagram — Acres Submerged — LaSalle to Mouth 51 PART IV. 20. View of New Levee Showing Extreme Irregularity of much of the Dipper Work 55 21. Map — Growth of Levee Districi: ; 56 21A. View within the Levees Showing a Newly Reclaimed District 56 22. Map — River Bottoms and Levee Districts 59 23. Profile— Elevation of Levees , ■ 59 23A. View of Typical Pumping Station 60 PART V. 24. Diagram — Growth and Decline of Fish Catch on Illinois 67 25. Diagram — Annual Yield of Fishes on Illinois River 1894-1908 67 25A. View of Fish Market at Havana 68 26. Diagram — Relation of Fish Yield to Water Acreages 78 ILLUSTEATIONS— Concluded. FIGURE PART VI. NO. PAGE. 27. Diagram— Profiles of 1904 Flood 87 28. Diagram — Relation between Drainage Area and Flood Flows 93 PART VII. 29. Map — Extent of Timber in Bottom Lands — Pearl to LaGrange 107 30. Map — Bxcent of Timber in Bottom Lands — Beardstown to Havana. .107 31. Map— Rainfall Contours— March 17, to April 1, 1904 109 32. Map — Rainfall Contours — March 20, to 27, 1913 109 33. Diagram — Observed and Computed Flood Profiles Ill 34. Diagram — Elevation of Levees Compared with Observed and Com- puted Flood Profiles Ill PART Vlil. 35. Diagram — Effect of River Valley Storage on Flood Rate at Kamps- ville Dam 115 36. Map — Levee Districts Built and Proposed 37. Diagram — Storage in Levee Districts 117 38. Diagram — Relation of Flow Storage and Gage Height — At and Above Peoria 119 39. Diagram — Relation of Flow Storage and Gage Height at and Above LaGrange Dam 121 40. Diagram — Suggestion for Compromise Levees near Navigable Lakes. 130 41. View of River Banks at Recent Moderate Water Stages showing the Dead and Decayed Land Vegetation 133 TABLES. TABLE PART III. NO. PAGE. 1. List of Gages on Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers 24 2. Flow of Illinois River at Peoria— 1890 to 1900 30 3. Summarized Flow of Illinois River at Peoria— 1890-1899 32 4. Monthly Discharge of Illinois River ac Peoria— 1903-1906 33 5. Flow of Des Plaines River above Riverside 34 6. Comparison of Run-off, Des Plaines and Illinois River 34 7. Summary of Rainfall and Run-off Data in Illinois 35 8. Flow of Chicago Drainage Canal, 1900-1914 37 9. Data on Navigation Dams 40 10. Land Overflowed Before and After Construction of Levee Districts Existing or Under Construction in 1914 53 PART IV. 11. Principal Data of Levee Districts 58 PART V. 12. Total Fish Catch— Illinois River— 1894-1908 65 13. Statistics of Fisheries — Illinois River Stace of Illinois, and United States for 1908 ^^ 14. Total Fish Catch— Havana Market 66 TABLES— Concluded. TABLE. NO. PAGE. 15. Yearly Averages of German Prices for Carp — 1891-1905 68 16. Wholesale Prices for Carp in Berlin for 1909 68 17. Catch Value and Price Paid to Fishermen in Illinois 69 18. Wholesale and Retail Prices for Carp— 1908-1913 69 19. Comparative Statistical Data, Illinois Fisheries 74 20. Acreage in Lakes in Virgin Valley and Subsequent to Construction of Levee Districts 79 21. Fish Shipped from Illinois River 80 22. Yield of Illinois River Fisheries in 1908 81 23. Summarized Data on Fish Yields in Foreign Countries 82 24. Financial Statement of a German Pond Fishery 83 PART VI. 25. Highest Water in Each Year at Salient Places 85 26. Greatest Measured Flows— Flood of 1904 86 27. Estimated Maximum Flow— Flood of 1904 88 28. Maximum Flood Flows on Streams in and Adjacent to Illinois 92 29. Maximum Flood Rates on all Sterams of United States having Record of 10 Years or More 95 30. Relation between Probable Future Floods and Average Yearly Flood. 99 31. Comparison of Flood Ratios at Peoria 99 32. Flood Expectation in Various Periods 100 PART VII. 33. Values in Flow Formula During Bank-Full Conditions 103 34. Values in Flow Formula During Flood of 1904 105 35. Effect of Trees and Brush on Flood Flow Values 106 36. Relative Importance of Timber on a Leveed Reach 107 37. Values in Plow Formula During Flood of 1913 108 38. "C" and ."N" Values on Various Rivers 110 PART VIII. 39. Storage Required to Reduce Flood Rates at Peoria 120 40. Costs and Benefits of Two Plans for Flood Protection 125 41. List of Meandered Lakes Claimed by the Rivers and Lakkes Com- mission to be Public Waters 131 42. Claims against Sanitary District on Account of Damage from Over- flow 133 PREFACE. On March li, 1914, the former Eivers and Lakes Commission ex- isting prior to the adoption of the present Civil Administrative Code Law advocated by Governor Frank 0. Lowden, was called into a con- ference with Governor Edward F. Dunne, the Fish and Game Conser- vation Commission, representative of the State Water Survey, Biological Department of the State University, and the Agricultural Department of the State University, to discuss the importance of problems growing out of the varied and conflicting interests in and to the Illinois Kiver and its valley. The matters under consideration at this conference were the preservation of the public waters of the State, the reclamation of submerged lands, the preservation of fish, and future flood control. Said commission, in the first edition of this report, stated : As a result of this conference the Eivers and Lakes Commission employed Messrs. Alvord and Burdick, civil engineers, to make a survey and study of the Illinois Eiver and Valley, compile the facts and report to this commission. This report has been put in printed form for circu- lation. We believe it contains such necessary information as will enable the Executive and Legislative departments of the State to adopt a policy that will prevent conflict between public interests and private interests and at the same time protect both. The Illinois Eiver furnishes from 10,000,000 to 24,000,000 pounds of fish per annum, or 10 per cent of the entire fresh water fish caught in the United States. After the opening of the Chicago Drainage Canal in 1900, due to the increased area of overflowed lands, the fish crop increased annually until the year 1908. Since then the yield has been falling off. This has been due to the reclamation of large areas of lakes and overflowed land by drainage and levee districts. The effect of this reclamation work is to confine the flood cross sections of the river and materially raise the flood heights. Messrs. Alvord and Burdick have presented in the report comprehensive and accurate investigations which show the eflect of reclamation upon future flood heights and the value of conserving the lakes in the river valley for fish breeding and flood storage reservoirs. Attempts are made by private parties to appropriate meandered or navigable lakes in the Illinois Valley which are the public property of the State. Acting on the policy outlined by the Legislative Committee on Submerged and Shore Lands, which led to the creation of the Eivers and Lakes Commission, this commission is now actively engaged in preventing such illegal seizure of the lakes in the Illinois Valley and conserving them for the use of flood storage, fish production, and the recreation of the public. EivEiRS AND Lakes Commission. Department of Public Works and Building, Frank I. Bennett, Director. Thomas G. Vennum, Assistant Director. William L. Sackett, Superintendent Division of Waterway. PART I. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. The Honorable Rivers and Lakes Commission, State of Illinois. Gextlemex : At your request we have made a careful study of the somewhat comj^lex problems of the Illinois Eiver relating to the control of floods with particular reference to the eftect of the extensive reclama- tion of farm land within the past ten years and the rise and recent rapid decline of the very important inland fishery upon this stream. This report concerns principally that part of the river below LaSalle; above this place the river is of a difl'erent character and the problems con- sidered do not exist. We take pleasure in reporting to you the result of our study and findings as follows : THE OBJECT OF THE REPORT. It is the object of this report to answer the following general questions : 1. What future flood rates may reasonably be expected on the Illi- nois River? 2. Is the present waterway sufficient to accommodate the future floods ? 3. What interests are affected by the past and probable future improvements in the valley? How is each interest affected and what is the relative importance of each? 4. What plan can be followed to correct the deficient waterway and to produce a maximum benefit to the local interests and to the public? SUMMARIZED COXCLUSIOXS AXD FIXDIXGS. Hereinafter will be found much of the data upon which the answers to these questions must be based. Before, however, proceeding to dis- cuss these matters at length, we would briefl}- acquaint you with our principal findings and recommendations as follows ; 1. Past floods. We conclude that the flood of 1904, which at most places upon the river is the greatest flood of recent years reached the rate of about 80,000 cubic feet per second at Peoria and 125,000 cubic feet per second at the mouth of the river. These rates are equivalent respectively to 5.94 and 4.48 cubic feet per second per square mile of drainage area. At nearly all places upon the river the flood of 1844 reached a greater height than any flood of record before or since. This flood occurred during the maximum flood upon the Mississippi and the water passed through a river valley entirely unimproved, very likely a veritable 13 REPOET ON ILLINOIS RIVER. jungle. Under all these circamstances, it is questionable if the flow rates in the 1844 flood very much exceeded those in 1904. 2. Future eloods. The stream records of the Illinois Eiver, al- though a few records cover 40 to 50 years, are not sufficiently extensive to permit the formation of conclusions as to probable future maximum flood rates. So far as they are available they would appear to indicate that in the course of centuries the flood of 1904 might reasonably be expected about once in 50 years. We have made a careful study of the great floods upon other rivers. It appears that such great floods are due to peculiar combinations of circumstances;, such as, although infrequent, are likely to happen at any time, any place in central North America. The great floods upon the average are infrequent, but two great floods may occur in successive years. It is our conclusion that the average flood expectancy, about once in 50 years, is a flood abou.t 35 per cent greater in rate than the flood of 1904. We further conclude that it is wise to protect the valley lands against the flood occurring upon the average of once in 50 years, namely, a flood about 35 per cent greater in rate than the flood of 1904. 3. Present water w^ ay. In a state of nature the river in flood occupied its entire valley from hills to hills. For many miles in the lower river this flood plain averaged 3 miles in width and in the great floods from 7 to 9 feet in depth. In the lower one-third of the river, farm land levees have reduced the width of the flood plain by about 80 per cent and have reduced the cross section of the flowing stream in a great flood to about 25 per cent of the available cross section of the 1904 flood. Although a large part of the flood flow has always passed by way of the channel, the velocity being comparatively slow upon the land, it is our conclusion that the farm land levees are a menace to themselves, in that they have so restricted the flood water channel and are lacking in height, generally speaking, to such, an extent that they are likely to be overtopped in a great flood. As the protection afforded to different districts is quite variable, it is evident that the lowest levees will suffer first and will tend to protect the higher levees. If all the districts are to be protected, however, a greater available flood cross section must be provided which may be accomplished in several ways, or the flood rates must be reduced through storage. 4. Interests affected. Although many interests are affected to a minor degree, we find that the predominant interests in the river valley are agriculture and fishing. There are other important interests at Peoria and at a few of the other cities bordering the stream. These cities, however, without important exceptions are well above the ordinary floods and the municipalities in general are not greatly concerned with flood abatement. 5. Flooded lands. We estimate the total water acreage below LaSalle in the flood of 1844 at 397,980 acres. Of this acreage 320,150 acres was flooded land. The first total includes 28,490 acres of river surface and 49,340 acres of lakes adjoining the river, the river and lakes jjurface being measured at the low water plane in 1901. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 13 6. Levee districts. Since 1904 the construction of levees for the protection of the bottom lands has proceeded at a rapid rate. At the present time nearly all the bottom land below Beardstown has been reclaimed. The total leveed lands are estimated at 171,725 acres. These lands have been protected from floods at an estimated cost of $5,350,000 or about $30 per acre. The estimated full value of these lands is about $19,000,000, an average of about $112 per acre. Much of this land is valued at from $125 to $150 per acre. Projected levee districts, so far as we can learn, aggregate about 49,250 acres. It is estimated that the leveed lands produce crops to the value of $3,000,000 per annum and that when these districts are fully cultivated they will be capable of producing $5,000,000 per annum. These figures are based upon the crops of recent years at the prices that generally prevailed prior to 1913. At recent prices, the yield would be much greater. It is estimated that with the projected districts completed and fully cultivated together with a small acreage upon the higher ground, now successfully cropped without levees, the total yield from agriculture will be approximately $6,500,000 per year. 7. Fisheries. Statistics indicate that the fishery of the Illinois Eiver is more valuable than any other fresh water river fishery in the United States. It is exceeded only by the Great Lakes and the salmon industry of the Pacific Coast. The value of the catch to the fishermen amounts to 62 per cent of the fish product of the State and 10 per cent of the production of the United States. The principal statistics of the fishery for the year 1908, according to U. S. Census, were as follows : Total value of catch $860,000 Value excluding mussel products $721,000 Persons employed exclusive of shoremen 2,497 Capital employed $557,000 8. Game fish and game. The statistics of fisheries do not include the fish taken for private use, either by the professional fishermen or soprtsmen. The Illinois Eiver and its adjacent lakes have long been known as the rendezous for the sportsman in the taking of game fish and the shooting of water fowl. Competent local observers estimate that the money spent in the local river communities by sportsmen is fully equal to that derived from the commercial fishery. While the benefit to the State could hardly be measured by this expenditure, it indicates a certain value, greater or less in amount, that must be attributed to the preservation of the aquatic life of the stream. This use of the stream will doubtless increase as the value becomes better known through the improved water transportation facilities now shortly to be secured. 9. Fish prices. The statistics above qu_oted are based upon the average prices of about 3 cents per pound to the fishermen. About two- thirds of th,e catch at present is German carp, which sells for 2 to 21/2 cents per pound. Other varieties sell from 5 to 10 cents per pound. Carp and other fish return from 12 to 15 cents per pound to the fishermen of Europe or four or five times the American price. The time 14 REPOET ON ILLINOIS RIVER. will doubtless come when American prices will be more nearly equal to those of Europe. At foreign prices the 1908 catch of the Illinois Eiver would have amounted to from $3,000,000 to $3,500,000. 10. Rise and decline of fishery. We find that the annual catch upon the Illinois River has gradually increased from about 6,000,000 pounds in 1894 to 12,000,000 pounds in 1900 and 24,000,000 in 1908. ^o complete statistics are available since 1908, but it is well known that the catch has very rapidly decreased within the past five years. The statistics at Havana would seem to indicate that the yield at present is only about one-third of the banner yield of 1908. The great increase is probably largely accounted for by the rapid increase of the German carp, which first began to appear in the catch of the Illinois River at about the date of the earliest statistics above men- tioned. All fish life was undoubtedly stimulated by the increased stages of water that have prevailed since 1900. The decline since 1908 is probably due to a number of causes including the lesser flood stages prevailing in recent years and the large number of lakes excluded from the river through the construction of agricultural levees shutting off the breeding and feeding grounds of fish and the places where the larger i^art of the seining has been done. About 17,740 acres in lakes have been encolsecl by levees amounting to about 36 per cent of the original lake acreage. Most of these lakes have been enclosed since 1908. 11. Increased fish yields. We have examined such authentic sta- tistics of foreign fisheries as could be found, particularly the statistics of the German fisheries. It is our conclusion that at the present prices of fish and labor, a commercial fishery, that is, one in which the fish are bred, fed and sold as a distinct business, could not be profitable. It would seem, however, that there is prospect of a good profit by intelligent fish culture in the ponds and water courses remaining within the levee districts, providing that the industry is carried on as an adjunct to farming in much the same way that poultry is ordinarily raised upon the farm. This would utilize a water acreage that otherwise could produce no revenue and could serve no useful purpose except to store the flood waters in the course of passage to the drainage ditches. 12. Permanency of the fishery. If the fishery is to remain com- mercially important, means must be provided to take the place of the breeding grounds formerly furnished by the shallow waters of the lakes and sloughs which have been reclaimed. 13. Predominant interest. In the light of the figures before us we must conclude that agriculture is the predominant interest of the valley, that it now furnishes and will hereafter furnish a much greater addition to the wealth of the State than is produced or can probably be hereafter produced by the fisheries. In so far as possible, however, both interests should be promoted in harmony. 14. Reservoirs and fish culture. In Eurpoe, where the fiood problems and the fisheries have been studied for a longer time tban in America, the suggestion has been made to promote the fisheries and reduce the floods upon the diked rivers by admitting water to certain of the leveed districts in rotation during each spring season and allowing FIXDIXGS AND EECOMMEXDATIOXS. 15 the water to return to the stream during the low water season. All this with the object of reducing the spring freshets, artificially providing overflowed land for the breeding and rearing of young fish and the periodical enrichment of the land by the seidments of the flood waters. AVe have endeavored to demonstrate the practicability of such a scheme upon the Illinois Eiver. The practicability of this scheme is hereinafter discussed in connection with the remedy for floods. 15. Future floods axd presext levees, ^o great flood has occurred upon the river since the occupation of the valley by levees approaching the present scale of development. The nearest approach to a great flood was the freshet of 1913. Although this flood is estimated to have been slightly less in volume than the flood of 1901:, its elevation in the vicinity of the LaGrange Dam, near the head of the most extensive levee system, was 3 feet greater than the flood of 1904 and substantially the same as the extremely high water of 1844. The levee districts completed since 1913, including those now in process of construction, will still further restrict the flood water passage. 16. Great floods ix leveed valley. It is estimated that if the 1904 flood should be repeated under the same conditions of water level in the Mississippi, a number of levee districts would be overtopped. If this flood should be repeated under the high water conditions in the Mississippi that prevailed during the flood of 1844, a large number of the agricultural levee districts would be flooded. It has been previously concluded that a flood 35 per cent greater in rate than the flood of 1904 may reasonably be expected to occur. If such a flood should enter the Mississippi at the height of water prevail- ing in 1844, more than half of the levee districts would be flooded, and under the conditions of levee construction likely to prevail in the future nearly all the levee districts would be flooded, and the water would reach a height about 5 feet above the high water mark in 1844 in the vicinity of the LaGrange Dam, with lesser differences up-stream and doT\'n- stream. In reference to the flooding of levee districts it should be noted that the lowest levees will be flooded first and to a certain extent will serve as safety valves to protect the districts having higher levees. The flooding of a large number of districts near the apex of the flood will probably arrest the further rise of the water unless the flood is greatly prolonged. Therefore, to increase the elevation of the lower levees serves to decrease the safety of the high levees until all have been increased to such height that a gTeat flood may pass away between the levees. 17. Levees axd flood rates. There is no question but that the exclusion of the flood waters from the bottom lands through the construc- tion of levees has a tendency to increase the flood run-off rates of a stream. ^Ye have investigated this matter quite carefully as applied to the Illinois Eiver particularly in the measured flood of 1904, assuming it to pass through the present levee system. It is estimated, however, that the net effect of all the levee districts so far constructed would probably increase the maximum flow rate only about 5 per cent and when the bottoms are fully leveed about 10 per cent. This rather unex- pected result is accounted for bv the fact that in an excessive flood, 16 EEPORT ON ILLINOIS RIVER. such, as the flood of 1904, the valley is practically filled with water several days before the apex of the flood and the maximum flood rate occurs at a time when the gage height is nearly sationary for several days both before and after the apex. A smaller stream or a more flashy stream would doubtless make a better utilization of the storage in its valley. 18. Apex storage. A much greater effect can be produced in miti- gating the floods if certain large reservoirs could be held empty and the flood waters only admitted when the flood is approaching maximum rates and the water passing into the resevoirs could be regulated so that all surplus water above a pre-determined rate could be accommodated. We have investigated this proposition and find that in the lower river at Kampsville for instance, the flood heights are most largely gov- erned by the Mississippi Eiver. In this vicinity storage on the Illinois Eiver could accomplish nothing material. The present levee districts are not adapted to flooding, but if we should assume that all future levee districts, which would be substantially equal in storage volume to the districts at present constructed, should be so built and so operated that they could be flooded without great damage except the loss of crop when flooded, then we estimate that there would be about 850,000 acre-feet of storage above the LaGrange Dam, which if used to the best advantage, would reduce the flood flow rate about 25 ]3er cent at Beardstown, mak- ing a difference in the height of the water of about 3.4 feet. A similar estimate at Peoria indicates that through storage it would be theoretically possible to reduce a great flood about 2% feet. It is our conclusion that storage as above outlined would be effect- ive in reducing the flood heights in amounts varying from practically zero at the Kampsville Dam to about 3% feet at Beardstown and 2% feet at Peoria. 19. Increased eloodway. In general there are three ways to in- crease the available prism for the passage of flood waters. The width of the flood stream may be increased by setting the levees back a greater distance from the river bank. We find that this remedy is impracticable on account of cost except where new levees are to be built. We recommend, where levees are built upon both sides of the river at any place above the junction of the Sangamon, that the distance from center to center of levees, measured across the river, be not less than 1,200 feet and where reasonably possible 2,000 feet. Below the Sangamon the land is nearly all leveed. The flood water prism might also be increased by lowering the bed of the river, as might be accomplished in the construction of a deep waterway. In our opinion, dredging operations undertaken especially for this purpose would be too costly as compared to other remedies. So far as we can determine,, none of the projects for improved navigation would affect the flood water levels any sufficient amount to be of material benefit. 20. Higher levees. It is our opinion that the available cross sec- tion for flood waters can be most economically enlarged by increasing the height of the levees. It seems to us that the circumstances warrant the building of levees to a height about 3 feet above a great flood, assum- ing it to enter the Mississippi Eiver at about the height of the flood of 1844. The excess height of levees is recommended to provide for wave FINDINGS AND EEC0M:\IEXDATI0XS. 17 wash and in emergency as a small factory of safety to prevent disaster in case of a greater flood. It is believed that in the protection of these farm lands, the danger from loss of life is small and, therefore, that it is not wise to provide against a flood of extremely rare occurrence or to provide a factor of safety that would be justified in the protection of a city where great loss of life might result from the unexpected. To comjjly with the above recommendation, the higher levees at present would be increased from 2 to 3 feet. The lowest of the levees lie about 6 feet below what we regard as a desirable elevation. As nearly as we can estimate from rather incomplete data, the cost of bringing all the present levees up to the desirable plane would be about $2,532,000. The total expenditure, including this item and also the total cost of all future levee districts, is estimated at about $8,154,300. 21. Levee heights with storage. If all future levee districts should be so built that they might be utilized for storage of the apex flood waters, the necessary levee heights in the upper three-quarters of the river could be reduced from 2 to 3 feet, but this would still require that nearly all the levees should be increased in height at a total esti- mated cost of about $1,592,000. The total expenditure, including this item and also the total cost of all future levee districts, is estimated at $5,389,000. 22. Eevenues compaeed. We have carefully considered the relative merits of the above suggested means for relieving the flood situation and the promoting of fisheries, particularly as to the practicability of using storage reservoirs for these purposes. Giving the storage proposition the benefit of all the doubts includ- ing the practicability of manipulating the reservoirs during the flood and the benefit accrued to the fisheries, we estimated that the largest financial return to the community will be effected through the utilization of the bottom-lands for agriculture and increasing the height of levees such an amount as is necessary to protect the lands. 23. Means of accomplishment. It would seem proper that the additional levee protection should be affected by private enterprise. It is believed to be the duty of the State, h,owever, to advise the land owners as to conditions and through the Elvers and Lakes Commis- sion to regulate future constructions or alterations in present levees, so far as the powers of the commission extend. Advice to the land o^aiers is the proper function of the State, for no individual land owner is in a position to determine these facts for himself. It is not probable that all the districts can profitably increase their levees to the recommended height, for some of the small districts, par- ticularly those not equipped with farm improvements and public im- provements, would be injured in case of flood only to the extent of a lost crop and repairs to the levee system. Such districts might better suffer the loss from the occasional flood than to protect ao-ainst the indefinite future. The proper course in this matter will be determined by the value of the crops and improvements and the frequency of the floods. The decision of a particular district will not affect the community out- side the district except where there might be danger to life. — 2 R L 18 REPORT ON ILLINOIS RIVER. 24. Promotion of fisheries. The predominance of the agricul- tural interest does not require that the fisheries of the Illinois River should be abandoned. It is believed, notwithstanding the levee districts present and future, that a scientific utilization of the remaining public waters, including the river and twenty or more meandered lakes together with the best use of the remaining undiked bottoms and the spaces between the river banks and levee toes, will result in the maintenance of a vala- able fishery. We recommend that the State Laboratory of ^NTatural History be empowered to investigate and determine the best means for promoting the fishery interests in the public waters and the adjacent undiked lands. We should hope that a practicable program might be worked out that would permit of great help to the fisheries and at the same time provide game and fish preserves, usable by the public under proper restriction. We understand that the damage claims, filed against the Sanitary District up to December 31, 1912, for flowage damage to land below^ Utica, amounts to $4,539,980, and that additional claims not yet filed will raise this total to about eight million dollars. The last named figure is equivalent to about fifty-four dollars per acre of land outside of the levees, and below the flood plane of 1844. Although these claims are no doubt excessive, it would seem, as has been suggested, that if a working arrangement could be devised, the State might profitably combine with the Sanitary District in the pur- chase of some of these lands. In view of the large expenditures made by our cities for park pur- poses and the expenditures of the national government in the preser- vation of the national parks, it would seem that there is a field for profitable investments by the State, which wisely administered would accrue to the great benefit of the commercial fishery and to the people of the State. We have endeavored above to briefly outline our principal conclu- sions and findings. In the body of the report which follows will be found a full discussion of these matters and much of the original data upon which the discussion and conclusions are based. PART 11. DESCRIPTION OF ILLINOIS RIVER— ITS WATERSHED AND HYDRO-GEOLOGY. In many respects the Illinois River is one of the most remarkable streams in the United States. Its past importance as an avenue of water commerce, the possibilities of its future in this respect, its fresh water fisheries, its use as the main sewer, so to speak, of the second city in the country, and more recently, the agricultural development on its bottom lands through the construction of levee, all have led to perhaps more thorough studies, with various objects in view than has been received by any other of our rivers. The Illinois River is formed by the junction of the Des Plaines and Kankakee Rivers, 273 miles by river from its mouth at Grafton. It flows nearly west 62 miles to the Great Bend near Hennepin, and thence pursues its course nearly south, 211 miles, to its junction with the Mis- sissippi. Its watershed, estimated at 27,914: square miles, lies principally within the State. ,The u.pper waters of the Des Plaines and Fox Rivers drain 1,080 square miles in Wisconsin, and the headwaters of the Kankakee furnish the outlet for 3,207 square miles in Indiana. The principal tributaries are the Kankakaee, 5,146 square miles, the Des Plaines, 1,392 square miles, the- Fox, 2,700 square miles, and the Vermillion, 1,317 square miles, all joining the upper river above Henne- pin. Below the Great Bend the Illinois receives the Mackinaw, 1,217 square miles. Spoon River, 1,817 square miles, the Sangamou, 5,670 square miles, and Crooked Creek, 1,385 square miles. The remaining watersheds are small, none exceeding 1,000 square miles. About two- thirds of the tributary watershed lies to the southeast. In the lower 60 miles no important drainage reaches the stream from the west, the dividing line between the Illinois and the Mississippi which here flow in parallel courses, lies not more than ten miles westward. The greater part of the drainage area is a typical Mississippi valley prairie region. The slopes are flat to the north and east, but become more rolling in the low^er half of the watershed. The soil is a rich black loam 1 to 4 feet in thickness, very largely underlaid with boulder clay. The upper waters of the Fox River serve a poorly drained lake region, largely in Wisconsin, and more than half of the Kankakee water- shed comprises the marsh region of northern Indiana, at this time partially but not completely drained and reclaimed. The dividing ridge of the basin ranges in elevation from 700 to 1,000 feet above the sea, and the river itself ranges from 499 feet at its head to 412 feet at its mouth. THE RIVER BOTTOMS. From the head of the river, to LaSalle, a distauce of 50 miles, the fall of the stream is comparatively rapid, dropping about 53 feet. The ^ 19 20 KEPOET ON ILLINOIS RIVER. stream is flnaked on either side by bluffs or sharply rising ground nowhere more than two miles apart, and narrowing to about one-quarter of a mile near Seneca. The bottom lands are comparatively high, and in general rise toward the base of the bluffs. High water is of com- paratively short duration, and it does not prove advisable to dike the farm land. Below LaSalle the conditions are quite different. In 223 miles, the fall is only 33 feet, and for the first 80 miles only 6 feet. As in the upper river, the bottoms are flanked by bluffs or hills, but the flood plain is wider, ranging from 1% to 3 miles above Peoria, 3 to 5 miles near Havana, and 6 to 7 miles near Beardstown, at the mouth of the Sanga- mon Eiver. In the lower 60 miles, the bottom lands are generally 3 to 4 miles in width. From LaSalle to the Mississippi, the bottom land subject to flood aggregates about 400,000 acres or 620 square miles. The immediate banks of the stream are nearly everywhere higher than the bottoms further inland, gradually falling away to lakes, ponds, and marshes near the foot of the bluffs. Some exceptions to this rule are found at the deltas of the larger tributaries. In the upper river as far south as Beardstown, the river banks lie generally from 7 to 12 feet above low water, averaging about 10 feet. The lakes, many of them quite large, are connected with the river at low or medium stages of water and lie at approximately the same ele- vation as the river, rising and falling with it. The low water connection is always at the foot of the lake. At moderate stages of flood they are connected with the river at their upper ends also, the lakes receiving and carrying a portion of the flood flow in its passage down the valley, and also acting as storage reservoirs, tending to reduce the maximum flow rate of the flood. In the lower river below Beardstown, the immediate banks of the stream are higher, the filling of the bottom lands has progressed further, and the lakes are smaller, many of them lying 10 feet or more above low water in the main stream. They are thus only invaded by river stages considerably above normal. The course of the river is unusually direct, the filling of the flood plain having been insufficient to induce the tortuous courses of the Mis- sissippi and like streams. Throughout the greater part of its length, particularly in the lower 60 miles, the stream follows the base of the western hills, with occasional diversions toward the center of the valley where the stream has been pushed outward by the deposit at the mouth of an important tributary. Throughout its course the low water banks of the stream are thickly overgrown with trees and brush, and in the lower reaches of the river particularly, the bottoms are veritable jungles of trees, shrubs and climbing vines. In its natural state all ground within a few feet of the low water line in river and lakes was thus thickly overgrown, the only open places being the lakes and ponds and their low lying borders sub- merged for a large part of the year, and during the low water season covered with swamp grass and rushes. GEOLOGY. The geological history of the Illinois Eiver is instructive. It serves to show the reasons governing the peculiarities of the river bottom topo- ?:"^*-w*.> «.■ >,;~:S^,_/ ^L^ •2^ — r- • \ GENERAL DESCEIPTION". 21 graphy, indicates tendencies still operative but somewhat modified, and materially assists in final conclusions as to what future floods may be expected, through comparison w^ith other streams upon which longer flow records are available. It serves to indicate why some excessive flood rates are not applicable to the Illinois. The territory drained by the Illinois is almost entirely within the area of glaciation. From the headwaters to Peoria, the glacial debris belongs to the Wisconsin period. From Peoria to the southern line of Pike County, the drift is Illinoisan capped by loess, a fine-grained clay-like formation. From this place southward the drainage area is quite small, especially to the west of the river where the area is ungla- ciated, but the surface is largely covered by loess. To the east there is a moderate amount of drift also capped by loess. This visit of the glaciers has had a very marked effect upon the character of the present streams draining the region of their occupation, and the watershed of the Illinois Eiver is principally characteristic of the glacial epoch. The depth of the glacial debris overlying rock except in exceptional instances, varies from 20 feet to several hundred feet, the latter depth of covering predominating. It is well known that when materials are eroded by flowing water, the heavier particles are dropped first and the lighter materials are carried longer distances. Thus, in the valley of the Mississippi Eiver, the upper portion of its ancient channel is paved with coarse sand and gravel. Further southward in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, the deposits are finer, coarse gravel being scarce. Sand where found is usually coarse to the northward, and becomes finer to the southward. In the lower river, the later deposits are of finely divided clay, and at N'ew Orleans for nearly all the year, the water is charged with clay particles so fine that many weeks of settling are required to deposit them. The ^^ater has rid itself of sands and gravels except in the greatest floods. Similar facts are observable in the territory occupied by the glaciers. The rocks over which they moved were w^orn, scraped and broken, resulting in debris varying from the largest boulders to finely divided dust. The melting waters took up these materials, transported them under and through the ice, and upon emerging, first deposited the boulders, then the gravel, then the coarse sand, then the fine sand, and lastly the more finely divided clay. Likewise where the glaciers rested for long periods, in their recession the melting waters deposited all kinds of debris which were washed over by the melting of the ice further north, and the materials Avere sorted in the order above described, the coarser materials in the north and the finer materials in the south. This sorting of the glacial debris is the principal cause of marked differences in the flow characteristics of the streams in the northern United States. In the north in Wisconsin and Michigan, and parts of ISTew York and N'ew England, the sands and gTavels predominate. A large part of the rainfall is absorbed by the soil where it is stored and given up again to the streams wdth relative uniformity throughout the years. Streams are thus produced that yield annually 50 per cent of the rainfall, or 15 to 20 inches per year, and further, by reason of the ground storage, the flow is constant and of relatively large volume in the driest seasons. Ml^ 22 EEPOKT ON ILLINOIS RIVER. Further south in Illinois, Iowa and in northern Indiana, the sand and gravel is largely confined to narrow belts in the valleys of the water courses, and nearly all the streams drain regions where clay largely predominates, and although clay will absorb a large amount of water, it does so only slowly and gives it up with such reluctance that even the larger streams cease to flow in the dry seasons. The surface, although for the most part well drained, is relatively flat. The water remains for a long time upon the surface ; the absorption is high and as it cannot be drained to the streams, is largely absorbed by luxuriant vegetation. The flood rate is mitigated by the storage in the wide, flat bottom lands, over which although the water is in transit and ultimately drains away, it moves but slowly. All this results in streams that naturally deliver not more than 25 to 30 per cent of the rainfall, or 7 to 15 inches per year. The Illinois and its tributaries are of this character. The flat prairie lands are thoroughly saturated in the spring and give up the water stored only to the roots of vegetation. The immediate run-off in great storms is high, but is slow in its passage through the principal arteries of drainage. Thus, we have streams of small annual run-ofis,. extremely small summer flows, and flood flows intermediate between those of the sand and gravel watersheds of Wisconsin and Michigan, and the unglaciated or slightly glaciated regions of Kentucky, southern Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and generally in the southeastern states. These characteristics of regional streams should be kept in mind in examining the data hereinafter presented upon the flood flows of the eastern United States as bearing upon the probabilities in the Illinois Eiver. They serve to explain the improbability upon the one hand of the extremely high run-oif rates of the Ohio and Pennsylvania streams,, and upon the other hand, the extremely small flood run-offs from some of the watersheds in northern Michigan and Wisconsin. Upon the Illinois Eiver proper, and indeed upon some of its tributaries, storage is a predominating influence and serves to reduce the flood flow rates very near to that of the rivers draining the coarse glacial drifts. For an explanation of the topography of the present river valley,, we are also indebted to the research of the geologists. The sharp dis- tinctions between the physical features above and below the Great Bend near Hennepin are explained by the very diffrent geological history of these two reaches of the stream. The lower Illinois from the Bend southward occupies its pre-glacial channel which formed a drainage outlet for a very much larger area than now drains through this portion of the river. There is circumstantial evidence that the Eock Eiver, now a tributary of the Mississippi at one time entered the Illinois near the Great Bend, and was subsequently diverted by glacial action. This- enlarged drainage area and that great volumes of water that poured from the glaciers serve to account for the wide and deep river valley that was excavated. In places, the prehistoric stream reached a width not less- than 15 miles. The present valley from the Great Bend east is of more recent origin and owes its existence to its temporary occupancy by the drainage' from the glacial Lake Chicago. As stated by Leverett : "This portion of the Illinois Valley, although of post-Wisconsin age, has a channel more than a mile in average width and nearly 100 feet in average GE2sERAL DE.SCEIPTION". 23 depth. Yet at present it is the line of discharge for an area of only 12,000 square miles. The influence of the v/aters discharged from the Lake Chicago and also from the lobes north and east of che Kankakee is plainly shown in the great size of this valley." Ill the escape of these waters it was necessary to cut through a glacial moraine near Marseilles, which for a considerable time, no doubt, impounded a large lake in that part of the river adjacent to Morris. Below the Marseilles moraine, the channel was cut to a depth of 50 to 75 feet, and is still cutting, the river running upon a rock bottom. The great quantities of debris brought down by the glacial floods were deposited in the wide and deep valley of the lower Illinois; also no doubt the scour from the cutting in the upj^er Illinois. The recession of the glaciers and the resulting diminished floods, particularly, the new outlet formed for the Great Lakes waters at Niagara, a compara- tively recent geological event, so greatly diminished the water supply that the filling of the lower Illinois valley was not so far advanced as other streams of the Middle West, and it remains today only partially filled, with the thread of the stream running substantially straight in its pre-glacial channel, flanked by numerous lakes and lagoons which doubtless would have been largely obliterated but for the important changes in water supply heretofore mentioned. The building up of the bottoms has continued in recent times and is going on today, but the rate of filling is much diminished by the decreased water supply, and consists of the finer silt only, which when the flood invades the bottom lands, is quickly dropped in the relatively still waters and thus accounts for the height of the banks immediately adjoining the stream and the general slope of the land away from the river bank toward the inland lakes. The filling of the lakes is now very slow as much of the water borne material is dropped immediately outside the thread of the channel. In the upper river, although deposits of considerable magnitude took place in the Morris Basin, the more recent period has been one of cutting only. The deposits brought down by the tributaries were largely cut away in the drainage of the Morris Basin, and on account of the more rapid fall in this part of the river, the cutting continues to a relatively small extent. In the lower river the cutting is absent and the bottoms are building, although slowly by reason of the diminished water supply. PART III. FLOW AND GAGE HEIGHTS— DAMS— SUBMERGED LANDS. As would be expected from the topography and geology of the drainage basin, the Illinois Eiver is a stream of extremely small natural flow in dronth, and on account of its wide bottom lands and the great opportunity for flood water storage, the maximum flood discharge is relatively small, and the duration of flood conditions is relatively long. PEEVAILING GAGE HEIGHTS. Gage records of water stage are recorded at numerous places throughout the length of the river, particularly the records of head- water and tailwater at the two U. S. dams at Kampsville and LaGrange, the two State dams at Copperas Creek and Henry, the observations of the Weather Bureau at Beardstown and Peoria, and several other gages maintained by municipalities and the railroads which cross the stream. Table No. 1 shows the locations of all gages so far as known, with a statement of the length of time covered by each record. The data is very complete for the past twenty years. A number of the gage records are fairly complete back to 1880. The Peoria gage record is continuous, excepting a few years, back to 1869. TABLE NO. 1— LIST OF GAGES ON ILLINOIS AND DESPLAINES RIVERS. Compiled from report of United States Engineers on 14-fcot waterway. o O General location. > o '^ . .o ■» M 03 M Reads I'H •Sag up or §1 down. H >H By whom established. Custodian of records. 0.0 0.0 7.0 2L0 3L5 3L5 3L5 31.5 43.1 6L7 Grafton Dock Grafton Dock Deer Plain Hardin Columbiana Kampsville Kampsville Lock— lower Kampsville Lock— upper Pearl— C. & A. Bridge. . . Valley City— Wabash Br 219. 60 410. 96 413. 37 414. 61 416. 47 416. 82 409. 10 409. 13 419. 70 421. 75 Up.. ..do. ..do.. Both. Both. Up... ..do.. ..do... ..do..., .do.. 24 '79-'92 U. S. Eng'rs.. '94-'14 ..do '78-'80 ..do '78-'80 ..do '78-'80 U. S. Eng'ers. '81-'93 ..do '94-'14 ..do '93-'14 '78-'14 '78-'80 '83-'14 ..do ..do ..do U. S. Weather Bu- reau, St. Louis — U. S. Engineers, Peoria. United States Engi- neers, Peoria. United States Engi- neers, Peoria. U. S. Eng'rs and C. &A. R. R.inl904 — U. S. E., C. & A. R. R. and San- itary Dist., 1914. Wabash R. R., De- catur— U. S. En. gineer, Peoria. FLOW AND GAGE HEIGHTS DAMS — SUBMERGED LANDS. TABLE NO. 1— Continued. General location. 0) > o > Reads .2 afi up or III down. H By whom established. Custodian of records. 7 71. 3 Meredosia— Wabash Br . 22 23 24 25 26 27 77.6 77.6 77. 97. 103. 108.5 111.5 120.0 128.0 137.0 137.0 137.0 146.5 153.5 162.0 163.0 163.0 164.5 166.0 172.3 180.0 181.3 182.0 187.3 189.0 189.0 191.0 194 195, 196.0 196 196.5 198.5 201.0 202.0 207. 210.5 210.5 212.0 LaGrange Lock site LaGrange Lock— lower. LaGrange Lock— upper Beardstown— C. B. & Q. Br. Browning , Sharps's Landing Holme's Landing Bath Havana Highway Bridge. Liverpool Copperas Creek Copperas Lock — lower — Copperas Lock— upper. . . Kingston Mines— landing, Pekin Highway Bridge. . . Peoria & Pekin Union R. R. Br. Peoria Lower Free Bridge Peoria Lower Free Bridge. Peoria— U. S. Boatyard. . . Peoria— upper bridge. Mossville (J mile above) . Chillicothe, San. Dist. . . Chillicothe (IJ mile abovi Santa Fe R. R. Bridge. . Sparland (If miles below) . Lacon Highway Bridge. . . Lacon Highway Bridge. . . Lacon (2 miles above) Henry (2 miles below) Henry Br. (^ mile below). Henry (city) Henry Lock— lower Henry Lock — upper. Henry (2 J miles above). In Lake Senachwine. . . In Lake Senachwine. . . Hennepin Bureau— Lock No. 1 Bureau Junction Depue (1^ miles below). 424. 22 Up 425. 23 418. 23 418. 23 427. 25 436. 82 429. 49 439. 37 430. 22 431. 67 438. 60 432. 73 427. 75 432. 73 434. 44 438. 57 435. 53 435. 82 588. 36 435. 82 413. 10 588. 40 588. 52 436. 41 588. 13 442.04 588. 18 588. 20 588. 13 587. 89 587. 89 436. 64 443.79 587. 82 587. 73 587. 87 587. 56 446.43 587. 60 587. 56 Both. Up. .do. .do. ..do. ..do. ..do. ..do. ..do. ..do. ..do. ..do. ..do. ..do. ..do. ..do... ..do... Down. Up.... ..do... Down. Down. Up.... Down. Up.... Down. ..do... ..do... Down. ..do... Both.. Up. Down. ..do... ..do... ..do... Up.... Down. ..do... 78-'81 84-' 14 82-'89 90-'14 90-' 14 78-'84 85-' 14 1903 '78-'80 1903 '78-' 79 '78-'81 '95-'04 '07-'14 1903 '73-' 76 '77-' 14 '77-'14 '03-'04 '92,'98-'04 '12-'14 '03-'04 '67-'14 '10-'14 '94-'14 '03-'04 '03-'04 U. S. Eng'ers.. ..do ..do ..do ..do -do -do -do -do ..do.. ..do Ill.CanalCom. ..do ..do U. S.Eng'rs... City of Pekin.. U. S. Geo. Sur. U. S. Eng'rs.... Sanitary Dist . . U. S. Eng'rs.... Peoria W.W... Sanitary Dist... ..do ..do U. S. Eng'rs. Sanitary Dist. U. S. Eng'rs... Sanitary Dist., ..do .do , Sanitary Dist . . .do '14 Ill.CanalCom. '71-'14 ..do Sanitary Dist. ..do ..do ..do U. S.Eng'rs... Sanitary Dist. ..do Wabash R. R., De- catur— U. S. En- gineers, Peoria. United States Engi- neers, Peoria. United States Eiigi- neers, Peoria. U. S. W. B., 1904- U. S.W. B.,U. S. Eng'rs and San. Dist. in 1914. San. Dist., Chicago. San. Dist., Chicago. U. S. Eng'rs, in 1904 — U. S. Eng'rs and San. Dist. in 1914. San Dist., Chicago. United States Engi- neers, Peoria. United States Engi- neers, Peoria. U. S. Eng'rs, Peoria 1904— San. Dist., Chicago, 1914. U.S. Eng'rs, in 1904 — U. S. Eng'rs and San. Dist. in 1914. U. S. Geo. Survey. U. S. W. B., St. L. and Peoria. United States Engi- neers, Peoria. Peoria Water Wks., Peoria. San. Dist., Chicago. U. S. Eng'rs in 1904 — San. Dist. in 1914. United States Engi- neers, Peoria. San. Dist., Chicago. Illinois Canal Com., Lockport— U. S. Eng'rs, Peoria. Illinois Canal Com., Lockport— U. S. Eng'rs, Peoria. San. Dist., Chicago. United States Engi- neers, Peoria. 26 REPORT ON ILLINOIS RIVER. TABLE NO. 1— Continued. ^S General location. > o rQ C3 CO Reads p'H .2ftS up or 8§ down. p=l tH By whom established. Custodian of records. 42 214.0 218.3 218.3 220.8 222.5 222.5 222.5 223.0 224. 224. 226. 230. 230. 234. 235. 236. 237. 239. 236. 239. 239. 239. 239. 240. 243. 244. 247. 249. 247. 250. 252. 252. 250. 254. 256. 260. 262. 263. Marquette (1 mile below) Spring Valley Spring Valley Peru (IJ miles below) Peru Wagon Bridge Peru Wagon Bridge Peru Wagon Bridge LaSalle Lock 15 LaSalle Highway Bridge LaSalle acqueduct LaSalle (2 miles above) Utica Highway Bridge Utica Highway Bridge Ottawa (below Buf . Rock) Buffalo Rock Ottawa (3^ miles below) Ottawa (2 miles below) Ottawa— C.,B. & Q. Bridge.... LaSalle County Poor Farm Ottawa— C, B. & Q. Bridge. . . . Ottawa— C, B. & Q. Bridge. . . . Ottawa — between bridges Ottawa Wagon Bridge Ottawa— above Fox River Ottawa— Fleming Farm Marseilles — Douglas Farm Marseilles (1| miles above dam) . Marseilles— above Kickapoo Cr . Marseilles (city) Marseilles (2 miles above) Seneca Bridge Seneca Bridge (200. above) Seneca (2 miles below) Seneca (1 J miles above) Seneca (4 miles above) Morris (2 J miles below) Morris (J mile below) , Morris Bridge Morris Bridge 50 52 265. 5 Morris (2^ miles above) 266. 8 Morris (3 J miles above) 270.8 Divine— E. J. & E. Bridge 270. 8 Divine— E. J. & E. Bridge 270.8 Divine^-E. J. & E. Bridge 273. 3 Kankakee R. (\ mi. above) 273. 1 Kankakee R. (800. above) 274. Kankakee feeder 275. Kankakee cut-off 276. Kankakee cut-off (1 mi. above), 277. Dupage R. (f mile below) 277. 3 Dupage R. (mouth) 277. 5 Smith's Bridge 278, Smith's Bridge (i mi. above).. . 278. Smith's Bridge (J mile above). 278. 4 Jackson Cr. (2,000. above) 279. 8 Millsdale Highway Bridge 279. 8 Millsdale Highway Bridge 279. 5 Foot of Treat's Island 280. Head of Treat's Island 280. 3 Head of Treat's Island 284. Millsdale (2 miles above) 285. Patterson's Station 285. 5 Brandon (below bridge) 285. 8 Brandon Bridge 287. So. Joliet— Davidson Stone Q.. 587. 48 587. 39 587. 31 587. 30 442. 98 443. 45 587. 02 435. 36 587. 08 587. 14 587. 12 444.06 587. 14 587. 14 451. 00 587. 02 587. 06 587. 12 453. 90 587. 05 594. 35 453. 92 454. 74 457. 72 462. 48 464. 78 484. 31 487. 22 587. 00 587. 26 484. 50 587. 28 587. 34 587. 24 587. 24 587. 08 587. 10 587. 22 485. 95 587. 25 587. 04 488. 48 587. 20 587. 25 494. 41 587. 36 587. 45 587. 16 587. 07 587. 25 586. 95 587. 17 499. 06 587. 13 587. 10 587. 06 587. 06 500. 41 509. 55 588. 28 587. 09 586. 72 584. 55 587. 06 587. 04 Down. .do... .do... .do... Up.... do... Down. Up.... Down. do... do... Up.... Down. do... Up.... Down. ..do... ..do... Both. . Down. do... Both.. ..do... ..do... ..do... ..do... ..do... ..do... Down. ..do... Both.. Down. ..do... ..do... ..do... ..do... ..do... ..do... Both.. Down. ..do... Up.... Down. ..do... Both.. Down. ..do... ..do... ..do... ..do... ..do... Down. Both.. Down. ..do... ..do... ..do... Both.. ..do... Down. ..do... ..do... ..do... ..do... ..do... '67-'77 '93-'14 1900 'i883 1900 '03-'04 "'i883 1900 1889 1900 1883 '83-'89 '98-'00 1900 Sanitary Dist. do ..do do U. S. Eng'rs.. .do Sanitary Dist . U. S. Eng'rs... Sanitary Dist do do U. S. Eng'rs.. Sanitary Dist ..do U, S. Eng'rs. Sanitary Dist .do ..do U. S. Eng'rs. Sanitary Dist ..do U. S. Eng'rs. ..do do ..do do 1900 1903 87, '93-'00 '03-'04 1900 '03-'04 1904 1903 1904 'doV'b3-'64 '02-'04 1883 1883 .do -do Sanitary Dist Sanitary Dist U. S. Eng'rs. U. S. Eng'rs. Sanitary Dist ..do.. ..do.. ..do.. ..do.. ..do.. U. S. Eng'rs. Sanitary Dist ..do U. S. Eng'rs. Sanitary Dist ..do U. S. Eng'rs. Sanitary Dist ..do ..do ..do ..do ..do Sanitary Dist U. S. Eng'rs. Sanitary Dist ..do ..do ..do U. S. Eng'rs. ..do Sanitaty Dist ..do ..do ..do ..do ..do San. Dist., Chicago 111. Canal Com. in 1904— U.S. W.B., San. Dist. and U. S. Eng'rs, 1914. San. Dist., Chicago. San. Dist., Chicago. San. Dist., Chicago. San. Dist., Chicago. !■■ It- San. Dist., Chicago. San. Dist., Chicago United States Engi- neers, Peoria. San. Dist., Chicago. San. Dist., Chicago. San. Dist., Chicago. United States Eng- neers, Peoria. San. Dist., Chicago. San. Dist., Chicago. IT I 12 T^Tuf li ^'■r^ im ou % '■ \ . i V 091 FIGURE 2 26 REPORT ON ILLINOIS RIVE TABLE NO. 1— Continued. 47 52 SO 214.0 218.3 218.3 220.8 222.5 222.5 222.5 223.0 1^ I I 265. 5 y. 266.8 270.8 270.8 270.8 273.3 273.1 274.0 275.0 276.0 277.0 277.3 277.5 278.0 278.0 278.4 279.8 279.8 279.5 280.0 280.3 284.0 285. 285. 5 285. 8 287.0 -"i i9viH eionilli '^o eli'^o-ia it.loiCj prji^-) „,Hi>t alloSoJ 9«adD tTO»^ -»»»Ho -lOl ••r.ij 0»\ OtS ors J»J J ]V iv I E IV F I B randon Bridge mi. 061 . .do. So. .lolict— Davidson Stone Q... 587. 04 . .do. ~ ■~ ■" ~ I 1 l^ \ V \ \ y, iv^ > V Ev /s. rv *r yR V ^ ^ -I Vc ^ V EA » N s^ s N, s «>^ s. s ■^ -„ , 1... 1 „. W 100 AvcRAac Nun 1 \ \ \ r b^ 4- I ^ N . 'S?V ifi V YE "•i^ - ^T^ *^v^ ■ " ' ■ 1 1 so too AVERAOe NUME DlAORAM ShOWINQ F>REVAl£NCEOr VARIO-JS RlVER STASES ON Illinois River at Various Places 1 ■ '■" -z 5io "■ ^ h" ■- ■ AvERAae; Number o;- !>.y e-TAOE vmBjual F-ERYe^RlN WHIC« avEN ^ >|„ --N, 1 J: ' " '-^ir^; 5::::::::pi|::::, Pi ^h . r iPffsPffl II::::::::::::::: Alvoro&Buroick 1 j BCAPDSTOWN " £ :::±::^?2?4^q:: fyfL4 iMlnmM 4'"'i.'"'Jo'' " 1 1 m 1 M h^hH+^^^a AVERME NUM8EB or DAY5 PER YEAH IN W»K» SivEN 6T-A9ETO3gquAU:D OR EXCEEDED L _L J_J ^^ r== = = = T=± = i r _L qi Peoria ■J f 5t 5 U ±""±-4: __„_L ^[«„^,.^<*o ■ ^ \ff -r\r 1 ::±::± ^ 1 ffFtt^^fflffij^feam^mtwtm ■ 1 Ht--$#= f;iE*=|SE;;m i iMm Ufcfa -5 ■3 ©TAQCWfl Cgwalcd < I'lOT-*:^.'^-^ FLOW AND GAGE HEIGHTS DAMS SUBMEEGED LANDS. 27 TABLE NO. 1— Concluded. 0} ?^ ■^ . ^ ^ «3 ll S2 General location. c3 Ki lis Reads up or down. 11 By whom established. Custodian of records. :30 ^S-o §^ ^ S w t^ 59 287. 3 So. Joliet— above McDonough St 287.5 So. Joliet— McDonough St. Br.. 287.6 So. Joliet— C. R. I. ->,^^..^-:-^.,::L-tML.,^^:.^:.-r^- >,r. . ■ ■'^..^..■. ■ N4ap Cp ^^¥ER ^■■' Flood Pl. il\ Explanation Map Of Illinois River ^i^ Flood Plain Below La3w.le To Accompany The Report Op AlvORD a BUROICK ENeiNcens // 9^An \trcm FLOW AND GAGE HEIGHTS — DAMS SUBMERGED LAXDS. U Fig. 7 shows the head at each dam on the first day of each month for the years 1910 and 1913, inclnsive, and would serve to give a gen- eral idea of the heights prevailing in late years and throughout the DiAORAM SHOWINe Prevaiuns Heads at NAVI6ATI0N Dams ON THE First Day of Each Mokth 19IO T0jf9l3 Tt> Accomparv +h« Reporf c^ Alvoro Jc Burdjck igiL ^ .__ 1 Copperas T Creek X _ -'ll^^iz^-^ll^^^l l^^^ll^^^^l ?^-s*Bi-.E?^^^-^- " »I0 \' «±i^ ^JT 1905 1910 19(5 ^23Lr . 6 ^^ \ _, i_ i^ j^i^- 7^ -s 5 "^"V^^ i_ -¥3 /T/ V ^ '^\ 1-4 JT JP'v jl JW ^ y Jvj ^ \ 1 \/ \y ' us ^ / \/ 1/ i li_ r>' ' V 1 ' 2 ii_i_ [ _j [^ ' 1 . _ 1 :^i^ut ~ LaGi^ange: /^^qtt 1 1 i^f i H 1 1 0-L Al it 1 A rl i>47i 1894 1900 1905 »\ 1910 / ^ 1915 ^^ I '33^ s A ^1 ' N t- -t iXi\ 1- ^^l^^^ Olacjrann SViowmg tne ^ At A -4 Mr AH AT Dams 1- ^^ ^r ^ 1 11 — r\u r\.\ \jr\\\\\j iu 3 \ , r AND THE r i.o ./ Rise or Tail Water ,^2 ±l1I CuPrtLRte C«jiK p '^ ,,^11- , IJ w J p inn4 "- ' 3u 1 r ! CjoryipaK^To Low Wuiieif' ot loJ^ \ ^ I- Z^ ^ ^» 1 Al ^he ^ime of lowest ^ JP aZ \ /SL-i i-«i^ } 1 wdfer in eoicVi vear o-:^S^!t X «HLa«. 1900 1905 Y> I9K) 19)5 ^^^ * ^^^ ^07.3* «a;.^«* To Accompany the Reportof \\ Ajvnnn h RuRDiCK T J--4- Fwiikv^pv^ nViionirio ^L A 5 ^H S^ ^ L / t / ». 1 4_^^t J^ _ ^rir -^ Note: . ^'^liL / 1 I —0— IncHcafes Heaol,i.e. difference be hs 4fKJ j -Vween wo^er surface etevoritons ^ 4 ^X UcTKiDx/ aVxiN/e and below damns UJ2 i-M\ r Lh KY Indicrtfe3 Rige in Toiil Wa+er level L. XI -^ 1 xXL" S^ «^ \ /^* 1 ... 4-i-. Inwal iirt Ifl^/J j^ nv+k-OWiQ ^^l3 o_23llt t y 1900 »« 'SW I9»5 _ FIGURE Fig. 8 shows the heads created at the several dams at low water in each year since 1894, and the elevation of the water surface at such times immediately below the dams. FLOW AND GAGE HEIGHTS — DAMS — SUBMERGED LANDS. 43 The effect upon water levels produced by these dams will grow pro- gressively less should the flow of the Drainage Canal be further increased in the future. EEMOVAL OF DAMS. Prior to the construction of the dams, consideration had been given to the project of improving the navigation of the river by the addition of water from Lake Michigan under open channel conditions. This scheme had been a competitor of the slack water navigation project as adopted and carried out. Since the construction of the dams, numerous projects have been studied looking tow^ard the connection of the Mississippi Eiver and Lake Michigan by an improved waterway. Several engineering boards have given careful study to the matter for projects of various depths of draft under various assumptions, as tO' the amount of water that would be available from Lake Michigan. The projects most favored for a deep waterway, 14 feet or more, have contemplated the removal of all four of the existing dams in the lower river. ( See appendix for recommendation of the Elvers and Lakes Commission regarding removal of dams.) SUEVEY OF 1902-1904. Under date of December 18, 1905, the Secretary of War transmitted to Congress the result of a study by a special board of engineers, relating to a navigable waterway 14 feet deep from the terminus of the Chicago Drainage Canal to the mouth of the Illinois Eiver, and thence by way of the Mississippi Eiver to St. Louis. This report was based upon an investigation, survey and study covering a period from September 18, 1902, to December 12, 1905. The investigation included a topographical survey of the river valley presented upon maps to a scale of 1 inch to 600 feet; contours of ground surface are shown at 1 foot intervals, and sufficient soundings of the rivers and principal lakes are shown in figures to form a fairly accurate conception of the under-water topo- graphy. Without these maps much of the study in the present report would have been impossible. The investigation further includes the tabulation of all available past gage height records. It is fortunate that the flood of 1904 occurred during this investi- gation. Although not greatest in height, this flood perhaps produced as high a flow rate as any previous flood on record. ^N'umerous measure- inents were made at various places throughout the length of the river, and furnish an invaluable basis for estimates of the water conditions likely to result from the great changes in the flood cross-section occa- sioned by the more recent construction of levee districts, and the further construction thereof in the future. The original survey maps above referred to are presented upon large sheets, fifty-seven in number. For convenience in reference, litho- graph maps were prepared upon a smaller scale 1% inches to one mile, presented on thirteen sheets. The contour interval is 5 feet upon these maps. 44 REPOET ON ILLINOIS EIVER. EATII^G CUEVES. For many purposes in this report it is of nse to know, at least approximately, the rate of flow that has prevailed in the river in times past at various places and under various gage heights. Accurate flow measuremnta of a large river are difficult to make and are expensive. It has been observed, however, that at most locations upon our streams, the gage height bears a more or less fixed relation to the rate of flow. This relation has been very extensively utilized in flow estimates of the rivers of this country, and has the great advantage, where conditions of flow prism remain practically constant over a considerable reach of the river, that information as to the relation of gage height and flow when once secured, can be applied to the gage records of the stream, and thus the flows can be estimated over a long period of time. At any observation station the relation of gage height to flow is approximate only, for the rate of flow will change with a change in the water surface slope, and this slope may very considerably, especially in flood, by reason of the inequalities in water supply from the various tributaries of the main stream. Furthermore, the results from any gaging station will be accurate in proportion to the lack of influence from downstream interferences arising from the causes other than the rate of flow on the stream measured. For instance, the gage at Grafton at the mouth of the Illinois Eiver, might possibly be a good index of flow for the Mississippi at that place, but is influenced to only a minor extent by the water from the Illinois Eiver. Likewise, the gages in the lower Illinois Eiver are very largely influenced by the gage height and flow on the Mississippi, but the effect of the Mississippi decreases, and the effect of the flow on the Illinois increases as the Illinois Eiver is ascended. It is probable that not until Peoria is reached the height of the Mississippi has a negligible effect upon the flow inference from gage height. It is customary to utilize the relation between gage height and flow at any particular place, by platting a diagram of gage height and flow platting thereon each individual observation, and drawing a curve of average relation most nearly in accordance with the facts as disclosed. For accurate results it is important to have a large number of observa- tions well distributed along the curve. They will not always be concordant for the reasons above stated, but where a sufficient number of observations have been made, the curve drawn should represent with fair accuracy the average relation between gage height and flow. It is, therefore, a good index of aggregate flow, especially over a long period of unchanged river conditions, but is much less accurate when applied to individual flows. It furnishes the best means available of approxi- mating the flows at various times and places upon the Illinois Eiver. We have examined all the data of flow measurements of the river that we could find. We have summarized this information in the form of rating curves at several salient points as shown upon Fig. 9, namely, at LaSalle, Peoria, Havana, Beardstown and Pearl. At none of these places, except it be Peoria or Havana, are the flow measurements suffi- ciently extensive to draw deductions except within certain limitations. The information at these places, however, is useful so far as it goes, and 1 Kl #^^- -3 © AT-^ OF" RivEiR IN Feet -1 W,fi :t 01 ^ \-v ■J ± % ° - -vAvw\"'" -- \ \ V'" -- I ::::- ■ ?T -|:|::i:-|: Pi = = -| ff" = ^^ -\ :.:::: i; y:^ j --^:: : : : -l ::: o ± - - ■ : -1 mk s - I^H-; ::-:g;; isjl; 8 ^ iaia ;»■ ;|^:$|±:l; ■ |t==^- 5 S :|r|-; I-t:^ - -f - 1 - ij o ;::i: M r ii QjijD i g^ >o ^ 0/ CO u :?d oc o o i rr X ill FiaURU 10 FLOW AND GAGE HEIGHTS DAMS SUBMERGED LANDS. 45 is therefore deemed worthy of presentation. In the use of these data, the limitations of the downstream gages, particularly in reference to inter- ference from downstream, should be kept in mind. EATING CITEVE AT PEOEIA. The mouth of Lake Peoria furnishes, perhaps, as good a gaging station as can be found upon the river, the water as it were, falling over the lip of a weir at Peoria Lake, with a more rapid descent towards Pekin and below. Near this place a large number of flow measurements have been made, including measurements by the U. S. Engineers in 1904, in connection with the waterway report; by the U. S. Geological Survey in 1903, 1904, 1905, and 1906, and also by Jacob A. Harman, C. E., in 1899 and 1900. Fig. 9 shows the measurements by these separate agencies, each by appropriate symbols. The measurements of Mr. Harman are particularly valuable in that they cover stages of water 3 feet lower than any of the more recent measurements. Fig. 9 shows two curves at Peoria. The long straight line represents the conclusions of Mr. Harman. His measurements were made at the lower wagon bridge. The measurements of the U. S. Geo- logical Survey and those of the TJ. S. Engineers were made at the P. & P. U. Ey. Bridge, about one and one-half miles further downstream. As simultaneous gage readings are available at the two bridges, it is possible to transfer the measurements at the P. & P. U. Bridge to read as per heights at the wagon bridge, and as a long gage record is here available, we have thus transferred the P. & P. U. Bridge measurements in the rating curve presented. The full curved line represents the con- clusion of the IJ. S. Geological Survey and its dotted extension is our conclusion as to the flow at the higher gage readings. The flow hydrograph at Peoria shown at the bottom of Fig. 4 is based upon the Harman curve up to gage 7%, and for higher stages refers to the U. S. Geological Survey curve, as extended. SUBMEEGED LANDS. For numerous purposes in this report it is desirable to know approx- imately the amount of land submerged under various stages of the river. It is of significance in the consideration of several matters including the reduced river valley storage occasioned by the leveeing of farm lands and the consequent tendency to increase flood Tlow rates. It is useful in determining the extent to which reclamation will continue at various localities in the river valley, and it has a bearing upon the fisehries, for the flood waters and the flooded lands are important breeding and feeding grounds for fish. In order that reliable figures relative to this matter might be secured, the large scale topographical maps of the 1904 Engineer Board were planimetered at the low water plane of 1901 and at other salient water planes in general 5 feet apart, up to or slightly above the high water plane of 1844, the highest flood on record. 46 EEPOET ON ILLINOIS RIVER. Elevation Above Memphis CKruM-Cort center of reach) DO > 1^ 5 8 S ^ § 1 1 : ;^ [::;; ::::: :: i -. [;;;; ;; i I!!: ■■ ■ I ': \ ;;;; ;: ;;+_ ; : i^ \ J. - |:;; : - — _ ^ — -t i IMBiiiMlii ^ — — — ';;:;;; j| : m^: 1 1 1 1 III :;::: :| ;;;:;; ;;;; : \ w w.w V: ':: WV: WW : wi i;!;:!: ;;;;; ;: :::::;: ;: -. ww ii:: lliliillilliillilllliliililllillilii^ — — — ^l^^^^^^^^^^^^^l^^l^^^^^li^^^ M 1 ^ :::: ::::: : ::::::::::!::: :::: :: ::::::: :: : : :: ;;;; 'i i E ^ ^i 1 i 11 ^:::: : € 1 ':: ; ;;; ;: :; :;::::;; :;:;; ; ; ::: w w \ 11 i i V -^w\ WW wh w : ;^; ; :: : :; : ; liilllil^ "^ ; ; :;: :; :;;; ; ;;;;;;:;;;;;; ; ^; ;;;;;:;;;;;:| : 3 5? 3-an Is 2 -^^ f I ^i^5 r-fT3 i' ■^'^ 'il '3 'g 'si 'a t % 's '3 '§ "s'f "^ t '^ t '^ "^ 'i ii l>l l>l K3> ICP IjO I.S 'o *- '= "R "Q 'E IS 'Oi Is 1^ 1=3 'o te 's FIGURE 11. ■V) Correspondinoi 5\acie on S Soiqe ort Beotrd^town FLOW AND GAGE HEIGHTS — DAMS SUBMERGED LAXDS. 47 Elevation Above Memphis Datum— (at center of reach) § § I s DD > \ :::: ;;;;; ; ;:; ;;::; :; ;:;; ^^^^'--^^^^^^ :: : :::: :■. :;;; ;;;;: : :::;;: :: ::; ;:;::;;:::::;: ;;;: .-.■.-.iitu — — — :: ::: ; ; :;; :: ;: : :::: :[•::::::::: ::::::: :: :: IBB :: : :: :: :: : ::::::: :: ::: ::: ; E \^ i:: 1 1 :: j ;; :- ;;; 1 ilJ Miii^i B ^\ 1 II 1 [|j 1 II 1 II II J t 1 ;;: | ;;: ;;;!;;; ■i : i ;;: : ;;; ;; ;: ^ ■■■-\ :: :: I ■■■■ W- :: 1 1 1 1 1 III ij] 1^^ h X r •: : : :: :;; ::!; ■:::: :. ^ ■^ g t : ::;;( ; t :i :;; :::; ■ ■ ■ ■ ■'■■■■• ■ ^ 11 1 i^ 1 li , , 1 li ^^Mfi ^ : ^ Mil 1 1 h ^iW ^ 1 fc ^1 : 1^^^^^^^^ J ™ ;:: : :;: II iiiiimiiii '■- :;; ;; % :;; ::: :;;; ^^8 m 9^2 m Qg-3 °'ii '^9,'i '4^ ^-S9- wy-^ 1% 1^1 3- S l"l"l"'3"l"l"Tr¥^"l"Tl"f¥ Correepondinq staqe cr Upper Go(0)e ort 'Kampsville '^ % FIGURE 12. 1 Correepondinq skxoje on g Gao)e o(t Beoinotetcwn 48 EEPOET OK^ ILLII^OIS KIVEE. Elevation Above Memphis Datum— (afcen+erofrwicW ffltl -,? 1; ; 6a I ll i: te- ii liili - - :: :|^ - - ■■ Ife . — ■ ~ -- -- nt te 1 — if" iiiiiiiiii MilTIPilllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllll ;i ■ll Mil Hi illliiiliHli ■iiiiiiiiililiillllililiii i =^ 3 I J 1 1 ! iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinmiiiiiiiii rH 1 ^ :: :: : : : ::: : c ■; ; ;m : : "^ ; a. ■■: I : ; ; ; : i 3 ^ ^ ^ 1 ^^ 1 liMI 1 ^HBflifiil i r 111111111111^ 11 II 1 i^^^^^ M ^ ii T : : : ! : • k 1 : M M ; I ' ■ Mill I'HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIII \ \ i % 1 ' "1 1 " 1 ; Mf ■■ -i 1 0) > §§-^ 9o.§0 ll 'i '§ '5 'i 'f 'g 'i 'g 'g 'g 'g 'I % igvg Corresjoonoliiioi stowje ar\ Lower Qac^ orf LdGranoje 'S '-^ 'S '8 '§ 'g 'S 'g ^ '3 'S 'g 'g '3 '5 ^3^1 FIGURE 13. 1 Corn»)oono(inq) sboe on S Gooje at Bectxbfomi PLOW AND GAGE HEIGHTS DAMS— -SUBMERGED LANDS. 49 Clcva-tion Above Memphis Datum- (at center of reach) .^ ^ 1 1 t J J. § m 1 H y 5 lljljfjilllllllllll § _j_ 5> § -H ft III H II II III ^^ i 1 1 8 ^ L t a 1 § ft - ■■'""* a ii L 1 1 a D^^ § 1 g| g| ;^! r M 1 T 0> r % 1 s - -- - 1 g^- -- - § S - -- - * 8 BBB ■■Ij ■ |E 8 § III II S § ^ i_ |- - -^g il 5( 8 -- - 11 8 8 IIIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIW 1 1lillllllllllllHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIW 1 "mmm mi iiiiiiii ? i WM iiiiiimiiiiitiMii CD > ni ggjlfi $oS o FIGURE 14. 4 R L 50 REPORT ON ILLINOIS RIVER. Elevation Above Memphis Datum ^cenfer of neach) ^ t I § - ' : : :: 1 m'- m 8' ■ ■ 1 1 1 " H i ■ ■ L \ : ': I i g : 1 " ■ " i. \ [ \ \ g : : : ■ » ' t :: : : : E : 1 ■ ^ "ill ■ i_ ; |;| ; : : |: 1 ; ; : 1 F : : ::: ^ 11" " t ; : : 1 ; i ::: i ii :: _ : :: ii :Mi ; : I ::t :: : Iw ■:: I \\\ \ :: ; E ; 1 g r 1 1 ij : , ; : : 1- 1 : g : M ■ 11 ii- e :;:::: |: ; : '^ -f fe' ' ■■i^^ ] , Mi : :: :: : : : : :: !! : : ;::: mN W: ■: ■: i ' ^ i| ^ :;: ! ; ; ^H CD > ^ I I' 11 ill I I? liE a < ■fe'S^-^^"-^5^'§'i's'§^'g'§^ ^ '°&S^f^ov1^ ^'^ FIGURE 15. Explanation o^ Oiaoram A&Tdicc^« fTo/rage in nohjrul river valley bpfbre carrah-x^cfic^arifvew a? (n 1904- and pnor tbwefo. «;R£-3 Submerged by Illinoi9 Rivto AT Various SwsEs INRLUCHNG BeBOFRkeB ATC Ufl. E£D6 ACPE5 SUBSftRGED A :-f-H E OF DiASRAM Alndlca^e5 flowage in natural river valley befpre con-jfrud-ion of levee^^ m in 1904 & prior then?to. B Indicates flcMoge offer corBtrucHon of leveej as exuting &' of con^ruction Acres Submerseto by Ilunois River AT \Arious Stages Includins Bed of River and Lake Beds Peoria Reach (Hennj Dam to Peoria Lcwer Brido|e) Acres Submerged Ex PLANA! . Indicates -^ indico^' B cTievees ofcor^r 470 E 469 — ^^ ' — ' "^ 1— 1 S __ , *fe — L. 1- — , -B 1 1 — 3 Q ^»55 «n ^ "~" IV s — 3E > < 450 i — J 445 : : 440 1 Q Explanation of Diaoram Indicate! Ocwtx^ in natural river _.._ .--,_.,. comtructlon of 1904 & prIx thereto. of con^ruction Acres Subviergeio by Illinois River AT Various Stages Including Bed or River and Lake. Beds nthe La Salle Reach (LaSalletoMgrinjDam) lb Accompanuteport oT AlVORD & BURDICK Enqlnwrs Chioaqo FIGURE IS s g f^ g-i ^:r ^« w^ g-g li it ^1 ■ J "1 i 1 1 \ h; V.l^ 1 MMUtt flilllllllll/lllt ■1 - i 1 Z c ■ -ffl J m f ^i 1 m ■ p Pr^w m ] 1 1 j |ii 1 1 E M gt Bfflffi It* s jiB p w w ^p ^ tM it ^ B^ sft b5 il? i i i fS 1^ H i rtd s m s ~~ !t& 5 ^ -t L i Ih 1 I 1 ?il s ^ if P^ 1 1 1 _>- •■'II iL— te^ 1- L\ /. le 01 K" ":I i i Lij_l_i±Lr ...,1 _ J Acres Sub'(eps>:o ! 11 va H0A3?^"i.UAgA.J i I i ! i I 9BV/f\ ElOHUJl Va a39q3M8u5 B3flDA HTU0Mcrr3JJA£AJ 39at2 ^vi^ hi enon'Ais^A/ jamjk)H eC338 3;iO GMA 9i5VM -^0 038 OHiQUJOHl .:■ i I ! ...■ i... - TTn BzafitE: -^'j5^' 1-t 1 if 03eH3M8uS' ea^iDA ■r-- ; ' ' :--;;--'+ !■! ZL.1JCI ! ■ ^?f XL ^ Explanation of Diasram fndicotes fiowage in natyn levee? ■ ' A vol ley before con'srfnidiqn of levees as i" l''M* prior thereto, nstruction iprogre^ii irWicafes ncmage after (instruction R oMP'eesOT ex'reting & i of construction in 1914. Acres Submerged by Illinois River LaSalle TO Mouth U.NOER NoRMiAL Variations in River Stage Including Bed of River and L/ike Bed5 To Accompany Report of . Alvord S. Burdick engineers Chicago. , 1 ~ ~ I 1 _j _" 1 InM ^ tgatett 1 w. K i I llllllllllllll 1 _ — 1 _ _ ~ ilil|j||l|||i{| MJfiJlTl^ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ~ I ^_^ z z z _ — rtfi^^^^B 1 ~ _ 1 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .Jl W. «1i a _ j _ — ..]"' h^i _ - _ _ _ _ _ — - — — 1 — -- - - - - - - — - — — — 1 ~" ~" _ z^ 1 j ~ -r — ~ ' ~ 1 ~ ~ " _ _ ~ _ ~ — 1 1 ~ I 1 ~ ! 1 1 _ I ~ 1 Zl ~ _ - Z" _ i ■ ' ~ i fit i — — ~ _ ~ — Zjl ~ ~" ^ zz ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ "~ ~ " ~ V 1 1 Bn ~ ~~ E z d ± _ m 7B oo lOO IBOOO IW xo rreooo ooo zmooo jwooo ere 000 MO ooo 000 MO 000 ■tmoco g?. gi B.75 2t5 l™ 2n 1(5.75 _w 15.75 B.I W.75 147 1^75 L5.? 1S.75 5.7 im 111 p.75 lOS ?.75 .8.5 _8.7S &« J.75 4-2 [475 lj.7 Acres SuSMEReED MA^aAiQ ^O »^OiTAKlAjC3X3 1 "T— — ■'~- — ri ^c*- 1 ! 1 Li!i: ■ ' ' ' 1 1 J i <^ ! 1 " 1 c ^ 1 I 1 I V ucs». rt- --j gj ??■ ■■- ■ 'fc 1 i i t i . ., « i ■ ' 1 1 1 1 ! 5 1 1 1 ! 5 .- -♦-■n. ; -~T^^^- c^ ^ m^u h^ 1 ■ 1 i i ,j4,^+4,.+i. -^ 1 1 — < > -» t: -j ■■■■1 ■ 'M ...X m •.dft tip ffi- •||::;:p: ■i:_i JiIlljl.. m ^ f-ffiii#fftii^^ L« L 1" L 11 ^ . - - m ii ic3e§^ 000. 000?5 FLOW AND GAGE HEIGHTS DAMS SUBMERGED LANDS. 51 For convenience the minutes of latitude were used to divide the river into convenient sections below Peoria. The sections were nearly all two minutes in width measured north and south, extending across the river valley, and were thus about 2i/2 miles in dimension parallel to the general trend of the river valley. Curves of water area were drawn for each section in reference to the height of water surface above Memphis datum plane. :^OEMAL FLOW PEOFILES. For practical purposes, it was necessary to combine these sections into groups more or less distinctive of the several reaches of the whole stream. As the slope of the water plane becomes of importance in com- bining several of the small sections, and further in view of the fact that it is a series of numerous sloping water planes that govern the water acreage at various gage heights, it was thought that the information as to water acreage could be best expressed in terms of the gage height at some salient place such as Beardstown. For this purpose Fig. 10 was prepared, which is intended to represent the normal gage height relation throughout the river from LaSalle to Grafton, for river stages between the low water of 1901 and the high water of 1904. This was done by determining as nearly as possible, the average correlation of the various gages through platting a large number of observations of each gage against the simultaneous reading at Beardstown. The series of profiles thus represented, would not be expected to closely correspond to the profile in any particular flood, for the flood will vary in height upon the different reaches of the river in accordance with the varying contributions from the different tributaries of the main stream. Upon the average, however, the curves represent the composite of the conditions constantly recurring, and varying foi' local reasons from day to day above and below the water profiles represented. The slopes in the river valley, particularly on account of the dams, vary with stage, and for a given gage height at the foot of a certain reach, the acreage overflowed will vary with the slope of the water surface. It was, therefore, deemed important to determine a normal slope for each gage height in order that a normal or average acreage could be determined. CUEYES OF FLOWAOE. Diagrams of water acreage -at various river stages are presented in Figs. 11 to 19, inclusive. Two curves of acreage are shown, namely — first, (curve "A'^) the virgin river valley as it existed before levee operations were begun, or prior to 1904, and second, (curve "B") the water acreages at present with the levee districts as now completed or in process of construction. The acreages for the entire river from LaSalle to the mouth are shown upon Fig. 19. At the left of the diagram, the elevation of water surface is shown at Beardstown, in reference to the Memphis datum plane, and at the right of the diagram, corresponding heights upon the Beardstown gage, and also the stage usually prevailing at Grafton for certain elevations at Beardstown. The stage at Grafton resulting from 52 KEPOJiT 01^ ILLINOIS EIVER. a given stage at Beardstown, will of course, vary widely, and the relation indicated is no more than an average relation. The relation will, how- ever, be nsually roughly correct, for generally, rivers in the same locality are in greater or less degree of flood at the same season. The diagram is read thus: During the low water of 1901 the Beardstown gage read just under 6.75, corresponding to a Memphis datum elevation of 434. The total water acreage including the lakes and ponds was 77,000 as indicated by curve "A". Under present conditions, owing to construction of levee districts which has cut off numerous lakes from connection with the river at a similar gage height, the water acreage would be 68,000, (curve "B'') the difference in the acreages named representing the water surface reclaimed. It should be said that not all these lakes are drained, but they are enclosed within levees which make them inaccessible from the river, and many of the lake beds are farmed. With an elevation of 12.75 on the Beardstown gage, cor- responding to 440 feet Memphis datum, the area of the water surface from LaSalle to Grrafton would be 225,000 acres in the virgin river valley, and 152,000 acres as now partially reclaimed. Likewise, it will be noted that at an elevation corresponding to the flood of 1844, the acreage in the virgin river valley is 398,000, and as reclaimed, 249,000, assuming that the levees all extended above the 1844 flood water plane, which corresponds to elevation 22.5 on the Beardstown gauge. Fig. 11 shows similar information in reference to that part of the river valley between Grafton and Kampsville Dam. The elevations at the left of the diagram refer to the elevation in the center of this reach, and at the right of the diagram, the corresponding stage is shown at G-rafton, the nearest governing gage, and also the usually corresponding stage at Beardstown. Fig. 12 shows the same information for the so-called Pearl reach, so named from the principal town thereon, and extending from the Kamps- ville Dam to mile 52. (See mileage marked on Fig. 10.) In this reach of the river the farm land has been nearly all reclaimed. The acreage of water at the flood level of 1844 in the virgin valley was 47,200. A repetition of this flood height would produce an acreage of only 10,700, indicating that the flood water surface has been reduced nearly 80 per cent through the construction of levees. There is a similar reduction at all stages of water though not quite so great at the low stages. This reach is completely leveed and probably represents a maximum that may be used as a guide for estimating the future possibilities on the remainder of the river. An examination of the succeeding diagrams shows a less percentage of the land reclaimed in the upper parts of the river, except in the vicinity of Pekin where a little more than half of the bottom lands in the so-called Pekin reach has been reclaimed. Reclamation above Pekin has not been extensive on account of the relatively small width of the bottom lands, and probably never will be as extensive as the oper- ations in the lower river. Table I^o. 10 summarizes numerically the principal figures of acreage, and shows separately the acres in river bed, lake beds, and the land overflowed, under several stages of water. The land acreage as tabulated is the total water acreage after deducting river bed and lake beds at the plane of low water in 1901. FLOW AND GAGE HEIGHTS— DAMS— SUBMERGED LANDS. 53 1 Sg§2 ^ o 005 § o •pii^T CO 00 05 oo" >. ^ •s o S 1 ci 00 •[TJIOJ, Siif ■§ i ii a S-H 1 22§ ^ s lO CO CO - x^oo^ - '-O' lOlM o •I13J0X -1 -H CO CO 1 , -1061 -T^A. §igi - s S^ o ■ •1 'sQ^Tsi m S8J0Y cvT (nV csT T-TcO' ,1 g|§g § o ^R ~2~ o •pu'B'7 Oi oo s 00 ^S?S?§ ^"^ ^' ^■^cf ^ '5 •IB^OX o Si i S ^ -^ ZD CC lO ^ coco S; i ■puBT ill i. s gg ^■^2 o 02 ■I^^ox :>oo o 1 r-lOO ^ > ^^SK IS^ CO ns^ s 'Sb S •pireq; o o oo" oo 1 1 s •[^aoj. c c c f?fgf§ ^^ (N 11 1 , 'TOBI -M 2iSg i o oo ^ •q; 'S8J[B[ in sajoy (>r^"o"(>r o" -*'~ 050 i-Tr^ ^■^ ■a-,. •T08I -M BJJnS J9AU in S8.ID Y 1 ii i oo"" lO GO 1— 1 rH CO "■ o CO d 00 o oo o •S9nn: iiniIDB9.ijoq:jSii87 J§^ ^ ?q dirt': ft :(§ :S -''^ i a g cbO CD ftcS •S-a 3^2 m5 C3 }-, §:;5 ^7^ ftp ^W ^ O WS^So ;i i i^ i ^ i 1 1 s c: S ^ II g§ 1 9 c3t3 >i Pi o ^g oOo, e ^1 -r 'S ^ 5:; al^^" i ^P gws SMS^S o tl- td a 4: >^5 .■S ^ o o m a c 1 t- O C3 QJ C3 a; C3 ' ' ^i^ >mB Ph flH -1 PART IV. AGRICULTURE IN THE ILLINOIS RIVER VALLEY. Although the Ilinois Eiver was one of the earliest highways of commerce^ and some of the first cities of the State were bnilt npon its banks^ with a few important exceptions these settlements have not attained large growth. It is only where the railroads have crossed the river that important municipalities have grown up. The villages not having railroad connections have remained in population practically where they were at the time the western railroads were first built. For the most part^ these cities, and indeed the villages, are well above the high water mark. The exceptions are the immediate water fronts of several cities, and a considerable portion of the city of Beardstown, which is located upon a knoll adjoining the river bank, which becomes an island in case of extreme flood. The exceptional floods invade the business districts of the city, covering the streets to a shallow depth. Therefore, so far as the cities are concerned, and the industries therein, the matters considered in this report are of relatively small moment. The river, its flow, its flood and its stages are of principal concern to the industries of farming and flshing. The relative importance of these two industries has an important bearing upon the control of river improve- ments. In the following pages we will endeavor to show the present status of agriculture, and in a separate part of this report will consider the matter of the flsheries. GEOWTH OF AaEICULTUEE Agriculture in the bottom lands has been of comparatively recent development. Mr. Lyman E. Cooley, C. E., who has given much study to the river, describes it as follows : "The character of these bottoms was described in the first official ex- amination by Capt. Howard Stanbury in 1838. He describes the valley as from 1 to 5 miles wide, deeply overflowed in every freshet, filled with bayous, ponds and swamps, and infested with wild beasts; clothed with dense vege- tation, and said it was 'a forbidden wilderness ever incapable of inhabitation by man.' General Wilson in 1867 gives his own description and quotes Stanbury, and he says, 'It may be true in part, but already cultivation has begun to encroach upon the higher bottom lands.' General Marshall in 1890 also described the bottom lands, their character, and says that 'cultivation has extended over the higher bottoms; in fact, it extends everywhere they can get in seed before the fioods begin.' He says, 'At about the 12-foot stage, the sloughs, ponds, the lakes; and the lower part of the bottoms are filled; at a 16-foot stage, 80 per cent of all the lands that are ever fiooded, are already covered.' " The bottom lands on the lower reaches of the river are higher than those further north, and were cultivated earlier, but until the construc- tion of levees was begun, the cultivation was largely confined to the 54 AGRICULTURE. 55 higher ground covered with water for only a short time, or in some years not at all. Although a few levees were built at an earlier date, the construction of levee districts as now existing, began only shortly prior to 1900. In 1904, at the time of the survey of the U. S. Engineers, less than half a dozen districts had been built. These being widely scattered, and most of them of small size, the interference to flood flow was not material. At the present time more than 40 per cent of the river valley has been reclaimed, and most of this work has been done since 1908. LEVEES. With but few local exceptions, the river follows the foot of the hills forming the west bank, the' low bottoms lying to the eastward of the stream. The eastern bank is higher than the general level of the bottoms on account of the quick deposit of the sediment carried by the main stream in flood, as the rising waters pass landward. This provision of nature has been utilized to protect the farm lands from inundation by FIGURE 20. A New Levee Showing Extreme Irregularity of Much of the Dipper Work. levees which border the low water edge of the stream 300 or 400 feet landward therefrom, and usually following the stream until an important tributary is reached, thence following the bank of the tributary to the eastern highlands. At some places where the thread of the river is in transit between the eastern and western highlands of the valley, levee districts have thus been formed on both sides of the main stream, but the greater number of districts lie to the east thereof. The practice is common to construct these levees by dipper dredging, a floating dredge being used riding in a wet borrow pit or moat from which the excavated material is cast upon the bank forming a rather rough and irregular levee, and shown in the accompanying cuts, Figs. 56 REPOET ON ILLINOIS EIVEE. 20 and 2oA. It is common practice to use a borrow pit about 60 feet in width with a 10-foot berm between the borrow pit and the toe of the levee. The levees nsualh^ have a theoretical top width of about 6 to 8 feet^ and combined side slopes of from 4% to 5 on one. It is the prac- tice to place the borrow pits on the river side of the levee and to leave a space of 200 feet more or less between the borrow pit and the low water river bank. The trees and brush upon this space are left in place to serve as a 'Vave break" for the protection of the levee. A few of the smaller districts have no pumping facilities, but the great majority of the acreage is drained b}^ pumps which operate at such seasons of the year as the river may be above the desirable water plane in the district. Many of the sloughs, ponds and lakes are drained and farmed, but a portion of the lowest of these depressions is com- monly used for the storage of excessive rainfall. GEOWTH OF LEYEE DISTEICTS. Fig. 21 is a scale drawing of the river valley and serves to picture the growth of the levee districts and the extent to which they have encroached upon the flood water plain of the river. Separate diagrams are shown illustrating the conditions in 1901, practically at the beginning FIGURE 21 A. Within the Levees. A Newly Reclaimed District. of levee construction, and the year of one of the greatest floods tliat has occurred upon the river. The black area indicates the extent of water surface in flood. Up to 1908 a few additional districts had been built. The third plat indicates the conditions in 1913, at which time another greater flood occurred, caused by the edge of the storm which did such tremendous damage in Ohio. The fourth diagram represents the condi- 00. Ml ooo.; ■.wHe V mmm» ^^Xn "^^ ^ \ %. <«w*e '33 #- List of Levee DistrictJ" -. ^*.^ WI pig walo: Ot^ r)«nb ^ Ik »^rfi-«V ■''Tvr^O T« «^OJ -O90»'lt' '»T>v.-

3„-^ 1^ fcuwoiro--^:**" i«' ■ ■•ov.e^.e;* a..>^'^*-c^l j^kww^-jicrrt^.'.v ■« e 01 r/c/rxnio"^ ?^ .1,^0-3^0 T», 9»twnn «„or)OA;< )|| o»(«<>.-io-^ M' ^"f(?roJ H *T,»t»ov-«y/ SI h-^^o'jcrcl. ^ v»Nrv. «l«w*>f 4«- ^r**©.'* ff| «y^ |i^ ■wVwi:-,v^-.«ae « *^o ••e'w M ; •tev'-S'-y^^-^^ IS 1 r'-' ■ -•'• iJt ♦•W i -vz-jf f> icM ^ Xiei 0* 3ToM >^^ AGRICULTURE. 5. tions during the summer of 1914, with districts under construction com- pleted. The last diagram shows the conditions as they may exist in the comparatively near future when all the districts now projected are completed. It will be observed that in the lower one-quarter of the river valley the flood plain width has been reduced nearly 80 per cent. EFFECT UPON FLOODS AND FISHEEIES. It need hardly be stated that the restriction in the flood plain through the construction of levees must tend to produce greater flood heights under like flood flows. The reclamation of this land, and par- ticularly the lakes, has been detrimental also to the breeding and taking of fish, an important industry upon this stream. The extent of the effect upon floods and the detriment to the fish- eries will be hereinafter discussed. Our purpose in this section of the report is to show to what degree the agricultural industry is important as having a bearing upon remedies that may be applied to the control of the river. INSPECTION OF DISTEICTS. Although at present the State law requires a permit for the con- struction of levees and other structures upon public waters, and the most recently constructed districts have filed plans with the Bivers and Lakes Commission, the record of the operations within the valley was by no means complete, and to secure the data needed to determine the effects upon the levees, stream flows and other matters, and to determine approximately the commercial importance of agriculture Avithin this valley, a careful investigation was found to be necessary. This examination included a three days' inspection of the stream from LaSalle to Grafton, made by the undersigned in company with the Eivers and Lakes Commission and the Fish and Came Commission. Following this inspection, our representative examined nearly all the levee districts in person, first visiting all the county seats where the records of levee operation were on file, obtaining information on file at the court hous:es, calling upon many district commissioners, bankers and business men, and interviewing engineers who had desigend or worked upon the levee districts. Having completed this examination and having completed a list of the districts constructed and in progress of construc- tion, he returned to Peoria, and by motor boat again passed down the river, stopping at each pumping plant along the way for the purpose of noting pumping equipment and supplementing information regarding the levee districts, where lacking. The data obtained from the county clerk's office usually included the boundary of the district as described in the court decree organizing the district, alterations of district made by subsequent decrees, acres assessed in the assessment roll, the area of each district if given, although this was usually not on record, the most recent annual assessments, the total of special assessments since the organization of the district, the amounts paid out for original construction, and the names of the com- missioners and engineers. The condition of the records differed mate- 58 REPOET ON ILLINOIS EIVER. rially in different counties. Most of the counties have special drainage record books in which matters pertaining thereto are segregated. In some counties the records are in the miscellaneous records; some of the records are apparently incomplete. PEINCIPAL DATA OF LEVEE DISTEICTS. Table No. 11 herewith summarizes the principal data concerning all the levee districts of record, all the private districts that could be located, and so far as we could ascertain by inquiry locally, and from the engineers interested in such matters, the projected districts. For convenience, the districts are designated by name and referred to by number on Fig. 22 which indicates location. In general, the num- bers are consecutive from the mouth of the river upstream. A large number of the figures on acreage within the several districts were obtained from the engineers. A few values were found on maps or reports on record, and some were obtained by planimeter from maps of the districts or from maps of the Illinois Eiver valley. Areas de- termined by planimeter are so indicated on the summary sheet. So far as possible, the areas under cultivation in each district were estimated. This was not possible in the case of all districts. The totals at the bottom of the page. Table 11, assume that the districts upon which no figures were obtained vary as the average of the districts where esti- mates were practicable. Apparently about two-thirds of the acreage is now in cultivation, and about 90 per cent is susceptible to agriculture. The waste land for the most part is in the beds of deep lakes or occupied by the ditches and structures necessary for drainage and the utilization of the land. Areas in cultivation and acres cultivatable, we obtained by talking with persons familiar with the ground and comparing the same with the assessed areas which would usually be equivalent to the useful land. INHABITATION. The number of dwellings and inhabitants within each district was obtained from people familiar with the area. For districts with less than ten dwellings, the reports are probably fairly accurate, but for districts of greater population, many of the answers received were evid- ently wild guesses. The results as a whole must be considered as approxi- mate. DATES OF CONSTEDCTION. In studying the behavior of floods during the last ten years, it was important to know the extent of river valley developments, and to this end careful inquiry was made as to the date of beginning and completing each levee. These dates were usually obtained from the engineers in charge, or from the commission of the district. In nearly all in- stances the dates were certain, and are probably as accurate as indicated by the figures in the tabulation. High water elevations as shown in the table are taken from all available gage readings on the river with interpolations between gages. mi. ; i:b zldqmeU-*&uoii»mia: jiiiju i-O'j/aJ Aohiub II I ; tel To .b^(^y}^^ ; .i>0j:jlq ,'ea xioi.tfil 1 ad&uoB. lo 1 ni i .ton' ; '"ioT i 1 -i,ih, 1. BI 1 «i ■81 V CI V, II ■. .. ; "*TT T :-^ ••' ! 10 .TH- 5 ■***'■" Oli'I •It VI "*.'" . . . 0-ef if r t->-,'j. sirr , CIQi. 010 OCT ,y Ci .Oi } «oer j; ■•-••■ GGGl fjoei ........ i)OGf. filer. s,* ■n'~''' L. -^ jj. . SI u F.I- G Ml m . ' Ir':" JOCI-S' i'-'' '':](• : ' ■u^ .. w ¥.^:: ml:... 6i . . , . . ^;> " ;;-" ' .. — ^^.^.-ij rr^-'Xr- :^'--'-i" CL.,.. . Mi> 8.m S.T^i^ i 1 iVrft ,• f-f-i . L .yj.i- i 1 . ::.:::;. 6.1d*> $.08^ ■ - ■ , . . i . . ! . ....;. .:|::.. :, 05*, f ooe,£ 000, SI i [ ! J , . : i - .- OSSM ■ " •■■■+■" t" \ . jjofgraoo nix ■ V.t£;, IPAL DATA OF AGRICULTURAL LEVEE DISTRICTS IN THE ILLINOIS RIVER VALLEY. Miles Acres in district. a- Levees built. Elev tions-Memphis datum. Cost ol district. Annual Total Estimated full value » No. Nameoftomcl. County. Oral- 1914, s^ij- Total. ol Date p!etS. High Topol Low plane tataMl Total. age per pSacre 3l Total. Per acre Remarks. 1901. district. > ^ ' * 5 « 7 « 10 12 13 14 15 10 " 18 19 20 21 22 23 2. DISTK.CISCOJU.LETEDOEUm.EE Privat^nSSSr; lersey J, t2S5 444 414.0 S 28 500 Sinn a»"»cii 7,000 424.8 3,000 acres additional drainage arca-jiumps not yet in- 44 11,000 12,400 130 1909 1909 446.2 448 425 1 205 1 550 000 125 Pumps not yet installed. Railroad overnowcd at «5- i? Mercdosia Lake ^S^::^-;;;;;; 81 80 1 449 i? 432 ;;;;:::::: 12! 8.50 10:704 St' 000 1 rr?ltr.S"?n«|,fnotyetins.alled. 22 20( 189f 29.81 let Lynchburg and Sangamon Bottoms S5^k:::::::::: 101 tijioo ■■""imi 45l'7 4o4 434' 6 433 0.20 1O.00 140'000 125 434.1 430 100, 00< 320, 00( 454.2 450,001 sEgJ?v«o.;::::::::;:::::::::: tl,70l 'i\ 122 80 t4^Jt!i 454.6 So ;;::;::::: Organijation incompleti^some wort done. lESS;:;:::::::;:::;; r Partridge Total ISO 300 3000 160.2 461 44i:f Ssol ....t^. 20,200 '^;r ^|Si?SSTlrT?91?-rs not been repaired. 46 Pite 62 1,000 2,500 3,000 15 4H.7 0.39 56.30 1.00 5,300 75 •113,000 •157,000 171,725 Av. 0.36 •85,350,000 Av. S30 57 •J935,0CO 819,120,500 Av. 8112 .;noo +17 2 426.0 8300,000 860 i Mas™::;::;;;:::: li JS? ?o District organized but no work done. 19 ■p^na^.'^".//^' ""//.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'. ?SS^::::::::::: S '':™ Z:i 440.8 NOTE.— Areas for proposed districts have been deter- mined from map hv selecting area which would proba- 41 South Partridge Woodford 17 3,200 460.2 441.5 371600 240,000 1- 20 Total 49,250 ZlZl zzzi :: 81,465,250 Av.830 r to map. f Area obtained by plainmetcr. •Estimated. t Incomplete. i9loA ZOliV 9V0<'t: ,flOt ■'Mciblo aou-i'/: ! ' -illifoal ,noUfiv ,*18I -qe -jxoiq f; ■ 4' 006,0 "" m',d" 1( di ^s S8 oUi SII in eif OSI OSI SSI mi GU caj. so OH SII OEf 081 %t 8TI ^I mi €0S ve^i9l ob-. on^eiO ob.. ob.. ob.. ob.. . . JJooa-9n90iO }Jo>8 ob.. ob.. .....ob.. ..awoia )-fra8ioM n?.eO oh.. lalYurfoS ".aonui ob.. ob.. ob.. ob.. ob.. rl-aoilul ehoo'^ .iliaIii£l/--fjTO)f)oo7f . .i : . . j . - . .nnsfiJnl rj-AH -rOTTOUaTEWOr) .-- ■iibaaoilifif. ^ i:5j'...' ■'■■ .i rf-^r-' ' ■ L olJoa aomaaiui . /i. •.';./n aiejoo i;9iA t .qamoJ ^^\o•l•ii^yi1i^'^b\o aiddmitVl 61 axjiv^iok^ ^^jyxO^'l 01 1 Q 33V3^- -=10 T8lJ riv\tMr!Co8 rHuoe j>(e9'^ nryffo VsDnJ 5;(D0OAtt dTieteiovuoM y^ioiq bhf^fb ^ noifioq ewode qcM * i v 6 9 01 M ?( M SI YTrOvaJjAY t Yf^: 9 4& m v,.^ ^* JMABJUETTE J5?ef>- <#a «'*« .-/ List of Levee Districts I \ Private 17 Valley 35 MudLake-PropOTed e NoWvood 18 SouttiBeardsUvii U ? Private 19 Crane Creek (h Spring Lake 4 El^red TO Coal Creek 36 Banner fi Prlvot-e 1\ *Clear Lake 37 Cummlng»-Priv«jte fi K.eachor foirbank^ K ♦LynchboruSDangamor M Pekln&La Marsh 7 Mart well ?3 Homrn- Private TO Peoria -Proposed R HilWiew 74 Bl^ Lake 40 Ea^ Fteorla ?) Big Swan 05 WHiFblnt-Propewd 41 Proposed 10 Scott County 26 W.Ma1arn<«-fVop(nec Al Fbrh-idge M,!LC0ake9-Privafe 77 Otter Creek AT. le Mauva'isterre 'i!tt Lcmgelher 44 Propooed 5 Anderson Loke-Ftew» ee Lacey 4S Proposed M MSSee Creek ?» ^poor.Rv«-l*ra^cmiB 46 Hennepin I"; Kerr -Private 31 Shurte-Pri'vots 16 Meredcwla Lake « Thompson Lake * Map •shown po rtlo, oTd't^trlct proteJ ed ty levee. ^\t s<^ ^^^ Map of Illinois River BarroM^ Levee DidTPicr^ To Accompany the Report of , AlvORD & BuRDlCK Engineers Chicago ^ ..S^ -^" >MaR9EILLE3/\ .Morris \ jpiooir(; FIGURE 24 1 20 < n a 1' a ■ 15 10 « ^ & , (0 ^., , li- 8 1 1 1 i o5 III ^~" ^ 8 ? !ft <^ ! I K. < kU. i 1 » X m -j I — ' 1 •^5 T IZ . (O- r-n 1 mih 1- ffi -! J S ' ' ' ' 'j 1 — a T*^ S£ '*- ^ U_|6^i .tioejotaea 25 20 Diagram Showinq Annual YitLo or mshes The Illinois River I894T0 1908 To accompany ihe Report- of ALVORO & BURDICK Engineers Chicaqo -20 Z o 10 - J J 1894 1897 -f-- f .t 3~3==EET3 es OS ei ' " ■ '" '— ^ 0( CO o C o J3 S o L ooei veai u_l ^di ■K) FISHERIES. 67 1913, inclusive, as collected by Mr. E. E. Eicharclsoii of the State Bio- logical Station, Havana. For convenience in comparison, the Havana yields from the years 1896 to 1908, as reported by the Illinois Fisher- men's Association and the Illinois Fish Commission, are stated in the same table, together with the percentage that the Havana yield bears to the total fish catch of the river, as reported for those years by those agencies. From 1896 to 1908 Havana has produced not less than 11 per cent, and not more than 22 per cent of the Illinois Eiver yield, and has averaged 17.3 per cent. DIAGEAM OF TOTAL FISH YIELD. Fig. 24 is a diagrammatic representation of the total yield of fish on the Illinois Eiver from 1894 to 1913. The last five 3^ears have been based upon the assumption that the shipments at Havana were equivalent to 17.3 per cent of the total yield of the river. This probably makes the apparent total yield somewhat too large, as the fish production at places further downstream suffered to a much greater degree during this period than have the Havana fisheries. This diagram serves to illustrate the gradually increasing yield in 1894 to 1908 and its subsequent rapid decline. YIELD OF VAEIOUS SPECIES. The reports of the Illinois Fishermen's Association are quite specific in regard to the kind of fish taken. From these data Fig, 25 has been prepared which shows the size of the catch for the leading varieties for the years 1894, 1897, 1900 and 1903, with the total catch for these years, and the same facts from the U. S. Fishery statistics for the year 1908 so far as they differentiate as to kind. In the last named year the figure for the total and for carp only are given. The catch of buffalo fish has been estimated from figures by Mr. E. E. Eichardson, showing the relation between carp and buffalo for that year at Havana. It will be observed that up to 1908, the increase in the yield of the river is largely accounted for by the increase of the carp. The yield of buffalo fish, which was formerly the principal food fish of the Illinois Eiver, gradually decreased up to 1908. Since 1908 the buffalo fish has almost wholly disappeared above the lower dam. It will be observed that the yield of varieties other than buffalo and carp also gradually increased up to 1908. No later statistics are avail- able, but the subsequent yield is known to have greatly decreased, as evidenced by the estimated totals in the diagram previously referred to. FISH PEICES. It will be very useful in correctly interpreting the importance of the Illinois Fishery, and especially in comparing it with foreign statistics, to present the data on local prices together with similar prices abroad. This information serves to account for the large returns reported from European fish farms, and they further serve to show the future pos- sibilities of the Illinois Eiver Valley in the way of revenue produced by the fisheries. 68 EEPORT ON ILLINOIS EIVER. ^^^^fe^*^^^^&^^^ ;^:.s=3?T*!^«-«J. ^^«^^^9^^i;pa^^^^^fc FIGURE 2 5 A. Fish Market at Havana. Table No. 15 shows the average German prices for carp from 1891 to 1905^ both wholesale and retail. Table 'No. 16 shows the variations in the Grerman price during the months of the year 1909. TABLE NO. 15— YEARLY AVERAGES OF GERMAN PRICES FOR CARP, IN CENTS PER POUND, WHOLESALE AND RETAIL, BERLIN, 1891-1905. Year. Whole- sale- alive. Whole- sale- in ice. Retail. Year. Whole- sale — alive. Whole- sale- in ice. Retail. 1891.. . 16.7 17.6 15.1 15.7 16.3 15.0 16.8 14.2 14.8 9.6 9.8 9.9 9.9 9.7 10.0 10.1 9.9 10.7 18.0 19.1 18.2 18.4 17.9 17.6 18.5 18.2 18.1 1900 15.0 15.0 14.4 15.0 15.9 15.5 10.4 ILO 10.3 10.9 10.4 12.3 18.0 1892 1901 18.7 1893 1902 18.2 1894 1903 18.4 1895 1901 19.0 1896 1905 19.9 1897 Average 1898 15.53 10.06 1899 Live carp sells at prices 54 per cent higher than dead. TABLE NO. 16— WHOLESALE PRICES FOR CARP, BY MONTHS, FOR 1909, AT THE FISH AUCTIONS IN THE CENTRAL MARKET HALL, BERLIN. Month. Alive- Dead- cents per cents per pound. pound. Month. Alive — cents per pound. Dead — cents per pound. January . . February . March April May June July 11.2 7.8 ILl 10.5 12.1 12.5 17.9 11.1 23.5 11.4 22.5 12.3 August September. October November. . December. . Average 16.7 18.5 16.4 15.4 19.1 16.7 12.2 11.4 11.8 11.4 13.6 11.5 Live carp average 45 per cent more than dead. FISHERIES. 69 Table No. 17 shows the average price per pound paid to the fisher- men of the State of Lllinois in the census 3^ear 1908, for fish of the principal varieties caught. TABLE NO. 17— CATCH VALUE AND PRICE PAID TO FISHERMEN. Principal Illinois fishes — figures represent total for the State — United States Census, 1908. Pounds. Dollars. Per pound- cents. Pounds. Dollars. Per pound- cents. Black bass Sunfish Buffalo German carp Catfish Crappie Dogfish Sheephead (drum) Lake herring 530, 000 $ 57, 000 .107 1,714,000 31,000 .018 3,042,000 117,000 .038 21,642,000 574,000 .026 2,044,000 96,000 .047 1,281,000 35, 000 .027 1, 370, 000 18, 000 .013 666,000 20,000 .03 598, 000 28,000 .047 107 1 Paddle-fish. Yellow perch. Pike and pickerel . . Pike perch Sturgeon i Lake trout . IWhitefish.. 402, 000 $12,000 238,000 12,000 14,000 1,100 14,000 1,500 178, 000 6,500 281, 000 6,400 150, 000 13,000 14, 000 800 .05 .078 .11 .036 .023 .086 .057 Table J^o. 18 illustrates the variation in average wholesale price of •carp in Havana, 111., and ISTew York, with the retail price in jN"ew York for the calendar months of 1914. TABLE NO. 18— WHOLESALE AND RETAIL PRICES FOR CARP, HAVANA AND NEW YORK RECENT YEARS (1908-1903) Data furnished by John Dixon, principal fish dealer, Peoria, January, 1914. Wonth. Paid to fisher- men, Havana. Received by Havana shippers, on car lots to New York. Price, retail to consumier, New York. Month. Paid to fisher- men, Havana. Received by Havana shippers, on car lots to New York. Price, retail to consumer, New York. January. February March . . . April May June Cents. Cents. Cents. 4 -5 5i-6 15 up 5 7 -8 20 up 3 ^ About 15 li-3 3-44 About 15 1 -li 2i-3 About 15 1 -li 2i-3 About 15 July August . . . September October. . . November December. Cents. Cents. l-2i 24-4 li-3 3 -44 2 -34 34-5 14-3 3 -44 24-3 4-54 34-5 5 -64 Cents. About 15 About 15 About 15 About 15 About 15 About 15 MUSSEL SHELL IKDUSTEY. The statistics hereinbefore given do not include mussel shells or pearls. During the past ten years this has been an important industry on the Ilinois, but has rapidly decreased of late, and is of relatively small importance at this time. It is regarded as an industry that attained large proportions through draft upon the accumulation of mus- sels of past years. The accumulation has been leargely exhausted and the industry promises to be relatively unimportant henceforward. EACTOES AFEECTIXG THE GE]S[EEAL WELFAEE OF FISHES. Before considering the reasons governing the recent increase and -decrease of fish life in the Illinois Elver, it will make the discussion more 70 EEPORT ON ILLINOIS EIVER. readily understood to outline as briefly as in consistent with a fair un- derstanding, the general conditions under which fish life tends to in- crease and decrease. Mistaken ideas in this matter are believed to have been responsible for unwise experiments in the propagation of fishes. It is no more to be expected that fish will thrive in a pure water simply because it is water and pure, than that human beings should prosper if turned loose in the Desert of Sahara with the thought that they would prosper because air is available, and that it is pure air. So far as the character of the water is concerned different varieties of fish thrive in waters of different clarity and cleanliness, but so far as concers the fishes of the Illinois Eiver, this stream below Hennepin seems to be sufficiently clear and clean for the needs of fishes that have lately inhabited these waters, particularly the fishes commercially im- portant. For prosperity there is required: first, water of sufficient purity to furnish the necessary ox3^gen; second, an abundance of food; third, extensive breeding grounds where the eggs may be laid and the young hatched with a minimum of molestation; fourth, shallow waters where the younger fish may develop and seek refuge; fifth, deeper waters where the more mature fish may lie, especially in winter; and sixth, the means of travel from place to place as necessity arises in the life history of the fish, or as may be made necessar}^ by increasing numbers and the scarcity of food. The food for the wild fish is dependent upon the richness or fer- tility of the water in a respect similiar to the fertility of soils in the growing of food for man. Sterile water has the same inability to pro- mote acquatic life possessed by pure sand to produce agricultural pro- ducts. Organic wastes as sewage, sufficiently diluted, furnish the basis for a whole train of invisible microscopic and minute animal and vege- table life, that, through numerous transpositions, furnishes the food for all varieties of fish and other water life as well, including the fishes feed- ing upon both vegetable and animal food, dead and alive. Eegarding the breeding and feeding grounds. Dr. Forbes makes the following statement :* "We learned a good many years ago — and this fact was first established in Illinois — that virtually all our young fishes, whatever their adult habits may be, lived at first on the same kind of food; all which hatch in like situations and at approximately the same time, consequently, compe:e with each other when they first begin to feed. We have learned that this first food — the minute plant and animal life of the water, called its plank :on — is. produced almost wholly in the backwaters. Although fiowing streams often carry an enormous quantity of it, this mainly perishes presently in our great silt laden rivers. When, as in very low water in midsummer, the contribu- tions from the backwaters are reduced to minimum, or perhaps wholly cut off, the plankton of the streams also falls off to little or nothing. Left to itself, indeed, even so slow a river as the Illinois, would virtually emp:y itself of plankton in a little while. The fish producing capacity of the stream is thus proportionate, other things being equal, to the extent and fertility of the backwaters accessible from it and contributing to it at the hatching time of fishes. The plankton content of a stream at that time is in fact an excel- lent index to the productive capacity of the waters as a whole." * The work of the Illinois Biological Station, read to the Central Branch of the American Society of Zoologists at Iowa City, April 8, 1910. FISPIERIES. 71 "There is a notable harmony between time of highest flood in our great rivers, che spawning time of the bulk of our fishes, and the climax period in the development of the plankton. All coming together or following one another in quick succession as they normally do, conditions are as favorable as possible for a large stock of young fishes. The longer the period and the larger the scale of the spring overflow, the better is the prospect for a heavy annual contribution lo the population of the stream. To this, no doubt, is due the fact, clearly indicated by our recent river work, that the plankton product of the Illinois system has been greatly increased by the opening of the drainage canal from Lake Michigan and the consequent raising of the average level of the river by about chree feet, this rise of river level, of course resulting in a very widespread and longer continued overflow." The welfare of fish life further requires the deeper waters, not less than four or five feet, and perhaps deeper, well below the reach of ice, in which fish may lie, particularly during the winter. These places must be of sufficient extent in proportion to the amount of aquatic animal life, so that sufficient oxygen will always remain available. Doubtless the deejD places in the river may be utilized for this refuge where the current is sufficiently slow, but to make such refuge fully useful, the lakes would necessarily be connected with the river at all or most seasons of the year. In the main the channel of the river, except- ing its shallow borders, seems to be principally a road of travel from place to place. With the lakes reclaimed, the stream would be much less pro- ductive of fish life. The feeding and breeding grounds would be too small as compared to the deep water acreage. The commercial fishes are caught in nets and seines in which the size of mesh is regulated by law, and certain requirements are exacted in reference to the returning of small fish to th stream. It is doubtless a fact that many fishes not taken are destroyed or so injured that they afterwards die in the operation of seining, and there are people who claim that such operations are detrimental to fish life. It is, however, held by those in position to know, that the taking of mature fish is bene- ficial to the fish yield and that there is probably no better means of se- curing the fishes of proper size than to seine or net them. It is undoubt- edly true that the maximum yield will be secured by taking the fish immediately upon a reasonable maturity for much the same reason that beef animals are slaughtered at the age of two or three years, for like the farm food animals, the fishes mature most rapidly in early life, after which the gain in weight is small in proportion to the food consumed. Therefore, waters must be well fished to produce the maximum yield. There are practical difficulties in the way of fishing the main chan- nel of the Illinois Eiver. This is especially true since the opening of the Chicago Drainage Canal, through the increased water levels occa- sioned thereby, and the flooding of trees and brush upon the banks. At present there are few places to land nets. The taking of fish is done principally within the lakes, although large quantities are caught in the river using so called ^'nets,^^ that is, fykes or hoop nets. FACTOES AFFECTIXG THE INCREASE AXD DECREASE OF FISHES. With the above brief outline of the matters principally affecting fish welfare, it will be useful for our purpose to enumerate in so far as they 72 KEPORT ON ILLINOIS EIVEE. may be measured, the causes that have been operating recently, tending toward the growth and decline of the Illinois Rivere fishery. Among these factors may be mentioned the introduction and growth of the Ger- man carp, the probable increase in fish food occasioned by the Chicago sewage, and the increased water levels and water acreages occasioned by the added flow from Lake Michigan. The factors tending toward re- duced jdelds include the decreased breeding and feeding grounds brought about through the reclamation of the lakes and swamps, the decreased fishing grounds from the same cause, and the lakes owned and controlled by fishing clubs, and in the upper river, the only partly decomposed Chicago sewage which has driven the fish from the places where it is most objectionable. Doubtless the most important factor in the increased fish yield prior to 1908, has been the German Carp, and as there is some miscon- ception in the public mind as to this fish and its value, it will be useful to quote somewhat at length from the statement of Dr. Stephen A. Forbes and Eobert E. Eichardson, contained in their volume. "The Fishes of Illinois,^^ published by the Natural History Survey of Illinois. These men have closely studied the Ilinois water life for many years. The quotation is as follows : THE GERMAN CARP. "The carp, which is native in China, was introduced into Europe as early as 1227 (Hessel), and was first brouoght to England at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The first successful introduction of carp into the Unii:ed State was made in 1887, when R. Hessel, for the U. S. Fish Commission, brought 345 carp to this country. Of these, 227 were of the mirror and leather varieties, and 118 were scale-carp. All were put into ponds al Wash- ington, D. C, and multiplied rapidly, more than 12,000 young being dis- tributed in 1879 to more than 300 persons in 25 states and territories. From that time distribution rapidly increased until a few years before i:s final discontinuance in 1897. "The introduction ol carp into the waters of Illinois began with the nrm distribution (1879), and in 1880 scaled carp to the number of 800 were received from the U. S. Fish Commission. In 1881 and 1882 a total of 2,500 more carp were received and distributed by the Illinois Fish Commission, the distribution being mostly made in lots of only ten to a single person. In 1885 the first carp were planted in public waters, a total of 30,900 being set free in the Illinois, Fox, Sangamon, Des Plaines, Kaskaskia, Little Wabash, Big Muddy, and a few other streams. In 1886 the first large carp was caught in the Illinois River, a specimen 30 inches long being taken at Meredosia — probably escaped from some pond which had received a consignment from one of the early distributions. In 1887 about 16,000 more carp were planted in the public waters of the State. Between 1888 and 1890 reports of the capture of carp of considerable size increased in number, particularly from points along the Illinois River, and by 1892 this fish had multiplied to such an extent in the waters about Havana that more than 3,000 pounds were taken from Clear Lake in a single haul. A year earlier Bowles had begun to ship carp from Meredosia. By 1898 the multiplication and utilization of carp had increased to such an extent in this State that Captain John A. Schulte, of Havana, wrote: 'From the information I can get as an official of the Illinois Fishermen's Association from all points along the Illinois River, the carp have brought more money than the catch of all the other fish combined. Long live the carp!' Carp are now found very generally dis- tributed over the State, being most common, however, in the Illinois River and in our other larger and more sluggish streams and lakes and bayous connecting with them. They are not yet very abundant in southern Illinois. FISHERIES. 73 The carp catch of che Illinois River alone now reaches six to eight million pounds a year, valued at more than $200,000. "Three races of carp are distinguishable: (1) the regularly-scaled form, which is nearest to the native type of the domesticated races; (2) the mirror carp, which has the body partly bare, with two or three irregular rows of large scales along the back; and (3) the leather-carp, which is scaleless, with a thick, soft velvety skin. Many local German races of carp, of no interest here, have been described. Although the first importation of carp by the U. S. Fish Commission contained a greater proportion of the mirror and leather races than of the scaled carp, che former did not thrive except under domestication, and today there are few mirror or leather carp living in a wild state in American waters. "Carp prefer moderately warm water, not too deep, and with plenty of aquatic vegetation. They will live in almost any situation, thriving in waters of all degrees of turbidity and contamination. They are very hardy under extremes of temperature, and are easily resusciated after freezing. Carp shipped from Havana, 111., to New York City by freight arrive alive provided the gills are kept moist by melting ice. Although of lazy habit, resting much of the time on the bottom, they are wary, and are particularly quick to find a way out of a net, or lo jump over it. They are omnivorous feeders, taking principally vegetable matter, but insect larvae, crustaceans and mollusks, and other small aquatic animals as well. They often pull up the roots of tender aquatic plants while feeding. Cole (1905) found them feeding at all times of day. They apparen:ly seek deeper water in winter, where they remain semi- torpid, taking lit:le or no food. "Carp spawn in the northern United States in May and June. The eggs are small and exceedingly numerous, 400,000 to 500,000 being a common number in a 4 or 5 pound female. They spawn most frequently during the early hours of the morning. One large female is ordinarily accompanied by four or five males. Five or six hundred eggs are emitted at a time, the eviposition being accompanied by much splashing on the part of both sexes. The eggs are scattered about, according to Cole, adhering to roots and stems and other objects. In moderately warm weather the young hatch, in this latitude, in about twelve days. The young carp reach a length of 4 to 6 inches by the end of the first summer, and attain a weight of about 1 pound in twelve months. By che end of the second summer a weight of about 3 pounds may be reached, this depending upon their nourishment. They first spawn in the spring of their third year. Carp in our waters do not ordi- narily reach more than 5 to 10 pounds weight, although occasionally speci- mens have been taken weighing as much as 30 pounds. In Europe, double the latter weight is said to have been reached in one or two instances. "The carp lends itself more readily, perhaps, than any other fish to the requirements of artificial culture. The rearing of carp is a very ancient practice, a treatise on the subject by a Chinese dating from the third century, in this country it has practically been discontinued since the species has multiplied on such a vast scale in our natural waters. However, the adapta- bility of the carp to confinement is still taken advantage of in certain locali- ties, especially in the Great Lake region, in the use of retention ponds, in which large numbers of the summer catch are held over to get the advantage of the winter market. "Carp bite readily on such baits as worms, liver, .paste, and bread crumbs, and in fact will take nearly any except live bait, and they are not lacking in game qualities when hooked. They have long been valued by English anglers, but are not much thought of by the Americans sportsman of the newer school." EFFECT ON OTHER FISH. "Among fishermen and anglers in America the carp has both its partisans and its enemies. However, it is coming more and more to be believed that its good qualities more than overbalance the other side of the account, the most serious of the charges against it appearing to rest on uncertain or gratuitously assumed premises. These charges have been, in brief, that carp roil the water and spoil the breeding and feeding grounds of other fish; that 74 KEPORT ON ILLINOIS EIVER. they eat the spawn of other fish and prevent the nesting of such species as bass and sunflshes; that they spoil the feeding grounds of water birds by eating and rooting up the wild rice and other aquatic plants; and that they are of no value either as a food or a game fish. With regard to the first charge it appears doubtful if the damage is serious in waters already as muddy as those of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. Carp do not naturally seek out clear and cold waters to defile them, and they would probably in no case be serious competitors of such fish as trout and small-mouthed bass. "The second charge, if true, is a much more serious one; but few direct observations bearing on this point have been made. The common form of the argument, that 'carp eat spawn, as shown by the simultaneous rapid increase of carp and decrease of fine fish/ is not supported by the statistics of the fisheries of the Illinois River." TABLENO. 19— COMPARATIVE STATISTICAL DATA, ILLINOIS FISHERIES, INCLUD- ING ALL RIVERS AND LAKE MICHIGAN— TOTAL PRODUCTS INCLUDE MUSSEL SHELLS AND TURTLES. Year. N amber or pounds. Value. Year. Number or pounds. Value. JMen employed Equipment Fisheries prod- ucts Black bass Buffalo , Carp , Catfish Crappie Sheepshead Eels Paddle fish 894 908 894 *1,653 n, 341 *4, 359 XOtJXJ 1908 11,537,000 29,668,000 74,620,000 97, 000 126, 000 532, 000 5,817,000 4,051,000 3, 042, 000 860,000 9, 896, 000 21, 642, 000 1,962,000 1,570,000 2,044,000 168, 000 356, 000 1,281,000 1,113,000 610,000 666, 000 44, 000 29, 200 31,000 136, 000 195, 000 402,000 $ 156,000 188,000 553, WO 333, 000 616,000 1, 436, 000 8,000 11,000 57,000 146, 000 112, 000 117, 000 21, 000 244, 000 574, 000 82, 000 69, 000 96,000 7,700 14,400 35,000 26,000 17, 700 20, 000 2,700 1,600 1,800 2,600 6,200 12, 000 Pike -. Sturgeon Suckers .... Sunflshes Wall-eyed pike. White, yellow and rock bas; Perch Turtles Mussel shells Illinois River, total products. Lake Michigan dist., fisheries product 908 26, 000 22, 500 14,000 87,000 159,000 180,000 420, 000 259, 000 281, 000 206,000 543,000 1,714,000 77,000 28, 900 14, 000 157,000 167,000 13,000 28,500 20,000 238, 000 *99,000 682, 000 511,000 t24 t2,500 t20, 000 3,000 7,000 23, 000 1,176,000 $ 1,600 1,387 1,100 2,200 3,970 7,300 9,900 7,800 6,400 5,200 12,000 31, 000 5,100 1,800 1,500 7,200 5,600 1,100 616 556 12,000 3,200 14, 500 21, 100 700 43,000 184,000 162, 009 382, 000 860,000 58,000 * Number. fTons. % In 1908 more than half the fishermen of the State were on the Illinois River (2,500 persons), and nearly two-thirds of the total capital employed in fisheries ($551,000). Ill reference to the last paragraph of the above quotation^ the statistics of the Federal investigations in the years 1894^ 1899 and 1908 are significant. Dr. Forbes has abstracted these figures as shown in Table No. 19. The statistics cover the entire State of Illinois. It will be observed that during this period the total fisheries product increased in the ratio of abont 6I/2 to 1, the carp increased at the rate of about 25 to 1, the black bass 5I/2 fo 1, crappie, paddlefish, sturgeon, sunfish and perch increased at the ratio of from 8 to 1 to 2 to 1 ; catfish, and white, EISHEKIES. 75 yellow and rock bass substantially holding their own, while buffalo fish, sheeps head, eels, pike and suckers decreased. The buffalo, formerly the principal food fish of the river, markedly decreased, the catch of 1908 being only half that of 1894. This was very much more than made up by the increase in carp. Forbes and Eichardson are further quoted as follows : "If these records show anything at all it would seem to be that the competition of the carp as spawn-eacer and water-soiler has not seriously affected many of our Illinois River species. It is by no means improbable that causes entirely apart from depreciations and competition of carp may have had a large influence in producing the recent decrease of buffalo and drum. Among such causes may be mentioned increased contamination of waters from municipal and industrial sources; the obliteration, by drainage and diking, of backwaters used as spawning grounds; and the increased rapidity of runoff from the prairie and upland, as a result of tiling and the cutting of the forests, affecting the extent and duration of the spawning havens afforded by both swampy areas and small streams. To these causes is to be assigned the decrease and approximate disappearance of such minor species as pickerel and lake sturgeon, which were never very abundant in the rivers in question, and which began to fall off in numbers long before the carp entered the field. "It is not denied that carp will eat fish spawn; but it has not yet been shown chat they seek out spawn for the purpose of consuming it. Black bass, crappie, and sunfish are doubtless able to defend their nests against carp in any case. Certainly the devouring of spawn has not affected the multiplication, as shown by the output, of any of these three species, or of suckers or catfishes. That even a favorable effect of the multiplication of the carp is not impossible is evident when it is remembered that the myriads of young carp offer an almost inexhaustible supply of food to the growing bass, crappies and sunfish. The drum and buffalo, which have decreased, are in their food habits more directly in competition with the carp, being chiefly bottom feeders, utilizing mollusks, crustaceans, and insect larvse. "Of the third charge little can be said. While it is admitted by all competent to judge that carp do uproot vegetation in large quantities, no means are at hand comparing the effect of this destruction on the decrease of water birds with the effects of the operations of the hunters themselves. Since 1900 the problem has been complicated in the case of the Illinois River by the effect of the increased flow from Lake Michigan, which has diminished vegetation in many areas." In further reference to the decrease of certain species, Dr. Forbes is further quoted as follow:* "The cause of this notable decrease in several of our most important native flshes I am strongly disposed to find in excessive fishing due to the enormous multiplication of carp, which is now more important as a fisher- man's fish than all the other fishes of the stream put together. This has necessarily stimulated fishing operations until they have become too active for many of our common native species. If we want to keep these valuable fishes up to the normal stannard, we must evidently take special measures to that end. Indeed, we have found some remarkable evidence of over- fishing at certain local points, especially in Meredosia Bay. This has been seined so steadily and generally that fish resorting there have been pretty well cleared out, and the animal life of the bottom, upon which fish depend largely for their food, has also been largely destroyed. "Another cause of the failure of many of our native fishes is believed by my field assistants to be a lack of practicable fish-ways in the dams a'; La Grange and Kampsville. As our fishes migrate as a rule upstream for their breeding operations and downstream as the water falls in summer, any barrier to their upstream movement necessarily diminishes the stock above it. These lower Illinois dams are under the control of the War Department, * Unpublished notes on conference between the Illinois State Game and Fish Conservation Com- mission and the Director of the National History Survey, Urbana, 111., November 11, 1913. 76 EEPORT ON ILLINOIS EIVEE. over which your commission has, of course, no control. On the other hand, if the essential facts are authoritatively obtained and laid before that depart- ment, the trouble will no doubt be looked after promptly. However, the problem of a satisfactoroy fish-way has not yet been finally solved. It is now, under investigation by the Bureau of Fisheries, and the U. S. Commissioner tells me that he is sending a man to Europe to study the latest developments there, where some improved fish-ways are said to be in very successful use." CO]SrTAMi:N^ATION AND FISH FOOD. Reference has previously been made to the contamination in the Upper Uinois River through the sewage of the city of Chicago and its double effect; firsts its effect in increasing the available fish food, and second, its effect in making the upper waters of the river uninhabitable for fishes. Fortunately the last named effect has not yet seriously in- vaded the best fishing grounds of the stream. Dr. Forbes treats these effects together in the notes last above referred to, as follows : "We have noticed in all our upper river work that, where the stream is heavily polluted, this does not have the effect to kill the fishes which belong there. Indeed, I believe we have never seen a dead fish in the Illinois River, evidently killed by foul water. On the contrary, this merely creates condi- tions which fishes are intelligent enough to avoid. Fishes brought into the sanitary canal by the inflow from Lake Michigan, and thus subjected to the action of the sewage where they cannot; escape from it, practically all perish before they reach the Illinois River; but in that stream itself fishes offended by the pollution of the waters simply withdraw into streams, sloughs, and lakes connected with the main river until this becomes tolerable to them again. The assistant in charge of my Illinois River operations, Mr. R. E. Richardson, tells me that he has often seen carp in Mazon slough, near Morris, come down in the morning in large numbers to the mouth of the slough, and line up there at the edge of the river as if anxious to enter it buc afraid to do so. Once in a while a fish ventured out a foot or twO' into the polluted current, but immediately returned. In the normal movements of our river fishes upstream during the breeding season, they simply stop short or turn back upon their course, when they come to unwholesome water in the main river. Similarly, when they find themselves shut out from their usual breeding grounds by drainage operations, they evidently continue their journey until they reach satisfactory locations. "It is thus that we may explain the evident concentration of fish popula- tion of the river in the central part of its course — a section of the stream "which, with its overfiow lands, is able to maintain, at least for a time, a much larger population than would otherwise have been possible, by reason of the more extensive overfiow, the larger size of the lakes, and the longer continuance of high-water stages since the opening of the drainage canal. "We have found, by a careful comparison of the product of these waters (Thompson Lake in the minute plant and animal life called the plankton, that the river at that point contains about two and a half times as much plankton per cubic yard of water now as it did before the drainage canal was opened. In other words, we have a very large increase in the amout of the water and a great increase also in the amount of plankton produced. As this plankton product is an index of the quanity of fish food produced in the stream, these facts, as you will see, have a direct bearing on the statement just made with regard to the continued productivity of the river as a whole and the increased product of its central section. "There is another factor which we must take into account. The Chicago sewage comes into the river at its upper end in a raw state — not available, that is, as a food for fishes. It is rapidly decomposed in the upper part of the stream in midsummer, and in its decomposition ittakes the oxygen out of the water, but becomes itself converted into what we call nitrites, and then into nitrates, in which latter stage it becomes available food for plants and indirectly food for animals, and these in turn are food for our river FISHERIES. 77 fishes. This process of the conversion of raw sewage into available food is a gradual one, progressing downstream at various rates according to the stage of water and the temperature at the time; but I have a good deal of reason to suppose that by the time the water has reached the central section this conversion process is practically complete, and that here, consequently, this added food becomes generally available for the sustenance of fishes. I am undertaking right now to test the correctness of this supposition by collect- ing several series of water samples from selected points the whole length of the river at different stages of water and at different seasons of the year, to be analyzed at the University by the assistants of the Water Survey of the State, which cooperates with me on these chemical inquiries. I have indeed already a large lot of samples of the bottom sediment or slime of the river and the adjacent lakes, in form for chemical analysis; and by next spring I shall be prepared to give you much more definite information upon these points. If I am right in this matter, the central section of the river and the waters connected with it may be regarded as a huge stomach in which the organic matter contained in the Chicago sewage is digested, assimilated, and worked up, in considerable measure, into the flesh of fishes for our consumption." Although one year's study has indicated a large increase in the plankton of the river, it is not to be inferred that the fish food has in- creased in the same ratio, for the plankton is a minor element in the food of fishes, most of which feed upon or near the bottom and very few of which use the plankton beyond their youngest stages. The organic nitrates which are the basis of the plant and animal life of the stream, have apparently not increased per unit of water, but it is fair to state that in bulk the quantity of nitrates is much greater on account of the greater flow of the stream. It would seem that the inference that a larger bulk of fish food is now available is a fair one. EFFECT OF INCEEASED WATEE LEVELS. The increased water levels that have prevailed in the Illinois Eiver since 1900 have obviously tended to greater water areas and greater areas of land submerged during the breeding season of the fishes. Prior to 1904 very little had been done in the reclamation of farin lands, but thereafter the reclamation was rapid as has been previously outlined in the part of this report discussing agriculture, and more par- ticularly, the diagrams Fig. 11 to Fig. 19 Illustrative of the acres sub- merged at various water stages. COMBINED EFFECT OF INCEEASED WATEE LEVELS AND EECLAMATION. Fig. 26 indicates : first, the yeild of fish from the Illinois Eiver, based on tabular data previously herein presented; second, the greatest water acreage that has prevailed in each of the past years, 1894 to 1915, and third, the water acreage that was equaled or exceeded for about half the time in each of the several years enumerated. The curves of acreage take into account the reduction in the flooded land occasioned by the levees constructed principally subsequent to 1904. It will be noted that the yield of fish has fairly well kept pace with the prevailing water acreage. Throughout most of the period con- sidered, the yield has been approximately 100 lbs. of fish per acre of 78 EEPORT ON ILLINOIS EIVEK. water surface^ prevailing for about half the year. Since 1910, the yeild per acre has apparently been smaller, but the data of fish yield for the years since 1908, is perhaps too uncertain to warrant the conclusion that Dioigroim Showino) Relation or Fish Yields TO Water Acreages Considering Prevailing Woiter Stages Land Reclaimed by Levees To Accompany Report of AlVORD & BURDICK Engineers CHc&cp Note: Acreages, unless otherwise stofted/incluole River Bed. 20§ 1 lOQ ; '^ ---1 \ 1 \ » \ / 1 1 1 i » ,^ ''\ / ^'" ^ CO 1 1 1 ', / •'X'- 1 »' ui 1 ' •/ \ r / » Q # \ 1 1 <^ 1 . f %j f 1 1 \ / o 1 ,'!, Aor res f fw atetv A ji 1 '^ X ^al Floe d A oex«/ '■\ a 1 i \ r'' 1 1 \ / \ 07 Zj \ / \ ^ / \ X ^ i 1 r" ~^ 1 \l '. \ ' i ! X ! ^.B/^ L 1 \ \ Ac ^ jf V otei " / r— 1 ^ f / V \ Vf +he Yeo r f \ 1 V f T ^,\ ^ ■)rT( ore -n' ^ t _^ / 1 k^ a: 1 \ ^' / ^-i \'^ "--I ~ - -^ > »-7fl l-i*. 'V x'"" \y \ \ N / ""—^ y'^ \ 1 *) k y ^ \ Vie do' - - V 2» ^Y Mi ion; of \ , p- f ^. > » (y- -- -'"'^ ( r'^ K(\ ~ t'" — -, 1 "r- — __, V>A cresi .f L ■%VRi J ' — ^- — __ 1, WPIo) leol 190 ° 1895 1900 1905 19 Ye:ars 10 FIGURE 26. the yield of fish has fallen off more rapidly than the reduction in acre- age^ although the data tends to point toward this conclusion. At the bottom of the diagram we show the area of lakes at the low water plane FISHERIES. 79 of 1901j platted from Table No. 20 herewith submitted. It seems to iis questionable whethere valuable deductions can be drawn from the com- parison of the fish yields with the low water area of the lakes, especiall.y the low water areas at a fixed datum plane such as 1901. The area in lakes at this plane has always been substantially contsant prior to about 1904. There was a slight decrease in the lake acreage between 1904 and 1908, and a more rapid decrease between 1908 and the present time. TABLE NO. 20— TABLE SHOWING ACREAGE IN LAKES— ILLINOIS RIVER VALLEY BEFORE THE CONSTRUCTION OF LEVEES AND THE ACREAGE AS REDUCED IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS THROUGH CONSTRUCTION OF LEVEE DISTRICTS. All areas based on the low water plane of 1901. Miles of river. As existing in the — Description of reach. Virgin valley before levee construc- tion- acres. Year 1904— acres. Year 1908- acres. Year 1913- acres. In 1914, includ- ing projects being built— acres. When all projected districts are built —acres. Grafton to Kampsville Lock. Kampsville Lock to Mere- 31.5 39.8 26.0 75.6 24.1 27.4 2,710 7,720 5,770 24,220 1,870 7,050 2,710 7,700 5,520 24, 220 1,870 7,050 2,710 5,950 5,180 24, 180 1,870 7,050 2,150 2,450 3,880 20,280 1,870 6,140 2,170 1,360 2,060 18, 130 1,740 6,140 2,170 930 Meredosia to Browning Browning to Mossville Mossville to Henry Lock Henry Lock to La Salle 2,060 14, 130 1,150 2,440 Grafton to La Salle 224.4 49,340 49,070 46,940 36,770 31,600 22, 880 When the present levee projects are completed, the "leveed-in lake areas" will aggregate 40 per cent of the acreage originally existing. When all projected districts are built, about 55 per cent of the lakes will be cut off from the river. In view of the fact that the fishes breed, to a large extent feed, and are taken by the fishermen mainly in the lakes or from overflowed marshes, it does not require a lengthy argument to show that levee construction is detrimental to the public fishery. FISH YIELD BY DISTEICTS. Table ^o. 21 shows the yield of fish in pounds for the various por- tions of the Illinois Elver. This data is taken from the statistics of the Illinois Fishermen's Association and the Illinois Fish Commission, which distributes the fish according to the shipping points. The infor- mation, therefore, serves to show approximately what parts of the river, have produced various quantities of fish under the changed circumstances of recent years. An examination of this table in connection with Table No. 20 which shows the water acreages divided into the same reaches as covered by the table of fish production, indicates that in the lower portion of the river where the land reclamation has been most; extensive, the growth in the fish production between 1896 and 1908 was smallest, and that the largest growths in yields occurred in the middle portion of the river where few levees had been built up to 1908. 80 EEPORT ON ILLINOIS RIVEE. TABLE NO. 21— STATEMENT OF FISH SHIPPED FROM THE ILLINOIS RIVER FOR THE YEARS, 1896, 1897, 1899, 1900, 1907, 1908. Name of shipping point. Miles above Graf- ton. 1896 From the report of the Illinois Fisher- men's Associa- tion — pounds. 1897 From the report of the Illinois Fisher- men's Associa- tion — pounds. 1899 From the report of the Illinois Fisher- men's Associa- tion — pounds. 1900 1907 From the From the report of report ;he Illinois of the Fisher- Illinois men's Fish Associa- Commis- tion- sion- pounds. pounds. 1908 From the report of the Illinois Fish Commis- sion — pounds. Grafton... Hardin Kampsville Columbiana Pearl Montezuma Florence Harris Landing. Blue Island Valley City.... Naples Meredosia . . . Beardstown. Browning Bluff City Bath Havana Liverpool Kingston Mines Pekin Pekin and Copperas Creek Peoria Chillicothe Chillicothe and Lacon Lacon Sparland Henry Putnam Henry and Putnam. . . Hennepin Bureau Hennepin and Bureau Creek Depue Spring Valley La Salle 0.0 21.2 32.0 32.0 41.9 50.2 55.6 56.1 58.1 61.6 65.6 7L3 88.7 97.3 105.5 111.0 120.1 128.0 145.5 152.9 196, 300 61,400 240, 050 497, 750 190,000 180.5 Total weight- pounds Total value Price per pound. 189.1 189.1 196.0 203.0 207.5 210.0 212.5 218.3 224. 5 190, 000 277, 000 1,678,280 1,955,280 520, 500 270,200 1,573,298 137, 515 11,368 410,000 931, 400 , 854, 281 255, 500 150, 000 245, 000 650,500 56, 580 28,420 186,500 67, 500 223,050 477,050 199,900 214,000 381,250 795, 150 138,000 328, 000 171, 000 1,436,600 1,607,600 1, 103, 700 153, 700 207, 500 1,600,183 190, 180 200, 160 2,124,500 5,579,963 564,650 564,650 938,000 7,232,811 $207,687.22 $0. 029 168, 230 171, 825 61,390 1,339,445 176,600 222, 550 646,550 310, 500 1,789,600 2, 100, 100 869,700 160, 100 282, 570 1,830,291 210, 680 567,390 2,104,940 6, 025, 671 1,092,700 530, 000 166, 330 162,625 88, 390 947,345 9,896,708 11,607,516 $279,482,071 $362,246.77 $0. 027 $0. 031 262, 100 163,210 595, 420 1,020,730 37, 600 397, 000 93, 050 296, 100 172,500 15,000 179, 500 363,500 322, 000 50, 000 375,000 747,000 1, 554, 250 581,990 1,385,470 1,967,460 862, 150 412, 490 368, 800 1,368,010 152,930 773,690 1,240,070 5, 178, 140 765, 800 130,500 388,760 1,285,060 155, 130 287,000 76, 410 518, 540 11,524,180 $388,876.40 $0. 034 40,000 17,000 337,000 500, 000 1,800,000 2,300,000 1,400,000 1,500,000 2,700,000 2,800,000 1,500,000 9,900,000 275,000 360, 000 120, 000 425, 000 905, 000 325, 000 62,000 22,000 409,000 684, 000 1,950,000 2, 634, OOa 1,700,000 1,900,000 3,800,000 3,400,000 2, 800, 000 13,600,000 350,000 75,000 102,000 700, 000 750, OOO 1,050,000 120, 000 42,000 11,000 232,000 405,000 14,739,000 1,202,000 175, ooa 56,000 19,000 270,000 520,000 19,270,000 THE POSSIBILITIES OF FISH CULTURE COMPAEED WITH ILLINOIS RIYEiR YIELDS. To fairly measure the fish productivity of the Ilinois River and to gain an approximation of future possibilities, it will be useful to com- pare the yield of our stream with the fish yields in some foreign coun- FISHERIES. 81 tries where fish culture has been studied and practiced. Most of the available experience has been gained in Germany and Austria, although fish culture has been extensively practiced in Japan and in China for centuries. ILLINOIS EIVEE YIELD, 1908. In order that we may have a yardstick to measure the foreign expe- rience, it will be useful to set down the Illinois Eiver yield as per U. S. Census for the year 1908. Table No. 22 shows the figures for 1908 in total and per acre of water surface under various conditions, from the low water of 1901 to the high water of 1904. It will be well to keep in mind that 1908 was a banner fishing year, the total product being more than twice the average of the ten or fifteen preceding years. The cause was probably the long continued high water of that spring and several springs preceding during the breeding time and the most important feeding time of the fishes, coupled with the low water in the fall, which gave the fishermen an extraordinary chance to harvest their crop. TABLE NO. 22— YIELD OF ILLINOIS RIVER FISHERIES (EXCLUSIVE OF MUSSEL SHELLS AND PEARLS) YEAR 1908. Pounds. Value to fishermen at three cents per pound. Total (by United States Census) Per mile of river (La Salle to Grafton — 224) Per acre of river lakes and ponds, at plane of low water of 1901, excluding lakes within agricultural levee districts (75,430 A.) Per acre of lakes and ponds at pane of low water of 1901, excluding lakes within agricultural levee districts (46,940 A.) Per acre of water normally prevailing about one-half the year in river ponds and lakes (i. e. 10 feet on Beardstown gage) based on the virgin river valley as with no levees (157,000 A.) Per acre of water normally prevailing about one-half the year in river ponds and lakes (i. e. 10 feet on Beardstown gage) excluding area of river (128,510 A.) Per acre of flood water, 1904, flood plane (358,740) Per acre of land and lakes flooded, 1904, flood plane (280,910) 23,896,000 106, 700 317 510 152 186 67.5 85 $721,000 00 3,220 00 9 58 15 40 4 60 5 61 2 01 2 57 It is further significant to note that in the natural river and its connected waters, the average varies widely with the stage of water, and hence with the season of the year so that it is unfair to fish farming to compare low water acreages in the rivers and lakes with the product of artificial ponds where the acreage is constant, for in the river and con- nected waters, the wild fish, breed and feed over areas tremendously larger than prevail at low water. To base the acre yield of fish on the low water area of the IJlinois Eiver is like basing the live stock yield on the farm upon the area of the barnyard. The true measure of the wild fish yield should be based upon an acreage somewhere between that at low water and flood. For comparison with acre yields in agriculture, the yield of the river must be compared with the acres of land that could be reclaimed and hence, practically the area of land above the low water plane frequentl}^ flooded, excluding the channel of the river at low water and possibly some of the lakes. Table No. 22 shows the Ilinois Eiver flsh yield for 1908 in pounds and value, together with the yields per acre on various surfaces from low — 6 R L 82 EEPOET ON ILLINOIS EIVER. water to high water. It will be observed that the yield of fish was $2.01 per acre of flood water in the flood of 1904^ and $15.40 per acre of lakes and ponds at the low water plane of 1901. It was $2.57 per acre of land and lake bends flooded in 1904^ excluding the low water channel of the river. FOEEIGK FISH YIELDS. Actual figures on foreign fish yields are difficult to secure; little authentic information is published in English. Through the assistance of the State Laboratory of N'ational History^ a search in the German publications has furnished data which are summarized in Table 23. This table includes a few data of actual yield and a few summarized con- clusions of foreign observers believed to be well informed, A column is shown of gross return in fish per acre of pond su.rf ace. The last column in the table shows the equivalent yield per acre based on the averarge price of Ilinois fish for 1908, which was about 3 cents per pound. This is about one-fourth or one-fifth of European prices. TABLE NO. 23— SUMMARIZED DATA ON FISH YIELDS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. Pounds per acre. Cents per pound. Gross yield per acre. Gross yield per acre three cents pound. 1. A German pond fishery with 202 acres in ponds — artificial feeding. Carefully operated — Fischerei Zeitung, 1907. Product almost entirely carp 2. E. Walters' estimate of the yield of carp per year in Germany without feeding or manuring f roin ponds laid dry over winter — Fischerei Zeitung, 1907 — On poor uncultivated land, bog or otherwise sterile bottom On sour and bad meadow land, alder swamps and mud holes On good meadow land On first class ground 3. A recorded yield from wild waters, Germany. A pond or lake, 8.83 acres, with hard sandy bottom, depth 9 feet, containing a varied assortment of wild fish — Fischerei Zeitung, 1908 4. Yield of cloister ponds in Jutland, Denmark. Four national ponds; fish not fed. (F. Z., 1910) 5. Unusual yield of carp in small pond culture, Japan, heavily fed . 225 acres in very small ponds. Fisch- erei Zeitung, 1907 6. Statement as to German yields, Zeitschrift Fur Fischerei, 1897— Small fish ponds not unusual If ponds are fed from waste of farm or an entire community — pounds of carp Village of Kraschnitz, 10 acres product in year, 1896 Known cases by feeding and the use of newer rational methods 252 43.5 87 174 348 1,517 1,778 267 to 334 14.8 *10. 1 10.1 10.1 10.1 3.5 $37 20 17 60 35 20 25 40 62 23 00 to 40 00 71 00 100 00 $ 7 55 1 30 2 61 5 22 10 44 45 51 53 40 02 to 10 00 t21 30 t30 00 * Average price for carp in Germany, 1907. t Assuming German price to have been 10 cents per pound. Although some remarkable yields are shown up to $100.00 per acre per year at foreign prices, the German experience, which seems to be more conservative and accurate, seems to give promise of not more than from $35.00 to $40.00 per acre at the German prices, and from $7.00 to $10.00 at the American prices now prevailing. The greatest fishing year on the Illinois Eiver seems to compare quite favorably with these figures. FISHEKIES. 83 THE YIELD OF A FISH FARM. As bearing upon the future joossibilities in tlie Ilinois Eiver val- ley, it is instructive to quote the somewhat detailed figures of one com- mercial fish farm in Germany as shown in Table No. 24. It will be observed that 202 acres of water surface divided into 52 ponds, with a total investment of $29,094, including land, returned gross $37.30 per acre at an annual cost including four per cent on the investment of $27.15 per acre, leaving a net profit of $10.15 per acre. The net return on the investment exclusive of interest was 11 per cent. It is instructive to note that the overseer received only $432 per year and that the total expense for labor was only $1,140 ; further, that the average price received for fish was about 13.6 cents per pound. At present American prices for labor and for fish, the yield from this farm would have been very much less than the running expenses. Where suit- able ponds exist, however, or can be cheaply constructed on land not otherwise useful, as is the case in many of the levee districts of the Illinois River Yalley, it is possible that intelligent fish culture as an adjunct to farming can be made practicable. It is understood that ex- periments along this line are now being made by farmers in the valley. It would be well if their efforts in this direction could be so supervised by the State that the experiment is fairly tried. TABLE NO. 24— FINANCIAL STATEMENT OF A GERMAN POND FISHERY FROM THE FISCHEREI ZEITUNG, 1907, P. 517. Area of water surface 202 acres divided into 52 ponds. Value of Plant— Land $11, 527 20 Pond system 8, 902 80 Buildings 2, 808 00 Fish 4, 126 80 Old inventories 343 20 Gates and sluices 1, 386 00 Total $29,094 00 Total. Per acre. Income from sale of fisli^ {^principally carp at 13.6 cents per pound) $7,535 04 $37 30 Expense and Fxed Charges- Four per cent on $29,094 $1,163 76 53 04 3 84 Land and building tax $ 6 05 $1,220 64 Repairs to buildings Renewal of implements $ 76 08 72 00 92 40 432 00 708 00 204 00 172 80 124 08 1,788 00 151 20 13 20 433 92 Salary of overseer other help Transportation charges Fertilizers Lime. Fish food " Office expense. . . Loss of fishes. . . 4,267 68 21 10 Total $5,488 32 $27 15 Net profit. $2,046 72 $10 15 * The sales of fish in normal years from this property averages as follows: Carp, pounds Tench, pounds Trout, pounds Total, pounds 47, 187 2,866 875 50,919 PART VI. PAST FLOODS AND THE PROBABILITIES OF THE FUTURE. From what has been said in Part III^ as to the extent to which the construction of levees has encroached upon the bottom lands^ it will be realized that the safety of these and other bottom land improvements depends upon the adequacy of the designs to meet the future flood con- ditions. Waterways must be maintained of sufficient width and depth to permit the passage of the floods. In the consideration of this matter^ it becomes necessary to esti- mate the maximum rates of flow likely to occur, for a comparison of flood heights alone, past and future, is impracticable on account of the important changes brought about through levee construction. In making an estimate of future flood rates, it will be necessary to closely examine past experience, for we can view the future no more accurately than we can see the past. The past furnishes the best guide for the future. It, therefore, becomes of significance to inquire as to the flood rates that have occurred upon the Illinois Eiver. In this inquiry it will be useful to examine a record of flood heights, for, while the greatest height and greatest flow are not always simultaneous, they are likely to be approximately so, and we may reasonably look for the greatest flow rates among the years when the highest gage readings occurred. FLOOD HEIGHTS. Table No. 25 shows the maximum gage height in each year so far as it is a matter of record; at Peoria from 1867 to 1914, and at Beards- town, Pearl and Grafton since 1879 or 1880. These are not simultaneous gage readings, but record the highest elevation of the water during the year at the several places. The date of each high water is noted in the table. It will be observed that the same flood does not always produce the highest water of the year at every place upon the river; thus, very frequently the maximum gage height at Grafton occurs in May, June or July, being influenced principally by the Mississippi Eiver. Pearl is influenced by the Mississippi Eiver to a less degree. At Beard stown and Peoria the gage heights are governed almost entirely by Illinois Eiver flows, the maximum flood usually occuring in March or in April. The flood of greatest height upon the Illinois Eiver occurred before the establishment of the present gages. This flood was so remarkable however, as to leave well authenticated marks well distributed through- out the river valley and for comparative purposes, we have shown the gage height of this flood at the four places noted, as it would have been had gages been in place as at present. 84 PAST AND FUTURE FLOODS. 85 TABLE NO. 25— HIGHEST WATER IN EACH YEAR— GAGE HEIGHT AT SALIENT PLACES ON ILLINOIS RIVER. Peoria. Beardstown. Pearl. Grafton.. Miles from mouth 163.0 435. 82 5.5 21.33 15.75 19.17 16.25 15.66 88.9 427. 25 6.7 43.1 419. 70 5.42 Zero of gage Memphis D . . Low water of 1901 410. 96 1.4 July 26-28 Feb. 20 May 12 July 1 Mar. 29 Mar. 19 July 26-28 Dec 17-18 1867. 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 is. 42 13.75 Apr. 13 Feb. 19 1874 1875 1876 1 ie. 58 15.50 Apr. 7 Apr. 5 1877 : 1878 1879 11.7 13.4 16.1 17.8 21.8 16.6 Apr. 22 May 17 Dec. 31 June 16 Feb. 25 Apr. 2 8.6 16.6 Apr. 25 May 1 1880 19.05 22.89 23.14 23.34 21.09 17.28 18.47 13.65 22.49 14.39 14.64 14.9 25.69 July 8-9 May 5 July 5-6 1881 1882 1883 20.88 17.66 1884 . Mar. 29 Apr. 6-7 Apr. 29 May 15 Feb. 16 May 30 May 31 June 30 1885 16.58 14.08 14.75 11.08 9.17 9.83 10.70 20.42 18.10 7.75 Jan. 22 Feb. 27 Feb. 28 Mar. 29 July 2 Jan. 19 Apr. 26 May 19 May 5 Mar. 22 1886 16.00 18.66 14.10 Feb. 19 Feb. 19 Mar. 30 16.0 16.5 13.5 12.0 13.5 12.8 18.4 17.0 9.8 Feb. 26 Feb. 23 Apr. 3 June 27 Jan. 20 Apr. 24 May 15 Mar. 14 Mar. 20 1887 1888 1889 1890.. . 13.30 15.00 2L90 19.90 12.30 15.00 14.70 18.30 19.30 15.10 19.90 17.70 21.00 19.30 23.00 17.90 15.90 20.40 22.20 17.80 17.30 15. 80 19.80 23.30 15.40 26.92 June 25 Apr. 17 May 9 Mar. 15 Mar. 14 Dec. 31 Jan. 1 Mar. 24 Mar. 31 Mar. 22 Mar. 16 Mar. 31 July 22 Mar. 12 Mar. 28 May 19 Mar. 7 Jan. 24 Mar. 10 May 5 Mar. 12 Nov. 24 Apr. 1 Mar. 30 Apr. 8 1891 Apr. 26 May 18 1892 1893 1894 14.4 14.4 18.1 23.2 18.0 18.2 17.2 16.6 20.4 28.65 24.07 18.3 18.3 17.9 23.8 22.6 14.3 15.4 23.6 20.5 12.6 32.16 May 12 Dec. 22 1895 1896 May 30 May 2 May 23 May 25 Mar 16 1897 18.33 18.33 12.50 16.08 14.00 17.30 20.60 19.30 13.00 15.20 16.10 19.70 15.50 12.80 15.10 19.60 20.80 10.20 26.50 Apr. 7 Apr. 6 Mar. 22 Mar. 22 Apr. 10 July 28 June 12 Apr. 7 June 17 Apr. 13 Feb. 3 May 26 May 12 Jan. 27 Oct. 7 Apr. 10 Apr. 11 Apr. 16 1898 19.9 14.1 17.7 15.2 18.0 17.0 20.0 14.1 15.6 18.3 20.6 15.5 14.8 16.9 18.8 2L8 13.4 22.50 Apr. 1 Mar. 14 Mar. 19 Apr. 6 July 26 Mar. 15 Apr. 4 June 14 Apr. 10 Jan. 29 May 24 May 10 Jan. 31 Oct. 7 Apr. 4 Apr. 5 Apr. 15 1899 1900 1901 1902 Apr. 10-11 July 26 June 1 1903 1904 Apr. 30 Tnnp Ifi 1905 1906 Apr. 15 July 25 1907 1908 1909 . July 15 May 10 Oct 4 1910.... 1911. 1912 Apr. 10 Apr. 11-12 1913 1914 1844 It will be noted that this flood is nearly four feet higher than any other flood recorded at Peoria, .7 of a foot higher at Beardstown, 5.7 foot higher at Pearl, and 6.5 foot higher than any other flood recorded at Grafton. It is worthy of note that the 1913 flood at Beardstown closely approached the 1844 flood in height, bnt was considerably less in height at the other places given in the table. This matter is considered else- where in this report. The eight highest floods at Peoria (Lower Wagon Bridge), were as follows: Gage Gage Gage Year. height. Year. height. Year. height. 1904 23.0 1892 21.9 1883 20.88 1913 22.3 1867 21.33 1907 20.4 1908 22.2 1902 21.0 These are the only floods exceeding 20 feet on the gage. 86 REPORT ON ILLINOIS RIVER. FLOOD OF 1904. The flood of 1904 which attained the greatest height at Peoria reached since 1844, was measured at numerous places upon the river by the CJ. S. Engineers in connection with their report on the waterway^ and also by the U. S. Geological Survey in connection with the hydro- graphic work on the rivers of the United States. Measurements were made at the apex of the flood as nearly as possible, and also at numerous other gage heights between flood stage and low water, particularly in the year 1904, but also in the years 1903, 1905 and 1906. Eeference has previously been made to measurements by Mr. Jacob A. Harmon in 1900 and 1899. TABLE NO. 26— GREATEST MEASURED FLOWS— FLOOD OF 1901. Illinois River. • Location of discharge section. Great- Miles Date of Gage height est from meas- meas- Graf- ure- ured ton. ment. —feet. flows— sec.-ft. By whom measurement was made. Remarks. Pearl— C. & A. bridge Pearl— C. & A. bridge Beardstown — city bridge. . . Beardstown — city bridge. . . Havana— city bridge Havana — city bridge Havana— city bridge Havana — city bridge Havana— city bridge Peoria— P. & P. U. bridge.. Peoria— P. & P. U. bridge.. Peoria— P. & P. U. bridge.. Peoria— P. & P. U. bridge.. Peoria— P. & P. U. bridge.. Peoria— P. & P. U. bridge.. Peoria— P. & P. U. bridge.. Ottawa— C. B. & Q. bridge Ottawa— C. B. & Q. bridge, Devine — E. J. & E. bridge., Devine — E. J. & E. bridge., *Mouth of Jackson Creek. . . *Mouth of Jackson Creek. . . *Mouth o"f Jackson Creek. . . 43.2 Apr. 5 19.3 115,204 43.2 Mar'. 9 19.1 109, 404 88.8 31 19.4 90,647 88.8 Mar. 29 18.5 88,924 119.9 Apr. 1 19.9 80,302 119.9 Mar. 29 19.7 76,071 119.9 Mar. 28 19.4 74,314 119.9 Mar. 26 18.1 75, 970 119.9 Mar. 25 17.6 74,268 160.7 Mar. 28 121. 83 58, 370 160.7 Mar. 31 2L48 44, 808 160.7 Apr. 2 21.17 41,934 160.7 Apr. 7 20.12 51,558 160.7 Apr. Mar. 9 19.66 52,367 160.7 23 19.3 59,333 160.7 Mar. 22 18.8 57,538 239.6 Apr. Mar. 2 —117. 3 54,473 239. 6 30 —118. 3 46,561 270.7 Mar. 26 —78. 47 57,097 270.7 Mar. 27 —79. 98 50,920 278.4 Mar. 25 —74.1 20,078 278.4 Mar. 25 —74.6 17,943 278.4 Mar. 25 —74.8 17,343 U. S. Engrs. do do do U. S. G. S... -do ..do U. S. Engrs. ..do U. S. G. S... ..do ..do ..do ..do U. S. Engrs. ..do U. S. G. S... ..do ..do ..do ..do ..do ..do .08' below crest on April 6. .28' below crest on April 6. .6' below crest on April 4. 1.5' below crest on April 4. .Crest on April 1, 42,000 c. f. s. estimated over road. .2' below crest, 9,000 c. f. s. estimated over road. .5' below crest. 1.8' below crest. 2.3' below crest. Crest on March 28. .35' below crest. .66' below crest. 1.71' below crest. 2.17' below crest. 2.53' below crest. 3.03' below crest. 1.9' below crest on Mar. 27. 2.9' below crest on Mar. 27. Crest on March 26. 1.51' below crest. .11' below crest on Mar. 26. .6' below crest on Mar. 26. .8' below crest on Mar. 26. * Flow of Des Plaines River near its mouth. Table N'o. 26 shows a summary of the flow measurements made by the U. S. Engineers and the U. S. Geological Survey, at and near the apex of the flood of 1904 at several places throughout the length of the river. It will be observed that all measurements were not made exactly at the apex of the flood, and although at most of the places, the measure- ments agree fairly well, stage of water considered, the measurements of the U. S. Engineers, generally give greater flows than those of the U. S. Geological Survey, and at Peoria, the difference is large when the stage of the river is considered at the times of the respective measurements. CONCLUSIONS OF U. S. ENGINEERS. As a result of their measurements, the U. S. Board of Engineers reported the maximum flow rates of the 1904 flood as follows: FIGURE 27 Ili-ES ARO^/e 0WAFTON. PAST AND FUTURE FLOODS. . 87 Second-feet. Joliet, Des Plaines Eiver 22,000 Channahon, Des Plaines Eiver 22,000 Devine, Illinois Eiver. 73,000 Ottawa, Illinois Eiver 85,000 Peoria, Illinois Eiver 90,000 Havana, Illinois Eiver 100,000 Bearclstown, Illinois Eiver 115,000 Pearl, Illinois Eiver 117,000 PEOEIA EATHSTG CUEVE. As Peoria is one of the best measuring points on the river, and a long gage record is valuable here, it becomes of considerable impor- tance to determine the ^^I'oper gage height and flow relation as closly as the data will permit. Turning to Fig. 9 (the diagram of rating curves) it will be observed that six measurements have been made, resulting in flows between 50,000 and 60,000 second-feet at gage heights between 19 and 23 feet, two by the U. S. Engineers, three by the U. S. Geological Survey, and one by Mr. Jacob A. Harmon. The one measurement at the flood apex made by the U. S. Geological Survey is not in accord with the five other measurements which were made at stages from 2 to 4 feet lower. As bearing upon, this matter, Mr. J. W. Woermann, C. E., in his report to the United States Engineer Office, makes the following comment : "During the flood stage the work was concentrated between Peoria and the mouth for the reason that the U. S. Geological Survey had a party at work taking measurements on the upper part of the river. At Peoria and Havana, measurements were taken by both parties, and it is possible to compare their results. The results agree fairly well for ordinary stages, but at high water our curves give greater discharges than those of the U. S. Geological Survey. In my opinion, this is accounted for by the fact that the observers of the U. S. Geological Survey used small Price current meters with comparatively light weights, and we know from our own observations, that the meters were deflected out of a vertical position very materially. This, of course, resulted in the meters recording a lower felocity than actu- ally existed. It is believed, therefore, that the results obtained on this survey with a large Price current meter and a 60 pound weight are more reliable. "It should also be stated that our measurements were taken from a cable away from the disturbing influences of the bridge piers, whereas their meters were suspended directly from the bridges in taking observations." It was thought that the above apparent difference might be ex- plainable by different conditions of rive slope, and therefore, Fig. 27 was prepared which shows the profile of the flood surface on various dates from March 23d to April 30th. The measurment of the U. S. Engineers was made on March 23d, at which time the fall between the Lower Wagon Bridge and Pekin was 3.25 feet. The measurement of the IJ. S. Geological Survey was made on March 28th, at which time the fall between these places was 3.6 feet. The gage height at Peoria was 2.8 feet higher on March 28th, and at Pekin 2.45 feet higher on March 28th than on March 23d. These figures indicate that the velocities on March 28th must have been equal to or slightly greater than those on March 23d, and that 88 EEPOET ON ILLINOIS EIVEE. therefore, the difference in the flow results cannot be accounted for on the score of changed river conditions. The flows undoubtedly were con- siderably greater on the 28th than on the 23d. There is a fuither reason for believing that the flow on March 28th was considerably larger than would be indicated by the U. S. Geological Survey measurement. At another place in this report the flow co- efficients prevailing in the stream and in the river valley are discussed, and tables are shown of the values prevailing in the river prisni and in the flooded valley, according to the best available information on this and other rivers. If a flow so small as that reported by the U. S. Geo- logical Survey occurred, the flow coefficients would be materially smaller than evidently obtained elsewhere on the river and upon other rivers. In fact, using reasonable values in the channel section proper under the cross-sections and slopes prevailing, the channel should have been capable of discharging somewhat more water than was measured, without con- sidering any flow at all as traveling by way of the flooded bottom lands. For all of these reasons, we are inclined to the belief that the max- imum flow rate at Peoria was about 80,000 second-feet at the flood apex, or slightly less than the estimate of the U. S. Engineers. At other places further down the river, the agreement in measure- ments is fairly close. In the light of all the measurements made, we would place the prevailing flow rates at figures slightly under the esti- mates of the U. S. Engineers for the middle reaches of the river. CONCLUSIOl^S AS TO FLOOD RATES IN 1904. In order that we may have concrete figures for use hereafter, it seems necessary to determine the 1904 flows. It is our opinion that the figures of flow set down in Table No. 27 are most closely concordant with all the available information. The table also shows the drainage area tributary to each of the observation stations, and the flow rate in cubic feet per second per square mile. TABLE NO. 27— ESTIMATED MAXIMUM FLOW— FLOOD OF 1904. Illinois River. Place. 4) Date. II II M 1 si is' II ID'S ^=2 II Ill § o H Q f^ Remarks. Grafton Pearl Beardstown Havana Peoria fOttawa— C. B. & Q. Bridge fDevine— E. J. & E. Bridge ♦Channahon- near mth. of Jackson Creek *Joliet — below Econ. Lt. & Power Co. Dam. Apr. 20 Apr. 6 Apr. 4 Apr. 1 Mar. 23 Mar. 28 125,000 115,000 105,000 90,000 80,000 27,914 26, 182 23,444 17,454 13,479 4.48 4.40 4.47 5.15 5.94 43.2 88.8 119.9 162.3 19.4 20.0 19.9 21.8 23.0 Mar. 27 239,8 —113. 35 85,000 10,229 8.31 Mar. 25 270.7 —78.8 73,000 6,538 11.21 Mar. 26 278.0 14.1 22,000 975 22.5 Mar. 23 288.4 —5.5 22,000 975 22.5 U. S. Engrs. estimate, 117,000. U. S. Engrs. estimate, 115,000. U. S. Engrs. estimate, 100,000. U. S. Engrs. estimate, 90,000. Estimate of U. S. Engineers. Estimate of U. S. Engineers. Estimate of U. S. Engineers. Estimate of U. S. Engineers. * Note. — These places on Des Plaines River above head of Illinois River, t Sanitary District gages. PAST AND FUTURE FLOODS. 89 FLOODS OF 1844. The flood of 1844 as before stated, reached greater heights than any previous flood at every place upon the river. In order that some idea might be formed as to the rate prevailing during this flood, some comparisons have been made relative to the comparative cross-sections, slopes and mean depth prevailing in 1844, and in 1904 under the meas- ured flood. It has been demonstrated that in the flow of rivers, the average velocity and hence the delivery, will vary approximately as the cross- sectional area, the square root of the mean depth and the square root of the slope. This relation holds so long as the retarding effect of the sur- faces over which the water passes remains constant. It is not possible to determine simultaneously gage readings for the flood of 1844. The best that can be done is to reason from the high- water marks which are determined with fair accuracy at numerous places and to compare them with similar highwater marks in the measured flood of 1904. The high water marks of 1844 are fairly well determined at Peoria and at Pekin, points about ten miles apart. The figures bearing upon this point are as follows : Flood of Flood of 1904. 1844. Average cross-sectional area, square feet 79,020 111,220 Mean depth— feet 12.2 15.85 Fall Peoria to Pekin— feet 3.6 1.7 Square root of mean depth 3.50 3.98 Square root of fall 1.90 1,30 Eatio of cross-sections 1.40 . Eatio of depth, square roots . 1.14 Eatio of fall, square roots .69 Product of ratios net relation 1.10 These figures so far as they go, would indicate that the 1844 flood was about 10 per cent greater than the flood of 1904 in the vicinity of Peoria. A similar comparison between LaOrange and Pearl, a distance of 33.2 miles, in which the fall was 2.3 feet in 1844, and 6.38 feet in 1904, indicates that at this place the flood rate of 1844 was about 32 per cent greater than in 1904. A comparison over a longer stretch of river, namely, from Beards- town to Grafton, upon the same basis, would indicate a quite materially higher ratio than the above, but it is believed that not much reliance can be placed on the extreme highwater slope indications so near to the Mississippi Eiver, the heights at Grafton being very largely governed by agencies of the Illinois Eiver. The above comparisons take no account of the influence of increased depth and velocity, upon the frictional resistance of the water in passage. These factors would tend to increase the apparent flows in 1844 by the amount of about 25 per cent. (Effect of these factors on value of C in Kutter's formula.) The comparison further takes no account of the 90 REPORT ON ILLINOIS RIVER. difference in skin friction that may have existed (as covered by the value of N in Ivntter's f ormnla) . This would tend to reduce the comparative flow rates in 1844, for much of the bottom land has been cleared of trees and brush, especially in the lower river in the year of 1904. Com- putations seem to show that about one-half the flood passed by way of the bottom lands in the lower part of the river in 1904, at which time little had been done in the way of levee construction. This land was probably a jungle in 1844, highly resistant to passage of water. The river channel proper was probably in much the same condition in 1844 and 1904, and if we disregard the water passing over land, and consider the channel section of the river only, the hydraulic elements would indicate an excess fiOAV rate in 1844 of about 14 per cent in the reach between Peoria and Pekin, and in the reach from LaG-range to Pearl, the channel flow rates would be indicated as approximately equal. The slopes between Pekin and Havana would seem to indicate higher flow rates in 1844 than any of the above, unless it can be shown that the land was wooded to a much greater extent in 1844, and upon this point we have no information. The land at the present time has perhaps the highest percentage of trees and brush of any reach on the river. Between Peoria and the Great Bend, the high flows are also indicated, but the flood marks are not so numerous or well authenticated. It is believed that there is good reason for the conclusion that in the lower river, say below Beardstown, the flow rate in 1844 at no time was materially greater than the rate observed in 1904. In the upper river, the indication is less clear and the flood rates of 1844 probably exceeded those in 1904 by not less than 15 per cent, and possibly more, FLOOD OF 1913. The flood of 1913 produced a maximum flow rate at Peoria about 10 per cent less than the flood of 1904. In the lower river at Beardstown it reached a height within .7 of a foot of the 1844 flood, but it traversed a river differing greatly from that existing in 1904 and previously par- ticularly between Beardstown and Grafton. The flow cross-section was greatly reduced on account of the levee construction. For reaches of considerable length, the water was confined between agricultural levees and the high bank on the western side of the river, closely approximating the channel conditions in the main stream here and elsewhere. We have elsewhere herein demonstrated the values for coefficients of flow generally prevailing in the channel sections of the Illinois River, and if these values are applied to the channel sections and slopes pre- vailing below Beardstown in the flood of 1913, it is indicated that the maximum flow rates during this flood were closely approximate to the measured rates in the flood of 1904. There is reason to believe that in 1913 as in 1904, a large increment was furnished by the Sangamoon River, and the rates thus produced were probably accentuated by exten- sive operations in channel straightening in the Sangamon River bottoms completed prior to 1913, that tended to reduce the natural storage in the valley of the Sangamon River, and somewhat increased the rates of flow delivered to the Illinois at Beardstown. All these matters seem to indicate that the maximum flood rate in 1913 was about 10 per cent less than the rate in 1904 in the vicinity of PAST AND FUTURE FLOODS. 91 Peoria, and substantially equal to the 1904 flood rates at Beardstown and below. THE PEOBABLE FLOODS OF THE FUTURE. It becomes necessary, if we may design works that will safely stand the floods hereafter, to estimate as accurately as we can the flood rates that the future is likely to produce. In estimates of this kind we can do no more than to examine the past and to assume that what has occurred before may occur again, and referring particularly to the Illinois River, it will not be sufficient to base our conclusions on the experience of this river on which continuous records cover only about fifty years. Due weight must be given to the experience on other rivers having a longer record, for experience has shown that the peculiar com- bination of circumstances that produce a deluge and flood materially greater than the ordinary large flood, may occur on any stream at any time, and where records are sufficiently lengthy, it is shown that the intervals between such occurrences may be very great, in fact, so long as centuries, or, the great floods may follow one another closely. The experience in this regard upon some streams of long record is instructive. OREAT FLOODS. Upon the Mississippi, the greatest flood since the occupation of the valley occurred in 1844. The flood second in magnitude occurred in 1785. There was an interval of fifty-nine years between these floods and in the seventy-one 3^ears since 1844, this flood has not been closely approached. The flood of 1883 on the Ohio River at Cincinnati was the greatest flood up to that time since the river has been known to the white man. The following year a slightly greater flood occurred which has not since been equaled. At Cairo on the same river, the record flood occurred in 1883. It was slightly exceeded in 1912, and again exceeded in 1913. The late Mr. Emil Kuichling, C. E., quotes the official investigation into the floods of the river Seine at Paris, and states that in observations covering 400 years, the greatest flood occurred March 1, 1658. The flood second in magnitude occurred January 28, 1910. This flood almost equaled the former great flood and was estimated at 83,500 second-feet on 16,860 square miles, a rate of about 5 second-feet per square mile, which is approximately equal to the flood of 1904 upon the Illinois River. The flood third in magnitude occurred December 26, 1740; it was slightly smaller than the flood last above mentioned. Mr. Kuichling also quotes the experience on the River Danube at Vienna, on which the highest water from well attested flood marks occurred in the year 1501. The flood was roughly estimated at 503,200 second-feet on 39,200 square miles, a flood rate of about 13 second-feet per square mile. Numerous floods have since occurred upon this river, but none larger than 307,800 second-feet. This is over 25 per cent less than the discharge in the great flood of 1501. The above citations emphasizes the value of long records and the chance for serious error in the drawing of conclusions from a short record. rj 92 REPORT ON ILLINOIS RIVER. FLOOD EATES ON OTHEE STEEAMS. As throwing light upon what may occur in the valley of the Illinois Eiver, we have collected such data as we could secure relative to the maximum flood flow rates that have been observed on the streams in and adjacent to the State of Illinois. We show this data in table No. 28. These streams are all much smaller than the Illinois Eiver, and as would be expected, show flood rates per unit of drainage area consider- ably higher than the rates on the Illinois Eiver. The streams listed include Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, and the flow rates vary from 7 to 34 second-feet per square mile. TABLE NO. 28— MAXIMUM FLOOD FLOWS ON STREAMS IN AND ADJACENT TO ILLINOIS. River. Place of measure- ment. Date. o M n^,:^. j , .... . .^ .. «^??oc{"iuq ^vHcncqrno:> lo^ b^br»t i: TO tio^o of \:iqqD 0^ bebns^i olum-xJ^; ydciul TSEEEHHxTiEEEEEE I- .Hi rf--4- Indicate max, ffo Only Well Defined Maximum Floods ver Flood of I9C4 (a greatflood). - - -- - — — w rates in Illinois Rl L Indiccifes +he flow rafes in the Ohio Floods of 1913 on -fhe Olerfo^ (t). 5ciofo(2), Lower Scioto (5\ and Miami (4). The first -Hxeeoine maxiiriuno 24 hgvr rate*. The Miami flood Is a ccfisJ" rate bi;fwois probably nearly the same for 24 hours, '^ Indicates great floolds in Illinois and adjacent +«rritory, • Indicates rnaximom 24 hnnr rates on all ris/ers east o^ttie Mississippi Where continuous records have been kept for lOyears or more. i=ronn data compiled by Wesfon E. Puller, M.Am.Sx.C.E. J<, Curve) Represents Kuichling formula tor occasional maximums. K, " " " » n rare " These curves are net intended -ftr applicoHon to areae over 5 000 sq. miles but are extended for comparative purposes. M (Curve) Represents Murdiv formula Intended to apply to areas of less than 10.000 square miles. . 4 HI i 4 J ^ .«« ' » 6 -^ H~ ^ 1 ll" 70 k- r IL 70 X ^\ ii 60 ' i (0 ip , S^ • 1 \ N o ^ ^ • n^ *4 e ^ <4 kf V ^ 1 ' ° «>•, ■^ K. ^h?- Bi. _ _ _ :K - ^ eoi 6 *^ »' - S" - ?A "^» "-* ■4?= ^K = "^== = . : .r:r: ;::; ;:: ^ .. ~ S . _- it^. . _- hzzV. » oo } ' A o M ■ -^ — n- ~ ^ L ~' 5 00O 10 000 15000 20000 25CXX) DRAiNAee Area in Square Miles TT Trrr ■A: ■ff n i *».5 ^ ! I T"1 1 i-T" , l i |, < ^ i #f r--.. Ot,^ iii i-i*- ru •^ oe t 0^ § ill or „ii PAST AND FUTURE FLOODS. 93 a large number of other American streams lying east of the Mississippi, and for purposes of comparison, the greatest recorded flood rates on the Illinois Eiver are shown. It is the purpose of this diagram to illustrate the wide variation in maximum flow rates of the streams of the eastern United States, and to further illustrate the effect of the size of the water- shed contributing to the stream flow. The diagram is platted with drainage area in square miles laid off horizontally, and maximum flood flows in cubic feet per second per square mile, vertically. Each spot represents an observation on some stream, and is platted opposite to the size of its drainage area and its flow rates Mr. Einil Kuichling in connection with his report on the New York State Barge Canal, platted similar data for some of these streams and others, and drew curves of relation which are reproduced on Fig. 28 marked ^^K-2" and "K-1'^ on the diagram, indicating the flood rates upon drainage areas of various sizes likely to occur rarely, and occasion- ally, respectively. The Murphy formula for streams of the northeastern United States is also represented by the curve lime marked"M." The Kuichling formula was intended to apply to drainage areas not larger than 5,000 square miles, and the Murphy formula to areas up to 10,000 square miles. Curves "M'^ and K-1'^ have, however, been extended to cover the total drainage area of the Illinois Eiver for comparative purposes, and seem to flt conditions fairly well. It will be observed that 1913 floods on the Ohio streams equaled, or, in one case, materially exceeded the curve of rare floods. It will further be seen that the Illinois Eiver has the lowest flood rates of any of the great rivers recorded, and in its upper reaches where the drainage area is small, it is well below the average of streams having a like drainage area. AETIFICAL CONDITIONS AFFECTING FLOOD EATES. At the outset it will perhaps be desirable to mention some of the artificial causes that tend to affect flood flows, particularly as these causes have been much discussed of late, and the operation of these causes hereafter might obviousl}^ have atendency to affect conclusions made at this time. The drainage of low land has affected flood flows in two ways. By draining the swamps which naturally were more or less covered with standing water, these natural flood water storage reservoirs have been destroyed. This would have a tendency to increase flood rates particu- larly on the adjacent streams. Upon the other hand, the reclamation of swamp land has permitted the soil to act as a receptacle for storage that was not available when the land was flooded with water. This tends to counteract the direct effect of the drainage. The tiling of rolling farm land, an extensive practice in Illinois, has probably had very little effect on floods one way or the other; if anything, the tendency is to reduce the effects of the flood delivered to the streams. The question of deforestation recently much discussed, is of small concern on the watershed of the Illinois. The majority of the acreage has always been prairie land. 94 KEPOKT ON ILLINOIS EIVEE. The reclamation of bottom lands on the tributaries of the Illinois, is a more important effect. Considerable work has already been done on the Sangamon in the way of straightening the channel for the pur- pose of decreasing the frequency of overflow, and in case of flooding, removing the water from the bottom lands more quickly. This practice tends to rob the bottom lands of their ability to store flood waters; to increase the delivery rate of the tributaries, and hence if the practice is extensively pursued, to materially increase the rate at which flood water is delivered in the valley of the Illinois Eiver. As the Illinois Eiver is a great stream, and most of the tributaries are comparatively small, the dangers arising from this work will depend upon the extent to which such reclamation works are built. There are a number of tributaries of the Illinois on which works of this kind. are suggested, but the matter has not been sufficiently investigated as yet to form an intelligent opinion as to how extensive these works will ultimately be, and of the effect they may produce upon the flood deliveries of the Illinois Eiver. So far as the artificial drainage of swamp land is concerned, it is not probable that future operations will be of sufficient moment to materially change the rates that have prevailed in the last twenty years. NATUEAL C0:NDITI0NS AFFECTING FLOOD EATES. It must not be presumed that conditions are likely to occur that will produce flood rates upon the Illinois Eiver equal to those of the recent Ohio floods. There is no doubt that although the rainstorm pro- ducing those floods may occur again, although such a storm never before visited the eastern United States, and may center on the Illinois Eiver watershed, even so, the watershed of this steram could not produce the rates that occurred in Ohio, for the watershed is too large, the stream valleys too wide, and the gradients are too flat. Even so, very much larger floods might be produced, for only the edge of the March, 1913, storm covered the watershed of the Illinois Eiver, and a great flood was produced below Peoria. Had this storm been centered on the Illinois Eiver, there is little doubt but that a record flood would have resulted. Upon the great rivers such as the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri, the melting snows have an important effect upon the flood rates, and the greatest floods have resulted through a warm rain on snow, supple- mented by torrential rains) in the lower reaches of the watersheds affected. The snow conditions on the Ohio and Mississippi are particu- larly important by reason of the great depth that sometimes covers the ground in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The snowfall is of less importance on the smaller streams, on which the greatest floods usually result from torrential rains, although some- times supplemented by snow lying on the ground. These smaller drain- age areas come within the compass of a much more concentrated rainfall than is possible on the watersheds of the great rivers, on which rain- storm floods are usually produced by a number of storms each covering only a part of the watershed, or the series of recurring storms in a measure following the flood waters down through the drainage area. The condition of the ground surface has very much to do with the maximum runoff rates, thus, a ground that is already saturated with PAST AND FUTUEE FLOODS. 95 a moderate rainfall, is in a condition to deliver a succeeding torrential rain almost entire to the water courses, and more important and of more frequent occurrence, the frozen ground of late winter and early spring- produces a similar result. Thus, we almost always have our floods in this latitude in February, March or April. This is true upon the Illi- nois, except in the lower part of the river where the flood is influenced by the Mississippi and Missouri Elvers which may deliver their flood waters as late as May or June. Thus, in so far as rainfall and ground surface conditions are con- cerned, the streams of the central and northeastern United States are much alike, and the principal differences in unit runoff must be looked for in topography. A double effect is here produced, for the fiat gradients not only tend to low delivery rates, but also tend to store the flood waters, thus making delivery to the streams over a longer period and at smaller rates. The effects of topography are much too complicated to give us directly valuable information as to probable flood rates, or even to make definite comparisons between watersheds. An effort has been made however, to accomplish this purpose in another way, namely, by ascer- taining the average flood flows of our various streams and comparing the great floods on the streams, each as a ratio of the average flood on the same stream. COMPARISON BY EATIOS. This method of comparing flood rates was first suggested in a paper by Weston E. Fuller, read before the American Society of Civil Engineers, October 15, 1913. Mr. Fuller has done a great service to the hydraulics of rivers in this suggestion, and in assembling the flood flow data on all our American streams, in such form that intelligent comparison thereof can be made. Table No. 29 has been prepared largely from his data, but with a few additions, including all the rivers of the United States on which flow records are available, covering ten years or more. TABLE NO. 29— MAXIMUM (24-HOUR) FLOOD RATES— ALL STREAMS OF UNITED STATES HAVING RECORD OF TEN YEARS OR MORE. (Compiled from paper on Flood Flows by Weston E. Fuller, M. Am. Soc. C. E.) Stream. Place measured. Drainage area- square miles. Length of record —years. Average yearly flood flow — second- feet. Maxi- mum flood— second- feet. Maxi- mum flood per square mile — second- feet. Ratio of maxi- mum to average flood. NEW ENGLAND STREAM. Connecticut River. Merrimac Androscoggin Connecticut Pemigewasset Cobbossecontec Kennebec Fomer Hartford Lawrence Rumford Falls Holyoke Plymouth Gardiner Waterville Holyoke 10, 234 104 113,400 205,000 20.0 4,638 56 43,400 82, 150 17.7 2,090 40 24,900 55,500 26.6 8,144 26 73, 000 115,000 14.2 615 24 16, 800 30,640 49.7 240 21 1,850 3,275 13.6 4,270 18 59,600 151,000 35.4 13 14 434 788 60.6 1.81 1.90 2.23 1.58 1.82 1.77 2.53 1.82 96 REPORT 01^ ILLINOIS RIVER. TABLE NO. 29— Continued. Stream. Place measured . Drainage Length area — of square record miles. — years. Average yearly flood flow — second- feet. Maxi- mum flood— second- feet. Maxi- mum flood per square mile — second- Penobscot (West) . Penobscot Kennebec Connecticut HUDSON KIVEE STEEAMS. Hudson Hudson Mohawk East Canada Creek . . . MIDDLE ATLANTIC STEEAMS. Passiac Neshaminy Creek Perkiomen Tohickon Creek Susquehanna Susquehanna (West) . Potomac Monocacy Delaware Schuylkill Shenandoah Susquehanna Susq iiehanna Patapsco Chenango Juanita Susquehanna SOUTH ATLANTIC STEEAMS. Savannah Ocmulgee Black Warrior James Cape Fear Yadkin Chattahoochee Coosa Broad of Georgia Oconee James Coosawatte Alabama Etowah Broad of Carolina. . . Oostanaula James, N. Fk Tugalloo Flint Tallapoosa , Tombigbee , OHIO EIVEE BASIN. Ohio Tennessee *Miami Clarion Upper Scioto Olentangy Lower Scioto Little Tennessee New '■ Greenbrier Tuckaseegee Hiwasse French Broad Tennessee Hiwasse Millinockett.. West Enfield. The Forks... Orford Mechanicsville... Ft. Edward Dunsbach Ferry. Dolgeville Dundee Dam.. Low Forks Frederick Point pleasant. Harrisburg Williamsport... Port of Rocks.. Frederick Riegelsville Philadelphia... Millville Wilkes-Barre... Danville Woodstock Binghamton... Newport Binghamton . . . Augusta Macon Tuscaloosa Buchanan Fayetteville Salisbury West Point Riverside Carlton, Ga Dublin Catersville Carters, Ga Selma Canton, Ga Alston, S. C. Resaca, Ga Glasgow, Va Madison, S. C Woodbury, Ga Sturdevant, Ala Columbus, Miss Wheeling Chattanooga Dayton Clarion, Pa Near Columbus Columbus ..do Judson, N. C Radford, Va Alderson, W. Va... Bryson Murphy, N. C Asheviile, N. C Knoxville :..... Reliance 1,880 11 14,000 24,250 12.9 6,600 11 60,630 93,400 14.1 1,570 11 13, 720 19,890 12.7 3,305 11 31,700 49,700 15.0 4,500 23 44,500 108,000 24.0 2,800 13 32,900 43,900 15.7 3,440 12 50,500 84, 200 24.4 256 12 5,950 12, 150 47.5 823 34 10,600 27,995 34.0 139 27 4,620 9,012 64.8 152 27 5,020 8,769 57.7 102 25 4,820 8,650 84.8 24,000 21 276,000 593,000 24.7 5,640 17 104,300 164, 100 29.2 9,650 17 114,000 218,700 22.7 660 15 14,800 20,460 3L0 6,430 15 99,000 176,900 27.5 1,920 14 30,400 82, 156 42.8 3,000 13 44, 800 139, 700 46.5 9,810 12 123,800 217,700 22.2 11, 100 12 143,250 304, 800 27.5 251 12 6,890 11,100 44.3 1,530 11 25,970 35,900 23.5 3,480 11 63,500 118, 000 34.0 2,400 10 39, 100 63,000 26.2 7,300 20 114,300 309,930 42.4 2,420 18 32,550 50,860 21.0 4,900 17 101,000 141,000 28.8 2,660 15 40,846 62,000 23.3 4,493 15 52,800 90,650 20.2 3,400 15 62, 192 130,000 38.2 3,300 14 48,483 88,630 26.9 7,060 14 57, 562 75,800 10.7 '762 13 20,428 47,200 6L9 4,180 13 29,013 37,000 8.8 6,230 12 61,658 84,800 13.6 531 12 12,500 17,700 33.3 15,400 12 114,028 146,000 9.5 604 12 13,440 19,000 31.5 4,610 11 76,400 131,000 28.5 1,610 11 23,661 39,200 24.4 831 10 16,600 37,250 44.9 593 10 15,301 21, 860 36.9 990 10 10,434 30,250 30.6 2,500 10 36,247 59, 100 23.7 4,440 10 34,476 50,420 1L3 23, 800 50 294,000 480,000 20.2 21,400 21 231,000 409,520 19.1 2,450 21 50,000 246,000 10.0 1,260 20 23,280 39,300 31.2 1,032 16 19,300 68,000 65.8 520 16 14, 500 51,000 98.2 1,570 16 33, 800 119,000 75.7 675 14 25,800 57, 140 84.8 2,720 13 64,200 137, 760 50.5 1,340 14 36, 900 62,450 46.5 662 13 22, 500 38,550 58.4 410 13 12,300 22, 360 54.5 987 11 16, 400 30,720 31.1 8,990 10 92, 891 157, 410 17.5 1,180 10 28,550 55, 200 46.8 PAST AND FUTUEE FLOODS. TABLE NO. 29— Continued. 97 stream. Place measured. Drainage Length area — of square record miles. —years. Average yearly flood flow — second- feet. Maxi- mum flood— second- feet. Maxi- mum flood per square mile — second- feet. Ratio of maxi- mum to average flood. ST. LAWRENCE RIVER BASIN. Genesee Genesee Moose UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN. Mississippi Pine Mississippi . Chippewa . . MISSOURI RIVER BASIN. Kansas Kansas West Gallatin Platte Madison Milk North Platte, Neb Cachela Poudre Loupe Bear Creek.. South Platte (S. Fork) Republican Blue St. Vrains Creek LOWER MISSISSIPPI BASIN. Arkansas Arkansas WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO. Rio Grande Brazos Colorado Bear. GREAT BASIN. Provo Humboldt Humboldt Humboldt (S. Fork). Logan Mill Creek Parley's Creek Carson (West Fork) . Big Cottonwood City Creek. Ogden Truckee . . . Truckee . . . Truckee. Weber.. SOUTHERN PACIFIC COAST. Kern Sacramento Tuolumne Kings Rochester, N. Y... ..do Moose River, N. Y, St. Paul, Minn Pine River Reser- voir, Minn Above Sandy River, Minn Chippewa Falls, Wis Lecompton, Kans. Lawrence, Kans... Salesville, Mont... Columbus, Neb... Red Bluff, Mont.. Havre, Mont North Platte, Neb. Fort Collins, Colo. Columbus, Neb... Forkscreek, Colo . . Denver, Colo Junction, Kans Manhattan, Kans. Lyons, Colo Canon City, Colo. Pueblo, Colo Del Norte, Colo. Waco, Tex Austin, Tex Collingston, Utah. Preston, Idaho Provo, Utah Golconda, Nev Oreana,Nev Elko, Nev Logan, Utah Salt Lake City, Utah do Woodward, Cal... Salt Lake City, Utah , do Ogden , Tahoe, Cal State Line, Colo- Nev Vista, Nev Unita, Utah Bakersfield, Cal. Jellys Ferry LaGrange, Cal.. Sanger, Cal 2,365 128 22, 100 50,000 21.0 2,365 12 22,400 36,500 15.4 346 11 5,780 6,760 19.6 35, 700 19 42, 223 80,800 2.3 452 16 1,051 1,586 3.5 4,510 15 6,250 9,572 2.1 5,300 11 36, 454 64,400 12.1 58,550 60 81,000 221,000 3.8 58,550 15 59,300 221,000 3.8 860 15 5,800 10,750 12.5 56,900 14 25,000 51,000 .9 2,085 13 6,500 10,275 4.9 7,300 13 3,919 9,600 1.3 28,500 13 17,640 25,500 .9 1,060 12 3,133 5,611 5.3 13, 500 12 14,940 27,000 2.0 345 12 1,291 2,260 6.5 3,840 11 1,900 5,570 1.5 25,480 11 20,650 47,520 1.8 9,490 11 27,500 68,770 7.3 209 10 982 1,280 6.1 3,060 27 3,757 6,690 2.2 4,600 19 5,430 11,060 2.4 1,400 17 4,350 7,670 5.5 30,800 11 55,000 132,000 4.3 37,000 10 43,000 72,600 2.0 6,000 21 6,550 11,600 L9 4,500 20 4,580 8,500 1.9 640 18 2,130 4,150 6.5 10,800 15 1,400 3,160 .3 13, 800 14 1,260 3,047 .2 1,150 13 1,120 1,478 L3 218 12 1,390 2,450 1L2 21.3 12 56 112 .5 50.1 12 142 274 5.5 70 12 900 1,570 22.2 48.5 11 460 835 17.3 19.2 11 82 164 8.6 360 11 1,690 3,257 9.1 519 10 774 1,340 2.6 995 10 5,260 15,300 16.1 1,520 10 4,930 8,940 5.9 1,600 10 4,800 7,980 5.0 2,345 20 4,025 9,505 4.1 9,300 15 129,000 254,000 27.3 1,500 15 18,900 52,000 34.7 1,740 14 19,000 43,930 25.2 2.26 1.63 L17 L91 L51 1.53 1.77 2.72 3.72 1.86 2.51 1.58 2.46 1.44 1.79 L81 1.75 2.94 2.31 2.50 1.30 L78 2.04 1.76 2.40 L69 L77 1.86 1.95 2.26 2.42 1.32 L77 2.00 1.93 L75 1.82 2.00 1.93 1.74 2.91 1.81 1.66 2.36 1.97 2.75 2.31 -7 R L 98 KEPORT ON" ILLINOIS EIVER. TABLE NO. 29— Concluded. Stream. Place measured. Drainagf area- square miles. Length of record —years. Average yearly flood flow — second- feet. Maxi- -. . mum Maxi- floo^ mum flood— second- feet. per square mile — second- feet. Ratio of maxi- mum to average flood. NORTHERN PACIFIC COAST. Columbia Willamette Spokane Weiser Umatilla Cedar The Dalles, Ore... Albany, Ore Spokane, Wash... Weiser, Idaho Gibbon, Ore Ravensdale, Wash 237,000 4,860 4,000 1,670 353 170 754,100 1,390,000 5.9 115, 500 188, 000 38.7 23,550 35, 200 8.8 9,732 17,940 10.7 3,808 10, 000 28.4 4,612 10, 800 . 63.5 1.85 L63 1.50 1.85 2.63 2.34 * Miami River rates are crest rates. Mr. Fuller has shown that regardless of size or character of water- shed, the ratio of the greatest flood to the average flood on each of onr rivers, is much the same, viewed broadly and covering like periods of time. That is to say, a comparison on the ratio basis seems to eliminate size of drainage area and character of watershed, two of the most troublesome factors in the problem, and apparently reduces the differ- ences to the chance combination of circumstances which may produce a great flood on a given watershed, and fail to occur upon another in a like period. This method of comparison further permits, to some extent at least, a utilization of our relatively short American records to give us informa- tion that it might be expected a longer record might, upon the average, approximately substantiate. Thus, this method of comparison, appar- ently justifies the adding together of all the yearly records from all the rivers of the middle and eastern United States, setting down the yearly floods of each stream as ratios of the average of each stream, thus secur- ing a composite record of great length as of. one stream. The record thus produced by Mr. Fuller is some 1,672 years in length, and by arranging the ratios in the order of their magnitude, it was possible to draw valuable deductions on the theory of probability as to the flood ratio likely to occur upon any stream in a given period of years. With this ratio determined and the average flood of the given stream known, which can be approximately determined by a relatively small number of floods, a valuable deduction can be drawn as to the probable great flood and the likelihood of its occurrence in a given period of years. A determination by this method is no more valuable, and probably not less valuable than the actuary tables of the life insurance companies. It cannot be expected to successfully predict the maximum flood upon any river in a given period of years any more than the actuary tables can show the life of a particular individual, but, in the long run in the indefinite future upon any stream, the conclusion based on the ratio method of comparison will probably fit the occurrences, and the least that may be said is that there is apparently no better means of determ- ining the likely future occurrences. PAST AND FUTURE FLOODS. 99 LENGTH OF PEEIOD Aj^D PROBABLE! RATIO. If the procedure outlined above is granted, it is practicable to deduce mathematically the size of the ratio likely to occur in a given period of years. The following table is quoted from Mr. Fullers paper, and shows the ratios that are likely to occur in the several yearly periods named. TABLE NO. 30— RELATION BETWEEN FLOOD TO BE EXPECTED IN A SERIES OF YEARS AND THE AVERAGE YEARLY FLOOD. (From paper on Flood Flows by Weston E. Fuller, American Society of Civil Engineers, October 15, 1913.) Ratio of largest Ratio of largest flood to flood to Time in years. average yearly flood. Time in years. average yearly flood. 1 LOO 50 2. 36 5 1.56 100 2. 60 10 1. 80 500 3. 16 25 2.12 1.000 3.40 Thus, in one year there is an even chance that the average flood will be equaled, in ten years the chances are even that a flood of 1.8 times the average will be equaled, and that in 1,000 years the chances are even that a flood will occur 3.1 times the average flood. In a way therefore, this procedure tends to fix a more or less definite maximum to provide for which, designs may be made, or, if the property to be protected is sufficiently valuable, or if many lives are to be ^^rotected as in the flood protection of a great cit}^, the factor of safety can be provided and the works may be made adequate to provide against the greatest future con- tingency probable, with as liberal an allowance for error or the eccen- tricity of chance, as cost may permit or the value of the protection may warrant. FLOOD RATIOS AT PEORIA. It is practicable by the use of the rating curve at Peoria previously mentioned, to determine roughly, floods of past years. It will be instruc- tive to compare these flood rates and determine their relation to the average flood at this place. A nearly continuous record is available at Peoria since 1867, a period of forty-eight years. Table No. 31 shows the flve greatest floods within this period; the ratio of each to the aver- age flood and the probable frequenc}^ of occurrence based on the forty- eight year record. TABLE NO. 31-COMPARISON OF FLOOD RATIOS AT PEROIA. Length of record— 48 years. Average flood— 40,800 second-feet. Year. Flood in second- feet. Ratio to average flood. Comparative expectancy —years. 1904 80,000 73, 000 72,000 68,000 64,000 1.96 1.78 1.76 1.66 1.56 48 1913 24 1908 16 1892 12 1867 10 On the basis of the record at Peoria, we might therefore, except a flood equal to that of 1901 once in forty-eight years, a flood equal to that in 1913 twice in forty-eight years, or once in twenty-four years, a 100 REPORT ON ILLINOIS RIVER. flood equal to that in 1908, three times in forty-eight years or once in sixteen years, that is to say, based on the record that exists, the chances would be even that the floods as stated would occur in the lengths of time mentioned. As to whether this record is sufficiently long to- warrant conclusions as to frequency and magnitude is open to question. FULLEE FOEMULA APPLIED TO EATIOS. An examination of the above Illinois Eiver data, and the large amount of flood data shown upon Table No. 29 would incline one to the belief that the broad experience on many rivers over long periods is of greater significance than the short period of record upon the Illinois. There seems to be no better means of applying this broad experience than the formula suggested by Mr. Fiiller, which is in no sense theoreti- cal, but is the concrete epitome of the most lengthy experience which it is possible to apply to the matter. Expressed mathematically, this formula is as follows : E=l + 0.8 log. T in which T =time in years, E = the ratio of the greatest flood rate likely to be expected within the time T to the average annual maximum flood of the stream. Mr. Fuller has further summarized the large amount of data shown in Table IS^o. 29 for the purpose of disclosing the average effect of the size of the drainage area upon flood rates, and demonstrates that the flood flows vary more nearly to the .8 power of the drainage area than any other single function of watershed size. Various other hydraulicians have placed this ratio as low as the .6 power, but there is probably no con- clusion in this regard that is based upon so large an amount of data as that of Mr. Ftiller. An examination of the average floods, as indicated by the rating curves at Peoria, Beardstown and Pearl varying from 13,000 to 26,000 square miles watershed area, indicates that this relation holds very nearly true for the Ilinois Eiver, Peoria and Pearl being in substantially exact agreement, and Beardstown varying from this rule not more than 10 per cent. Table No. 32 is prepared from the Fuller formula, and indicates the flood rates most likely to occur once at the place named within the yearly periods stated. TABLE NO. 32— FLOOD EXPECTATION IN VARIOUS PERIODS ON ILLINOIS RIVER . ■ - Drainage area — square miles. Average annual flood Q(are)- second- feet. Coeffi- cient C Q(ave.) Maximxim flood rate expectation — second-feet — once in — Place. 16 years 1 +.8log T=1.96. 30 years 14- .Slog T=2.18. 50 years l + .81og T=2.36. 100 years l + .8log T=2.60. 1000 years 14- .8 log T=3.40. A. 8 Peoria 13,479 23,444 26, 182 27,914 40,259 62,500 68,460 20 18 20 20 79, 000 122,000 134, 000 141,000 87, 750 136, 500 149,200 157,000 95, 200 148,000 161, 500 170, 000 104, 800 162, 500 177,900 187, 200 136,900 Beardstown Pearl 213,000 232, 900 Mouth of river 245,000 T=:Tirae in years. A=:Drainage area in sq. miles. C^Goefficient of run-off. Q=Rate of flow in second-feet. Q(ave.)=CA. ». Q(max)=CA. 8 (l4-.8log T). PAST AND FUTUEE FLOODS. 101 A comparison of these figures with those hereinbefore given, as indicated by the flood of 1904, indicate that the 1904 flood is one that should reasonably be expected about once in sixteen years, that a flood of about 95,200 second-feet may be expected at Peoria once in fifty years, a flood of about 104,800 second-feet once in one hundred years, and a flood of 137,000 second-feet once in one thousand years, with correspond- ing flood rates at Beardstown and Pearl as noted in the table. If it is assumed that the flood of 1844 was about one-third larger than the 1904 flood at Peoria, or say, 110,000 second-feet, then this flood would have been the normal maximum flood in a 140-year period accord- ing to the Fuller formula. The flood actually occurred seventy-one years ago. To some, the above reasoning may seem to involve too many assump- tions to reach conclusions of merit. It is quite likely that time will come when the science of meteorology reaches a sufficient perfection (and that will be when it has a record behind it sufficiently long) to permit conclusions as to the size, shape and intensity of great rainstorms in the different localities of the eastern United States. At such time the above line of reasoning may be modified in that it may be practicable to narrow or widen the chances in certain localities, but at the present time there seems to be as good a chance for the great Ohio storm in 1913 to cen- tralize on the Illinois Eiver as to cover a great oblong as it did, spanning Indiana and Ohio, with the fringes of the storm in Illinois and Indiana. Until such matters are better understood, conservation must assume that these great storms may happen anywhere in the general region of their occurrence. COl^CLUSIONS AS TO FLOOD EATES. It will serve our present purposes to apply to the recently leveed Illinois valley the greatest flood that has left an authentic record of rate, namely the flood of 1904, and also to show the effect on water levels that would be occasioned by a flood about 35 per cent greater. Viewing the experience broadly of all the rivers in the country, these floods would approximately correspond to the record floods of sixteen years and flfty years respectively. In the application of remedies for the conditions as they may be disclosed, it will be pertinent to consider the results that might be pro- duced by even larger floods, and the data hereinbefore given will furnish a background for the ultimate probabilities of the future. PART VII. FUTURE FLOOD HEIGHTS AND THE EFFECT ON AGRICULTURAL LEVEES. Having determined approximately the magnitude of the recent floods on the Illinois Eiver^ and the most probable flow rates to be expected hereafter, it now becomes possible to apply these floods to the modified river valley as existing today through the construction of levees, and as it will probably exist a few years hence when the levee districts now proposed are completed. COMPUTED PEOFILES. Formulas and coefficients governing steady flow in uniform chan- nels are well understood among engineers, and fairly definite values governing the ordinary conditions are in general use. In a river, however, the conditions difl:er quite materially from the artificial channel under the usually assumed conditions of uniform flow,, and while the flow formulas usually applied to the artificial conditions,, are used, it is important to check the values in so far as this is possible by comparison with actual occurences upon the stream under considera- tion so far as these occurrences can be determined and weighed. CHEZY FORMULA. The formula used in the following computations is the one perhaps most widely used by engineers in estimates of the flow of water in channels. The formula is as follows : in which Y is the average velocity of the water in a given cross-section expressed in feet per second, C is a coefficient, r is the hydraulic radius in feet, and s is the slope. In applying this formula to the conditions on the Illinois River, it is particularly important that the value C be determined under as many conditions as possible, for in this problem it will be necessary to deal with some very irregular cross-sections, especially where certain reaches of the stream are partly leveed, and at certain other places within the river valley it will be necessary to deal with cross-sections partly within the prism of the river channel and partly upon land where some of the floods have spread out to a great width with only a shallow depth. It is believed that in view of the accurate topographical survey, and the large number of flow measurements during the 1904 flood, the values here shown merit considerable confidence. In applying the flow formulas to the Illinois River conditions, it has been necessary to read slopes from gage records that are ordinarily recorded only to the nearest tenth. It was, therefore, thought necessary 102 FUTURE FLOOD HEIGHTS AND THE EFFECT ON LEVEES. lu; to consider reaches of river not shorter than would produce in general two or three feet of fall so that errors in observation of slpoe might produce a minimum of effect. All of the flow computations have been based upon an average cross- section for each reach considered, the average cross-section being the numerical average of a sufficient number of sections uniformly spaced to give a fair determination of the facts. In the long reaches the sections were about five miles apart. BANK-FULL CONDITIONS. Table No. 33 shows the result of computations to determine the prevailing flow coefficients under approximately bank-full conditions of the stream, that is, just prior to the water forsaking the channel of the stream and partially traveling by way of the bottom lands. A number of flow measurements were made at this stage of water, which has permitted fairly accurate estimates of the flows prevailing. It will be observed that the results are reasonably consistent for hydraulic computations. The value of "C^^ for the entire river averages 103, with a corresponding TABLE NO. 33— VALUES IN FLOW FORMULA DURING BANK-FULL CONDITIONS OF 1904 AT VARIOUS PLACES ON ILLINOIS RIVER. GRAFTON TO KAMPSVILLE DAM. Distance=166,200 feet. Foot of Head of f^ ft ^'6 xi ^ 3 reach. reach. L^?^ r, >lf2 g- •1 1 r^ C3 >" _rt > P^ 1 fe L ;-! •t^ ft C3 II m Date of discharge measure- ,^fi «S .^« <2 A " § _g 5^ > ^ ment. 1 1 '3 CB+J «4ii > 1 s, c3 1 c3 I ■-3 > ^=2 2^ ft£ ft ® • g 1 > b M S . o w O P3 o h ^ g < o § - - . May 10 428. 56 17.6 433. 55 24, 45 5,0 158,300 12.44 25,050 2.33 19.0 98 .0313 May 23 423. 96 13.0 428. 45 19.35 4.5 134,600 133,400 116, 370 12.02 18, 850 18, 160 15,720 1 83 15 5 89 .0336 May 24 423 66 12 7 428 10 19 00 4 4 11.99 1.91 15. 1 96 . 0305 June 27 422. 76 11.8 424. 80 15.70 2.0 11.12 1.04 13.6 81 .0366 Averages of " C " and " N " 91 . 0330 KAMPSVILLE DAM TO PEARL. Distance=61,800 feet. May 21 429. 73 427. 48 426. 43 20.60 18.35 17.30 431. 53 429. 12 427. 62 11.83 9.42 7.92 1.8 1.6 1.2 231,800 227, 450 217,460 22.33 22.56 21.86 16,670 13, 840 12, 840 1.91 1.98 1.40 12.6 11. 1 10.5 100 117 95 .0270 June 3. . . .0220 June 24 " .0284 'and"N" Averages of "C 104 .0258 i PEARL TO VALLEY CITY. Distance=97,300 feet. May21 I431.53 June3 I429.12 June 24 427. 62 Averages of " C " and " N " ' 11.83 9.42 7.92 435. 25 432. 67 430. 67 13. 50 10.92 8.92 231,800 227, 450 217, 460 22.33 22. 56 21.86 14,000 2.27 11,500 2.38 9,900:1. 76 12.5 10.8 10.4 106 .0248 .0207 .0256 .0233 104 KEPORT ON ILLIN-QIS EIVER. TABLE NO. 33— Concluded. LA GRANGE DAM TO BEARDSTOWN. Distance=59,700 feet. Foot of Head of t 1 fe i S.TJ 'S 03 reach. reach. Pi 1 L 1 1 11 '3 S i & 1 Date of discharge measure- ment. i 1 1 1 > > .1 1 S O S8 03^ 03 "T 2 ^-H 03 03 0-3 o ^ H o H o f^ S ^ ^ o § June 1 436. 93 18.7 438. 65 11.4 1.7 319, 800 31.46 12,900 1..'i4 9.9 92 .0276 June 23 435. 73 17.5 437. 15 9.9 1.4 314,950 31.22 11,300 1.32 9.6 88 .0292 Averages of '' C " and '' N " 90 .0284 HAVANA TO COPPERAS CREEK DAM. Distance=89,300 feet. May 28 June 21 July 12 Averages of'^Cand^'N 442. 87 440. 97 439. 37 11.2 9.3 7.7 444. 05 442. 25 440. 75 16.3 14.5 13.0 1.2 1.3 1.4 ^6,650 412, 120 49, 830 i 42.22 11,360 41.94 9,350 n.90 7,650 1.47 1.30 1.28 9.7 8.8 7.8 129 115 116 120 .0203 .0219 .0209 .0210 COPPERAS CREEK DAM TO PEKIN. , Distance=85,000 feet. May27 June 10 June 18 July2 Averages of " C " and " N 444. 43 444. 03 442. 83 440. 93 11.7 11.3 10.1 8.2 446. 17 445. 67 444. 17 442.27 514,660 512, 940 5 9,070 5 6,670 52.44 52.38 51.94 51.77 8,130 7,100 5,400 1.65 10.2 1.59 9.9 1.28 9.5 1.23 7.9 109 .0230 .0228 .0257 .0226 ,0235 PEKIN TO PEORIA— LOWER BRIDGE. Distance=49,600 feet. May27 June 10 June 18 July 2 Averages of ' ' C " and " N 446. 17 445.67 444. 17 442. 27 7.6 7.1 5.6 3.7 447.82 12.0 447.32 11.5 445. 72 9. 9 443. 82 8. 514,660 52.44 512,940 52.38 5 9,070 51.94 5 6,670 51.77 8,360 7,520 6,220 4,440 1.76 1.72 1.46 1.50 10.0 9.3 8.3 7.2 .,0255 .0244 .0261 .0224 ,0246 Numerical average of all observations 103 .0257 Explanation — 1 Indicates measurements made by U. S. Engineers in 1904 at Twelve Mile Island. 2 Indicates measurements made by U. S. Engineers in 1904 at Pearl. 3 Indicates measurements made by U. S. Engineers in 1904 at Beardstown. 4 Indicates measurements made by XJ. S. Engineers in 1904 at Havana. 5 Indicates measurements made by U. S. Engineers in 1904 at Peoria. FLOOD OF 1904. It is seldom that a flood so accurately measured as the flood of 1904, passes through a valley so well determined by surveys, as are the bottom lands of the Illinois. It will be instructive therefore, to apply this flood FUTUEE FLOOD HEIGHTS AND THE EFFECT ON LEVEES. 105 to the cross-sections and slopes prevailing at the time and determine what values must be applied in the flow formula to reproduce that which was observed. Table No. 34 is a statement of the principal figures resulting from this computation. It will be observed that the average values of C in the several reaches between Grafton and Peoria are much smaller than the values for C in the previous table covering bank-full conditions. The values of C under the 1904 flood flow conditions range from as high as 57 in the lower part of the river to as low as 26 in the reach between Beardstown ^nd Havana. Table ISTo. 34 also shows the principal elements of the average chan- nel section proper^ that is, excluding the flooded bottom lands and con- •sidering only the channel of the river within its banks. The table shows an estimate of flow in the river channel based on C ^ 100. This flow has been compared with the total flow for the purpose of approximating the flow passing by land. TABLE NO. 34— VALUES IN FLOW FORMULA DURING APEX OF MEASURED FLOOD OF 1904 AT VARIOUS PLACES ON ILLINOIS RIVER. Note.— "C" refers to Chezy's Formula V=C— V, Date. Reach. Total valley. Channel section. Land section. ^• 03 1 o 03 c ; 2 pR 1 ft f ft I ■ f 6 ft o V rl 'd T} h Ti % 1 1 o Pi Pi O m O o 1 03 a 1 03 p^' 1 a > ^ d t>c be , W) W) . bjO . tuO 1 c3+j ^ S-l > u fe| u u Id II ti % s •^ f^ iqiVieers CWtcaojo Reach of River AveraqeS/alueofCh Total Flood Crx)S5 Section ofValleMat Apex of Floool Approximate Ffercenfaqe of Land in Tin^loer and Brush Groif fon io Pearl 57 42% Pearl fo La Granqe 55 23% GrafioY] to LaGmv)o^e 56 30% BearoJetown to Havam ze 4Z% Havana to Pekin l 87% 2,220 1,300 370 3,000 81% Width of flooded section, feet .'. 2,600 1,850 150 830 53% 3,620 1,720 430 3,020 84% 1,970 1,620 150 1,000 53% 1,650 1 150 "Land Section" on Levee Side— Width, feet Area, square feet 300 2,250 77%. Average 70% 550 2,970 "Land Section" on "Bluff Side"— Width, feet Area, square feet Per cent land not cleared 600 1,750 1,470 7,350 200 700 200 640 Per cent total flow cross-section over timber and 1.2% 6.0% 7.4% 1.5% 6.6% Average 4.5% VALUES m 1913 FLOOD. It has previously been stated that in all probability, the flood of 1913 approximated the flow rates of 1904 very closely in the middle and lower river, with rates slightly less only as far upstream as Peoria. As confirmatory in a general way of the similarity of these two floods, we take occasion to refer to Figures 31 and 32 which show the rainfall contours of the storm of March 17 to April 1, 1904, and March 20-27, 1913. It will be observed that in both storms the southeastern 108 EEPORT ON ILLINOIS EIVER. part of the watershed received about 6" of rainfall. The total average rainfalls in these storms were as follows: Storm of March 17 to April 1, 1904. storm of March 20 to 27, 1913. 3.74 4.68 3.37 Rainfall in inches below Peoria 4.28 4.24 3.80 It will be observed that so far as the total rainfall is concerned, these storms are quite similar. The 1904 storm, however, covered a longer period. In view of the fact that certain computations of future flood heights in places fall very close to the 1913 flood profile, it will be useful to determine what values probably existed in the 1913 flood. This has been done in Table No. 37. This table shows the interesting fact that in the reach of the river where the stream is fully leveed, the values of C cor- respond fairly well with the values previously tabulated for bank-full conditions, indicating that when the bottom lands are leveed off entirely, the problem of flood heights may be approached quite confidently using values of C of about 100. TABLE NO. 37— VALUES IN FLOW FORMULA DURING APEX OF FLOOD OF 1913, AT VARIOUS PLACES ON ILLINOIS RIVER— ASSUMING MAXIMUM FLOW RATE TO HAVE BEEN EVERYWHERE THE SAME AS IN 1904. Pate. Reach. Aver- Aver- age Length Fall- age sec- -feet. feet. flow — tion- C. F. S. square feet. Aver- age Aver- "C" in age Chezy's mean form- depth — ula feet. v=C l/rs. Apr. Apr. Apr. Apr. Apr. Apr. 6 Apr. 6 Apr. 4 Apr. 3 Apr. 2 Grafton to Kampsville Dam Kampsville Dam to Pearl Pearl to Valley City Valley City to Meredosia Meredosia to La Grange Dam. . La Grange Dam to Beardstown Beardstown to Havana Havana to Copperas Dam Copperas Dam to Pekin Pekin to Peoria 166,200 6.8 124,000 71,600 n. 1 61,800 2.1 115,000 32,300 16.0 97, 300 5.7 114,000 34,300 15.6 50,200 .9 112,000 80,400 11.5 34,300 1.1 111,000 96,700 15.0 59, 200 1.0 108,000 107,200 15.3 164,200 2.5 95,000 201, 400 n.8 89,300 . 1.7 85,000 160,300 14.0 85,000 2.5 85,000 56,500 14.1 49,600 2.5 81,000 69,800 12.7 81 *152 110 85 53 63 35 32 74 46 * Data in this reach is not reliable on account of a break in the levee of the Heartwell District. FLOW RATES. We have hereinbefore given a table (No. 27) showing our conclusion as to the flow rates that prevailed at various places upon the Illinois River during the flood of 1904. These data have been used in the computed flood profiles hereinafter given, interpolating between observa- tion points in the table in accordance with tributary drainage areas. '!'^\4- * : -. ^ *I<:^:-A>-: -^ ^ C^^r Map OF The Watcrshed of the Ilunois River SHOWING Rainfall Contours Storm Of March 17 to April 1. 1904 To Accompany Repoi-t of Alvord fe BURDIOK Enainears Chicago SdiM Oi. ■^' 9,.>.,^' ^1!?: ^yp^^c-r;/ ^■■fi ■^t"^: ?^.' V-'" ki. c> 7-^ PIQURB3 32 ^ ..,^^ «t«,G™. ■^rh \ MidHmAN w r ^ / i 3.a!Kii«i /T 7; g Map or THE WATERSHED OF THE LUNOfS RiVER Showing Rainfall Contours Storm of March 20 to 27, 1313 Accorrpan^ Rsport Of A FUTURE FLOOD HEIGHTS AND THE EFFECT ON LEVEES. 109 In the computation of profile for a flood 35 per cent larger than that of 1904, it has been assumed that the flood would be 35 per cent greater in rate to every place upon the river considered. FLOW VALUES USED IN COMPUTATIONS. In the computations of the profiles of future floods, we have in general been guiided by the data hereinbefore presented, and further, upon close observation of the effects that have been produced heretofore under conditions as nearly similar as possible to the probable results in the estimate of particular profiles. It will be noted that much of the data points toward the conclusion that for Uinois Eiver "channel conditions,^^ as distinguished from those conditions wdiere bottom lands are overflowed, the value of C in the Chezy formula approximates 100, or reduced to value of n in Kutter^s formula under the general depth and slopes prevailing approximately, n = .026. Between Beardstown and Kampsville, a distance of some sixty miles, the river is now very largely confined by levees, and the channel con- ditions are very largely similar to those of artificial channels, except in cases where the cross-sections are more or less broken up through the partial reclamation of the bottom lands. We have used values of C approximating 100 for the conditions of the re-occurrence of the 1904 flood in the river valley leveed as at present, and have used higher values for C under the circumstances where the same flood might enter the Mississippi Eiver at a higher level as in 1844. These variations in the value of C in general range from 100 to 108, the value being varied in accordance with the mean depth and slope, as would be indicated by substituting these values in Kutter^s formula for C. Above Beardstown, nearly all the reaches are more or less affected for long distances by the flooding of bottom lands at all stages of water considered, and in computing flood heights under various conditions of flow, the reasoning has been as close as possible from known results under known circumstances. In most cases values were substituted in the flow formula, values being used that were indicated by the nearest comparable known circumstances. In some cases where the computed flood differed slightly from an observed flood of known volume, it was only necessary to correct the slope for difference in stage, resulting velocities and mean depth, to ascertain approximately the profile for the changed condition. To sum up therefore, theory has been used in the computation of these flood profiles only as it might be useful to reason intelligently from the nearest similar known condition to the condition upon which information! was desired. FLOW VALUES OBSEEVED ON OTHEE EIVEES. For comparative purposes we would show herewith. Table No. 38, which is compiled from a treatise by Ganguillet and Kutter. We show only the experimental flow values in instances where the depths and velocities w^ere somewhat comparable to those upon the Illinois. It will 110 REPOET ON ILLINOIS RIVER. be observed that data on other streams conforms fairly well to the tabu- lated observations on the Illinois. TABLE NO. 38— TABLE SHOWING "C" AND "N" VALUES ON VARIOUS RIVERS FROM TABLE BY GANGUILLET AND KUTTER. Ganguillet and Kutter. Hydraulic radius. Velocity — feet per second. 'C" value. •N" value. Weser Tiber Elbe Saone Seine at Paris Seine at Meulan Rhine at Neuburg. . Rhine at Pforz Rhine at Delta Rhine at Delta Danube Bayou LaFourche . . Bayou Plaquemine Great Nevka Missouri Average of all (excluding extremes). 6.3 to 13.6 9.46 17.5 10. 9 to 15. 8 10. 9 to 18. 4 11. 2 to 17. 9 13.91 13.94 11 to 16 11 to 17 12 to 14 13 to 16 15. 3 to 18. 4 17.42 11 to 18 3. 5 to 5. 1 3.41 8.0 1. 9 — 2. 4 3. 7 to 4. 8 2. 3 to 3. 3 5.84 5.64 3. to 3. 5 3. to 5. 2. 2 to 2. 5 2. 7 to 3. 4. to 5. 2 2.05 3. to 6. 2 81 to 101 97.1 86.3 92 108 93 78.9 79.8 87 to 102 16 to 130 84. 4 to 84 127.3 90 to 107 , 020 to . 025 .228 .275 . 027 — . 030 . 023 — . 026 . 026 — . 029 .0297 .294 . 022 — . 029 . 024 — . 030 . 0247—. 287 . 0195—. 225 . 0292—. 0296 .0252 . 023 — . 0254 026 FUTURE FLOOD HEIGHTS. With the aid of the data hereinbefore described^ we have estimated the height to which the flood waters will probably rise in the improved river valley under several conditions as set forth on Fig. 33. Fig. 33 shows the water profiles from Orafton to Peoria. Three observed flood lines are shown, the full lines A, B and C, — "A" repre- senting the flood of 1904, "B" representing the flood of 1913, and "C" representing the flood of 1844. The first and last floods passed through a practically virgin valley with no levee districts. The flood of 1913 passed through a valley almost completely leveed below Valley City. Fig. 33 further shows the computed profile of the 1904 flood, assuming this flood to be repeated under present conditions with levee districts now under construction completed, it being assumed that the flood enters the Mississippi Eiver at the same elevation as in 1904. It will be observed that in the lower eighty miles of river this water surface follows quite closely the actually observed flood in 1913. It is estimated that the maximum variation from the original 1904 flood would occur in the vicinity of Valley City, at which place the water would be about 4 feet higher than in 1904. This difference remains substantially the same up as far as Beardstown, above which place the difference gradually becomes less, and it is estimated that at Peoria the retarding effect of the leveed districts downstream has been very nearly lost. The line marked "G'^ is the computed water profile of a 1904 flood, assuming it to pass through th Illinois Eiver valley when all the levee districts now pro- jected are completed. It will be observed that this would cause the water to rise a little over 5 feet higher at Meredosia than it did in 1904; in fact, nearly 2 feet higher than any water has reached at this place. At Havana, curve "G" very nearly coincides with curve "D,^ but in the vicinity of Copperas Creek they again separate on account of the proposed levee districts in that vicinity. FIGURE 33 250 220 210 200 160 150 MO 130 120 110 KX) 90 80 70 Miles Above Grafton 9HIWbH8 MARaAlQ iTofiS aoojl mumixaM aiTusMoO o^ a3VF?3eaO NOIOHUa ?S GflOVjA ai43a3J ' •. .. • cieijiuicfA'h? boon-a . W^) to boon - 'i»k>w TssHp/H - 3 |rrtoo ffoltouMfenoo ^stenu won inntslto ©dv^f Hifw erfolfibnoo • boon W^8i %> rrvalVs-^olo -a a) 1^ f '--ri > ffl:s o xiS ^3 0> QQ> > V, f ■ 1 ( r «' ft Ul :o Ul o ^ Diagram Showing Crest Elevation of Levees COMPARED WITH Observed^ Computed Flood Profiles Illinois River "To AccompoinY Repori" of AlVORD b^ BURDICK Engineers Chicaqo Legend indicates nnaximom s+otqie in ilnis flood. A - Flood of April4, 1904 8- Flood of Apnlll,l9l3 w C- H\oihe3+ water- Flooot of 1844. , ., , , . , conditions, withjevee di6tricts_'now ^notev- construition compl«feo(._, Computed prof ile, sarne D, except flood oiaaumed 1844 Flood. F Co^pStld^r'of'l o°r d^flood" having a rcte «bo^ 35 percent greater F Cornpured pronie oT^ resuming it to ^asa t^'^" +'^^J"^y '^5'^A^ T'hJ, TrJ^^Iin-lo^c wH-U leisRs under oonstruction completed, and to enter the ^^ at.,the floodj-i^^^ ^„ ^^^^^^ ,^^^^ ^^^.^^ conditions, Mississippi G - Connputed pr H Computed profile, same as f, e are assumed to be .completed. same aa to be <=^°3"^Pf!?^;^ceptttio(tall probable future levee districts - Indicl^r^eMionrio'p of Levee, T..e ^u.ber, l.e.tifies the Levee District, as per Table of Districts. Recom^rnended Ullir^ate L^ve^Top^^^^ 230 220 210 200 190 180 170 160 150 MO Miles 130 120 no 100 90 80 Above Grafton HTiW a3^AStV4C /fx H3vi^ eiOHUJi uloiOOn c)y!ii|uiij: FUTUEE FLOOD HEIGHTS AND THE EFFECT ON LEVEES. Ill HIGH MISSISSIPPI LEVELS. It is pertinent to inquire what would happen should the flood of 1904 be repeated with the bottom lands leveed as at present, and with the Mississippi at the height prevailing during the flood of 1844. This condition is ilhistrated on Fig. 33 by line "E." It will be observed that the computed line "E'^ lies above the flood of 1844 for the reach of river between Pearl and Havana. The curve "E" intersects the curve "D," which was the same flood entering the Mississippi at the low level as in 1904 in the vicinity of Copperas Creek. This indicates that for large floods having about the flow rate of 1904, the effect of the Mississippi Piver stage disappears below Peoria. For the purpose of illustrating a condition that may occur but probably rarely, we show on Fig. 33, the profile "F" which is the com- puted height to which the water would rise, assuming a flood about 35 per cent greater than the flood of 1904 should pass through the valley under present conditions, with, levees under construction completed, and enter the Mississippi Eiver at the flood level of 1844. It has been elsewhere estimated that a flood of this delivery might reasonably be expected to occur about once in fifty years. It would be natural to expect that the Mississippi would be relatively high at the time of occurrence of such a flood. In assuming that this large flood is delivered to the Mississippi at the flood height of 1844, which is the greatest flood of record on the Mississippi Eiver in over one hundred 3^ears, we have probably fixed fiood heights, especially in the lower river, that are not likely to be exceeded once in fifty years. It is quite con- ceivable that even a flood of greater volume might occur at any time. The probability of its occurrence on the apex of a record Mississippi flood is not very great. ABOVE PEOEIA. The computations have been carried upstream only so far as Peoria for the reason that the developments above this place, including those in prospect, are not sufliciently great to have an important effect upon the flood profiles. The developments are very largely in prospect and not well matured. It is therefore thought to be inadvisable to attempt to reason out the small variations in river levels that might be occasioned by the proposed districts. GAGE HEIGHTS AND LEVEE DISTEICTS. Fig. 34 shows the observed and computed water profiles hereinabove described, and also the profiles of the levee tops on the Ilinois Eiver so far as we have been able to detrmine them. This figure is prepared for the purpose of showing the adequacy or inadequacy of the existing levees to protect the land against future floods. Upon this drawing we have used the standard levee profiles as indi- cated by the dotted lines on Fig. 23. These profiles have been used as representing the levee top that it is endeavored to maintain in each district, the levee actually existing varying more or less from time to time as it may be reduced in height by weathering or as it may be increased in height to provide additional protection. An examination 112 REPORT ON ILLINOIS RIVER. of Fig. 34 indicates that all the levees are of sufficient height to with- stand the flood heights of 1904 and 1913, although at the time of occnrxence at least one district was over-topped by the latter flood. The flood height of 1844 would inundate about half of the existing districts. The flood of 1904 might be repeated in the river valley as now improved without over-topping any of the levees. One district would however, be overtopped if the same flood occurred in the river valley with all the districts completed as now proposed. If the flood of 1904 should be repeated in the river valley as now existing and should enter the Mississippi at the height of the 1844 flood, about one-third of the levee districts would be over-topped — all of those districts lying below Meredosia. If a flood exceeding in amount the flood of 1904 by about 35 per cent, should be repated in the present valley, and should enter the Mississippi at the flood height of 1844, then about two-thirds of the levee districts would probably be over-topped. A few districts near Valley City, Beardstown and Pekin would probably escape. It will be observed that the standard levee grades are what might be called only slightly deficient, the lowest lying not more than 3 feet below the maximum flood height on figure 34. PEOPEE LEVEE HEIGHTS. If these levees protected a great city where a failure of the levee would entail great loss of life, as at Dayton during the flood of 1913, and great damage to property, then there should be considered quite materially greater flow volumes than we have herein considered, and consequently, greater heights of water under the conditions of the leveed river valley present and future. Under such circumstances we would be warranted in considering contingencies more remote than have been considered herein. In the Illinois Eiver valley, levees protect farm land only. A fail- ure is not likely to produce loss of life, for in flood, levees are very care- fully watched, and if a levee is over-topped, the inhabitants are usually prepared to leave sometime in advance of the event. The damage from flooding will be nominal except for the loss of a crop. The flooding of a district about once in fifty years would not seem to involve sufficient damage to incur great expense to provide against flooding, but when the ability to readily sell the land is considered, it is probable that a liberal factor of safety in the height of the levees is justified. It will be readily seen that where at all possible, levees should extend sufficiently above the maximum water level to guard against the danger of over-topping through wave action and wash. PART VIII. DISCUSSION OF REMEDIES. The preceding chapters have shown that the agricnltnral levee dis- tricts have grown and encroached upon the river bottoms to snch extent that they endanger themselves by restricting the flood water channel and increasing the flood heights to snch amonnts that many districts mnst be flooded when an nnnsual freshet occnrs. It has further been shown that the fish yield which rapidly increased up to 1908 has since that time rapidly declined, having been greatly affected by the reduction in breeding and feeding grounds brought about through the construction of agricultural levee districts and the exclusion of the flood waters from these lands, on which flooded lands the fish breed and the early development of the young fish takes place. It remains to select the best remedy for those unfavorable conditions and tendencies^ and in so doing, it will perhaps, be most useful briefly to point out the various remedies more or less applicable to the existing situation to show how each would effect the problem in hand, and if possible, to select from these remedies, the one best fitted to accomplish the maximum of good in the light of the circumstances as they exist at present and in the future so far as we are privileged to read the future. In the application of corrective measures, it will be kept in mind that the bottom land levee districts are producing at the present time agricultural products to the value of about three million dollars per annum, at the average prices of the past few years. There is good prospect that this yield will soon be increased to six or seven million dollars. The Illinois Eiver fishery in 1908 yielded $721,000 with fish at an average price of three cents per pound. At European wholesale prices, ten to fifteen cents per pound, this catch would have been worth from two and one-half to three and one-half million dollars. Nineteen hundred and eight was a banner fishing jeaT. It would seem therefore, that from a financial standpoint, agricul- ture is the predominant interest, but that the fisheries have great future possibilities and should be given all possible consideration in the im- provement of the Illinois Eiver valley conditions. OUTLINE OF EEMEDIES. It is doubtful if anyone will seriously consider the abandonment of the investments in the valley and the reverting to conditions of nature which would be likely to correct the present difficulties. For obvious reasons it is out of the question that we go back to the days of the buffalo and the Indian. Eeferring particularly to the flood situation, the remedies are of two classes, first, channel improvements, and second, storage. Channel improvements will include all means of providing a more adequate waterway for the passage of the floods. This may be accom- plished in a number of ways as follows: 113 — 8 R Lr 114 REPORT OJs ILLINOIS RIVER. (a) Through increasing the height of the agricnltnral levees, thereby permitting the flood waters to occupy a greater cross-section without flooding the farm lands. (b) Through lowereing the bed of the channel, perhaps through cooperation withone of the several plans for a deep waterway. (c) Through greater widths between levees where same are built on both sides of the stream or elsewhere by setting the levees back at greater distances from the river. This is hardly a practicable remedy where the levees have been built. It is easily applicable^ however, to future levee construction. Storage if properly applied, will be efficacious in reducing the rate of flow at critical periods in a flood, and hence it would have a tendency to reduce maximum flood heights. Storage may be beneficially applied to the Illinois Eiver in two ways : (a) Through storage in the Illinois Eiver bottoms, and (b) Through storage in the valleys of the tributaries. It will be useful to this problem to determine approximately how far each of these remedies might be effective, and as the effects of some of them are quite complex, it will be well to examine them carefully. Storage is, prehaps, the most difficult to apply, and as it has some attrac- tive possibilities, we will consider it first. FLOOD ABATEMENT BY STORAGE. The reduction of floods through storage, although it has only lately claimed public attention in this country, is not a new remedy either at home or abroad. Europe furnishes us numerous examples of large reservoirs built for storage of flood waters; and particularly in France, in Spain and in Germany, the practice has been followed more or less for two hundred years. Within the last twenty years, a great number of these reservoirs have been built in Germany and in Austria. In the United States six very large reservoirs have been built for the control of the Upper Mississippi Eiver. This work was started in 1881, and completed in 1895. Perhaps the chief duty of these reservoirs is the improvement of low water conditions in the Upper Mississippi, but they have also a marked effect upon the flood heights above St. Paul. The Pittsburgh Flood Commissions reporting under the date of April 1913, recommended storage reservoirs as a correction for the flood con- ditions of the Ohio Eiver at Pittsburgh. Eeservoirs were considered for the flood protection of Columbus, Ohio, and while channel improvements were selected as the most effective remedy, it was demonstrated that the reservoir sites in the valleys of the rivers adjacent to Columbus aggregating about 125,000 acre-feet, would have been effective in reducing a 140,000 second-feet flood to about 78,000 second-feet, a reduction of 45 per cent. This was on the Lower Scioto Eiver having a drainage area of 1,570 square miles. Storage reservoirs have been adopted as the remedy for the con- ditions producing the Dayton disaster on the Miami Eiver. It is est i* mated that seven reservoirs having a capacity of 60,000,000,000 cubic feet, or 1,400,000 acre-feet, would have been effective in reducing the March, 1913, flood of 250,000 second-feet from a drainage area of 2,500 square miles by the amount of 75 per cent. DISCUSSION OF REMEDIES. 115 TENDEXCY OF LEVEES TO INCREASE FLOW RATES. Elsewhere in this report it has heen pointed out that the storage in the capacious bottom lands of the Ilinois River tends to reduce the maximum rate at which the water is delivered to the Mississippi, and also to a certain extent, to reduce the flow at all places on the Illinois River. D I A© RAM StIOWINS Effect of River Valley Storage ON ^ Flood Rate at Kampsville Dam "To Acconnpart/ the Report of AlvORD & BURDICK Engineer©. B C Indicate* -flood nat« of VXA •flood. , Indicofes e^Hirwifed flood rate >A/i+h 9ame irflow or wafer bi/t with valley t+onage reduced a^ c& pregert. Inaicat«9 resulting natw wtH^ 'same Infbw h\A with the whole vall^ improved to the «ame extent that now prevai te behween Kampwllle and UaQnangie. 5 10 )5 20 23 JANUARY S \&ii 20 29 9 10 19 20 29 FEBRUARY MARCH Month and Day-i^04^ FIGURE 35. 116 REPORT ON ILLINOIS EIVEE. The construction of the agriciiltural levee districts has not only decreased the cross-section through which the flood waters might escape, but has also robbed the valley of a large part of its storage, thereby tending to increase the rate of run-off in the stream. Elsewhere in this report we have presented diagrams giving the area in the river valley that is overflowed at various heights of water. From these diagrams it is practicable to compute the volume of the storage in the river valley when the same is flooded to any depth below the high water of 1844, the highest water of record. In order to determine approximately the effect of the levee opera- tions on the maximum flood flow rate, we have prepared Fig. 35 which is a hydrograph of the flow rates estimated to have existed at the Kamps- ville Dam during the flood of 1904. This hydrograph is based on the rating curve at Pearl a short distance above Kampsville, and although it is doubtless more or less in error, particularly in the latter part of the flood through the influence of the Mississippi Eiver, it is believed to represent the facts with sufficient accuracy to determine approximately the effect of the bottom lands' storage. Eef erring to Fig. 35 the line marked "A" is the hydrograph of flow of the 1904 fleed. It will be observed that this flood reached a maximum of about 115,000 second-feet. Line "W represents the estimated flow rates near the appex of the flood should the flood of 1904 be repeated, but with the valley storage reduced as at present, with the districts under construction completed. Under these conditions it is estimated that the run-off rate at Kamps- ville would be 121,000 second-feet. Curve marked "C" is the estimated flow rate near the apex of the flood, assuming the inflow to the river valley to have been the same as in the flood of 1904, but with the whole valley improved to the same extent that now prevails between Kampsville and LaG-range, that is assuming that practically the entire river from Kampsville to LaSalle is confined between levess. Under these circumstances, it is estimated that the inflow of the valley in 1904 would have resulted in a flood rate of 126,000 second-feet at Kampsville. These modified fiow hydrographs have been estimated upon the assumption that the rate of flow passing Kampsville is the summation of the inflow rates to the river valley plus or minus the gain or depletion in the river valley storage as produced by rising or falling stages. Inasmuch as crest rates were principally of significance, it was not thought necessary that the computation should cover the entire flood. In estimating the amount of water going into and coming out of the valley storage, the river was taken section by section. This was neces- sary inasmuch as at some times during the flood, the storage was building in certain parts of the river, and depleting at certain other places above Kampsville. The total storage in the levee districts as now completed, or in process of construction above Kampsville between low water plane of 1901 and the high water plane of 1904, is estimated at 920,000 acre-feet. The total amount of storage above Kampsville within all levee dis- tricts, assuming that the river is leveed-in about to the same extent as •uiM ^ »>or Map of i Illinois River % fi.ooo Plain Below UkSALLE T5> Accompany Tme RcpobtOt AlvORD & BUBOICK DISCUSSION" OF REMEDIES. 117 ''^TT'^T.-^'r-r-z-^-r ; :fTP:TT"T-"T"-"T"--"-T Aiji III •_!- ' ' 'LulJ _L-L L "^A" ttA "1 • -f-- . ■.-■^■i --r r 1 -■ -^ -^ -^ V \ i ' ' 1 ®~tj^ _i ^^li ^^ ^ it i^lrSt"- i^^v}^^^ h - -- -3- r ±- --it±i-± ■/ ■ -■ /i^'t" '' ■ ■ i 1 1 1 1 a3±^^ ji"" asas^LTH^i ' " "■' - . 11 • f /j i ' 1 1 ■ i 3^ i ^T Peora t 1 ^ - . ^o 2 It LaSAI 1 F lOM - - r __ - - r t Ji ^ " ___ 06 * z TT y _-.^ r^T T^ T ,^ - - -'-.-- 1 ^ -i- -t^ it ^^ - . ^'■' L i i 1 V ' ^•-' 1 e* - ^ - i^ : - ^^'.r ± it^^ - 2 ^'' ' ''*^" i 1 ___ _.^ _ ,,ie^^,. ^^- __ ,^ _i__P K::::_:_:^:-___.j^^:Ezr]2ajJ ^"^ <■ I * — P 7* y'^K «• ^ > ^'' i ** '' ! 16 ^ .i --^^ " '•' v'^ ft'\.^' ^>^^^ La Gramge [>m 1/0^ TO A^ 1 A5^A.IJ^F i c (i^^ = iL^ ^ t^ 1 V i f T T i : ::::- — ::..- :::-:—::_::::::__:: :_±x 09 lO 16 " 20 eB .^ ^^ ^ ^^ ^ ' *«'■' ^ .' ■'' ^ < ■" _^ _! ^ •' '" ^ '' 1 - " ^^ ____ __ l'c^^# ^4t:\!4i^4.^- _^-.^^r__ - ^^p--^ ^ 1 ■ -. ^"^ « ^ ^ ^ g M t|i.|/ l^4A[2^^„^-|^p|[ ^ ^ ^ ' X? ^^^-^^ - ,^^ ^ "'^ "^ ^«^:«' ej.^- ^^^ ^^^ iR - -.-^-^ =- = " 15 ^^* :^-' I ^ r^ ^^ -c-"^ t / i ' 1 fii- — \ 1.0 1.5 e.o Storage in Million Acre Feet EXPLANATION AStoroige in present distncfs T**s S n - ^ h ^ [ ^j^ ^ TOA ^ eec ? t \ ^ C : - % 8 5 ^5^ ei.5_ ^». ^ GO % - : S ?I.O_j 1 L_ > 5 _ Z05^ ^ ^ n 9 ^v^: 20iQ^ \L ^ -S h I9i6_ ^3. ^^^ I^Ql C 18€_ 40 - s 18jQ_ I7.Q. 30 ^-0 0.$ 10 1.5 ^o 'lORAQE-MlLUON ACRE T aV exoicT time -Id produce maxl 8.5 «> mom effect. FIGURE 120 REPORT ON" ILLINOIS RIVER. Stage of river is expressed in gage height at Beardstown. This place is selected as being perhaps more significant over the long stretch of river than any other single gage npon the stream. At the high water plane of 1904^ the total storage inside of all levee districts present and probable futnre, is estimated as follows: In districts now constructed or in process of construction. . .920,000 acre-feet In districts now proposed 425,000 acre-feet In future districts 575,000 acre-feet EFFECT OF STOEAGE OK FLOW. From the rating curve at Peoria, and the daily gage heights during the flood of 1904, a hydrograph of flow during the flood was constructed, and from this hydrograph there was computed the amount of storage that would have been required to reduce the flow rates near the apex of the flood to various lesser flow rates. Table I^o. 39 shows this com- putation, and it also shows a similar computation for a flood about 35 per cent greater than the flood of 1904, assuming the greater flood to have exceeded the 1904 flood by the same percentage on every day during the flood. TABLE NO. 39— STORAGE REQUIRED TO REDUCE FLOOD RATE ON ILLINOIS RIVER AT PEORIA. 1904 flood (80,000 second-feet.) Average flow rate prevailing for — Reduced flood rate for corre- sponding period — second-feet. Difference or second- feet to go into storage. Storage Time— days. Rate— second-feet. required— acre-feet. 7.5 . 75, 700 70,800 65, 100 60,700 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 5,700 10, 800 15, 100 20,700 85, 000 14. 283, 000 20.0... . .. 600,000 1,070,000 26. A greater flood (110,000 second-feet.) 6.0. 11.0. 16.0. 20.0. 24.5. 105, 400 100, 000 5,400 99, 800 90,000 9,800 95, 500 80, 000 15, 500 91,000 70,000 21,000 86,000 60, 000 26,000 64, 000 214, 000 480, 000 840, 000 1,260,000 Note. — Greater flood assumed to be about 35 per cent greater than the flood of 1S04, upon each day of the flood. The effect of apex storage, as above computed, is shown diagram- matically upon Fig. 38. It is assumed that the storage would be utilized at the proper moment and in the exact proper amount to produce the maximum effect with the acre-feet in storage capacity available. At the right of the diagram will be found the gage heights cor- responding to the flows appearing on the left side of the diagram. Two scales of gage height are shown; the flrst corresponding to the virgin river, that is, as it existed prior to 1904; and second, our estimate of the gage heights that woulct usually prevail under the flows as shown at the left of the diagram in the river valley when all the bottom lands are reclaimed. DISCUSSION OF REMEDIES. 121 A comparison of these two gage height scales indicates that below 17 feet on the gage, the construction of levee districts has small effect upon the stage of water. It is only at the stages which produce con- siderable bottom land flooding and induce substantial flows on the bottom lands that the effect of the levees begins to be felt. Diagram Showing Relation of Flow, Storage _) ! S' i: 00 ^ A \ \ L n ^ 1 9 1 \ ^ ^ <• V N t-. O ftn > VD \? s LL 1 V 1 \ ! \ TD lb T^ ' ^ ^yU. - \ ) rr\ i ^ ; r ^ 1, \ \ s ^s 6C 1 \ C > (X 1^ 1.0 1.6 ? B 4 \ 5.0 ei.8 e8.o LE7.6 _e7,o JSoO _e6.5 .25,0 eo.Q.-e4.6 ei.5. ei.o. eoi- 1^5. J9Q. n.Qj ini I orf exact i.m* fo proaDc» maximt^m tfft^ _e40 _e5',6 _2^.0 _£e.o _ei.o iao_jjo.6 _20.0 17.^.1^6 I<3i0 i.18.5 J7.5 FIGURE 39. 122 REPORT ON ILLINOIS RIVER. The estimate of future gage height under a completely leveed river is based upon a computation of the gage height of a great flood (about 35 per cent greater than the flood of 1904) entering the Missis- sippi Eiver at the level of the flood of 1814. It has been assumed that the new rating curve will coincide with the old rating curve at a bank- full stage^ and it is further assumed that the new rating curve would vary in approximately a uniform manner for stages between these extremes. In platting the rating curves for the unleveed river, it was observed that above the bank-full stage the flow increases more rapidly than the gage height on account of the water traveling by way of the wide bottoms. With a completely leveed river it would be expected that the flows for the higher gage readings might be approximated by pro- jecting the gage curve for stages less than bank-full. It was observed that the curve computed in the manner above explained, corresponds fairly well to the rating curve thus projected. Fig. 39 illustrates the effect of the various amounts of storage above LaGrange. This diagram has been computed in the manner previously explained for Peoria. PEOPER LEVEE HEIGHTS WITHOUT STOEAGE. Eef erring to Fig. 33 which is a resume of the maximum flood flow profiles computed and observed, the profile marked "H" is the estimated surface of a flood about 35 per cent greater than the flood of 1904 assumed to enter the Mississippi Eiver at the datum elevation of the flood of 1844, and to traverse a river valley completely leveed between La Salle and Grafton. It has been previously concluded that this repre- sents a condition which might be expected to occur about once in fifty years upon the average. It would seem reasonable to increase the height of all levees where necessary, to pass a flood of this magnitude without danger to the levee system. In our opinion it would be good policy to build all levees up to a height equivalent to 3 feet above the estimated water plane "H," corresponding to the line "L" on Fig. 34. LEVEE HEIGHTS WITH APEX STOEAGE. The levee districts now built are not provided with facilities for using them as flood storage reservoirs in emergencies, and many of them are so improved that flooding would be disastrous. It will be less diffi- cult to flood the districts to be constructed hereafter, for the bottom lands are less in width and it will be therefore, easier to farm them from dwellings built on ground above the high water plane. For purposes of estimate we would assume that all districts con- structed hereafter will be so built as to be usable for flood storage pur- poses, and will endeavor to ascertain the effect upon the maximum flood heights of the stream. Eeferring to Fig. 33 it will be observed that at Kampsville, very little can be accomplished in a great flood through the storage of flood waters, for the fall from Kampsville to Grafton is only about 2 feet under the conditions of 1844. If the whole flood were stored above Kampsville, the flood could therefore not be reduced more than 2 feet. It is probably impracticable to accomplish anything mate- rial by storage at this place. DISCUSSION OF REMEDIES. 123 At Beardstown much of the effect of the Mississippi Eiver has disappeared. The Illinois Eiver predominates in the relation between flow and gage-height. Eef erring to Fig. 39 showing the relation be- tween flow and storage at LaGrange immediately below Beardstown, and Fig. 37 showing the acre-feet in storage above the LaGrange Dani: — it is indicated that in a great flood there would be about 850,000 acre- feet of storage above LaGrange in future levee districts (Curve "B^^) which, if used to the best advantage, would reduce a flood of 143,000' seconcl-feet to 1 08^0 00 second-feet. Without storage, the gage height would be about 28 feet, and with the storage stated, about 24.6 feet^ a difference of about 3.4 feet at Beardstowai. A similar comparison at Peoria based on Fig. 38 and the diagram of storage above Peoria — Fig. 37 indicates that the available storage above Peoria would be instrumental in reducing the height of the great flood about 2% feet, if used at the proper time and the water diverted to storage at proper rates to produce the maximum effect. The line "K,'^ Fig. 34 is drawn to roughly represent the top of the levees that would be considered reasonably safe if the storage in all future leveed districts could be utilized as apex storage for flood waters when needed. This curve coincides with curve "L'^ at Kampsville departs uniformly from curve "Li" to a maximum departure of 3.4 feet at Beardstown, and gradually approaches curve "L'^ to a departure of 2.5 feet at Peoria, retaining the same relation above Peoria. An approxi- mate estimate, therefore, indicates that the storage stated would have the effect of reducing the practicable levee hieghts in amount, varying- from nothing at Kampsville to 3.4 feet at Beardstown, and 2.5 feet at Peoria. With this information in hand, it would be practicable to esti- mate the future expenditures that will be required to build the future levee districts up to these profiles, and also to increase the height of the existing districts so as to make them safe from overflow on the twO' assumptions above. BASES OF COMPAEISOK Two procedures confront us : "First — To build the levees to such height that future floods may be safely passed under the conditions when all the bottom lands are reclaimed, all districts being used for agriculture and kept dry by pump- ing, and ''Second — The construction of the levees only to such height as will be sufficient to pass the floods when using future levee districts to store flood water in a great flood.^^ It will be sufficient for our present purpose in making a financial comparison of these projects, to consider only the total moneys that must be hereafter expended without regard to who furnishes the money; to estimate the total revenues that may be produced by these bottoms — land and water — and to estimate comparative annual expenditures ; all with- out regard to wdiere the money comes from or who is benefited by the works built. A comparison upon the above basis is enlightening for the reason that the State is interested in seeing improvements accomplished that will produce the maximum of good — in this case, the maximum of food for a given expenditure, and a comparative annual operating cost. 124 KEPOKT ON ILLINOIS RIVEE. NEW EXPENDITUEES WITH HIGH LEVEES AND NO STOEAGE. If the levees^ present and future^ are bnilt np to the profile ^'L/^ (Fig. 34) we estimate that the following expenditures will be involved: Embankments to increase existing levees at 13c per cubic yard $2,240,000 Stripping old levees at $1,500 per mile 292,000 $2,532,000 Levees immediately proposed at 12c per cubic yard. .. .$1,750,000 Interior improvements including pumping plants and tile drainage at $7.50 per acre 369,500 2,119,500 Distant future levees at 12c cubic yard $2,937,000 Interior improvements, pumping plants and tile drainage at $7.50 per acre 565,800 3,502,800 $8,154,300 If the future levee districts are utilized for storage so that all levees may be constructed with tops corresponding to profile "K," Fig. 34^ and assuming that future levee districts will be used for flood storage and fish culture only, pumping plants and tile drainage being omitted, but the levees being equipped with flood gates by which flood water can be discharged into each district at a rate of about 5,000 cubic feet per second, the estimated cost would be as follows : Old levees raised at 13c per cubic yard $1,300,000 - Stripping at $1,500 per mile 292,000 $1,592,000 Levees now proposed at 12c per cubic yards ...$1,291,000 Flood gates 100,000 1,391,000 Distant future levees at 12c per cubic yard. $2,256,000 Flood gates 150,000 2,406,000 Total $5,389,000 COMPAKATIVE INCOME AND EXPENSE. For purposes of comparison, we will assume that the operating cost of the agricultural levee districts is substantially the same as would be the cost of levee districts for the storage of flood waters and fish culture. We would further assume that 90 per cent of the land enclosed in agri- cultural levee districts produces $27 per acre per annum, which is the estimated acre yield of the past few years. We would further assume that if the river is completely leveed, and the bottoms used for agriculture, the commercial fishery of the Illinois River will have disappeared. This assumption will be favorable to storage. We would further assume that the total yield of fish from the Illinois Eiver will be one hundred pounds of fish per annum per acre of water surface prevailing for about half the year. This seems to have been approximately the yield prevailing in the past. (See Fig. 26.) At three cents per pound, the present American price, this would be $3 per acre of total water surface. At fifteen cents per pound, a price often received in Europe at the present time, this would amount to $16 per DISCUSSION OF KEMEDIES. 125 acre. These yields per acre cannot be compared with the yield per acre for agricultural purposes ; for the fish yield as thus computed, applies to the river surface as well as the land that may be flooded, whereas the acre yield from agriculture applies only to land. For purposes of general comparison, we have prepared Table No. 40 which summarizes the additional investments hereinbefore estimated, and estimates the return from agricultural and fisheries. The return from fishes has been estimated upon the assumption that the flood storage districts will retain water during the major part of the spring and summer season, as may be most desirable to promote the fishery, the reservoirs being emptied in the late fall or winter in order that they may be available for flood storage in the following spring. The acreage for computing total yield is based upon the total area of the leveed district. TABLE NO. 40— COMPARATIVE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF TWO PLANS FOR FLOOD PROTECTION. High levees as per profile Lower levees as per profile No storage. Storage. $8,254,300 $5,389,000 Annual Benefits, Past Prices— From agriculture^ $7,200,000 $4, 150, 000 From fisheries^ 567,000 Less interest on new investment at 6 per cent $7,200,000 490,000 $4,717,000 323,000 Net comparative benefit $6,700,000 $4,394,000 Annual Benefits at German Prices for Fish — From agriculture $7,200,000 $4,150,000 2,830,000 From fisheries ^. . Less interest on new investment at 6 per cent $7,200,000 490,000 $6,657,000 323,000 Net comparative benefit $6,710,000 $6,334,000 1 Return from agriculture at $27 per acre on 90 per cent of land in districts. 2 At 3 cents per pound. 3 At 15 cents per pound. It has been assumed that all expenses incident to the administration of agricultural levee districts and the flood storage districts will be the same, the only difference in the outgo being differences in the rental values of the moneys that would be necessarily invested. An allow- ance has been made for interest on the investment at 6 per cent. Comparisons have been made upon two bases, namely, with fish at the present price of three cents per pound, and with fish at prices which may be reached in the future, it being assumed that the future may produce prices equivalent to the present German prices — about 15 cents per pound. An examination of Table N'o. 40 would appear to indicate that with fish at the present price, the use of all the bottom lands for agriculture will return to the community over two million dollars more per year than could be secured by constructing lower levees and using them for 126 EEPOKT ON ILLINOIS KIVEE. iish culture and flood storage^ the existing levees being used for agri- culture as at present. If, however, the comparison should be made upon the basis of German fish prices/ the comparative returns would be much more nearly equal. The estimate, however, still indicates that a yearly return of nearly $400,000 more could be secured by bottom land agriculture.* (Eegardless as to whether the beds of lakes in the Illinois valley are of most value for agricultural purposes for private individuals or for fiood storage and fish breeding for the public at large, the fact remains that these public waters and submerged lands cannot be seized by private parties for agricultural purposes and, consequently, the foregoing economic analyses must be modified so as to exclude such public sub- merged lands. EiVERS AND Lakes Commission of Illinois.) OTHEE CONSIDEEATIO^S. It is true that if the flood waters are excluded from the bottom lands, the farmers must ultimately resort to fertilizers to take the place of the benefit arising from the natural flood. Experience upon the uplands of Illinois, land that was very rich' when first broken, indicates that within fifty or sixty years serious deterioration will have taken place. It is estimated that an annual flood would be worth about one dollar per acre per year over a long period of years, to keep the bottom land up to standard indefinitely. It is believed that this sum is not suffi- ciently large to make it an object to flood the bottom lands for the purpose of enriching them, even if done only in occasional years. It is believed that the damage to structures other than land would make this practice undesirable. It would be possible to equip all levee districts with pumping plants, agricultural drainage, as well as flood gates, using a part of the districts each year to store flood waters and promote fishing. They will be necessary for flood storage only in exceptional years, but if they are to promote the fisheries, there must be a large acreage flooded each year. i^o gain can come from this procedure except to benefit the land for agricultural purposes or to enrich the waters for the propagation of fish. It is believed that the gain from this procedure would not be sufficient to overcome the damages involved in flooding the farm lands, for the benefit to the farm lands would probably not exceed one dollar per acre per annum, and it is questionable how much the alternate farming and fishing would benefit the yield of fish. It seems probable that a large amount of vegetation might be grown in the flood- storage reservoirs in the latter part of the summer and early fall — perhaps sufficient to answer all the purposes of enriching the fish waters. EFFECT OF WATEEWAY PEOJECTS. In order to determine approximately the effect upon fiood water heights that might be occasioned by various projects heretofore proposed for improvement of navigation, we have given some consideration to three projects that have received considerable attention, namely, the Fourteen Foot Waterway, carefully investigated by the U. S. Board of DISCUSSION OP REMEDIES. 12'i' Engineers, The Deep Waterway, as proposed by the Illinois Internal Improvement Commission, and the more recent Eight Foot Waterway Link connecting the drainage canal with the Illinois Eiver at the head of navigation. None of these projects will so affect the flood water cross-sections .as to be of material aid, or to prevent the wisdom of increasing the height of the agricultural levees. The eight foot project requires only a small amount of dredging in the lower river, and will not affect the flood water conditions except the small effect produced by the removal of the dams which is understood to be a part of the project. This effect is very small — probably not more than two or three inches during extreme flood. It is roughly estimated that the fourteen foot waterway project will .affect extreme flood heights in amounts varying in diflerent parts of the river, but not exceeding three inches. This does not consider the affect •of the removal of the dams which would add slightly to the benefit. The project of the Internal Improvement Commission, although in the published bulletin it is not definitely stated as regards the lower river, would appear to have the effect of reducing flood stages a little more than a foot at Peoria and Beardstown. The data at hand will not permit of more accurate computations than these. IN^CEEASED WIDTH BETWEEN LEVEES. There are certain places upon the river where the bottom lands on both sides of the river are enclosed within levees, although for the most part, the river skirts the bluff, leaving bottom lands only on one side. The expenditure in the levees already built are too large to warrant serious consideration of moving the levees to positions further back from the river, thereby increasing the flood water cross-section. To do this would involve great expense for new levees, and would also generally require higher levees, for existing levees have generally been constructed upon the highest ground which is near the river bank, the ground .sloping off inland. In building future levees, however, careful consideration should be given to the location of the levees and the treatment of the flood plain between the levee faces with the object of maintaining a waterway adequate for the passage of great floods. Under date of September 16, 1910, Mr. J. W. Woermann, C. E., who was assistant engineer in charge of the surveys in the report of the TJ. S. Engineer Board on a Fourteen Foot W^aterway, reported to land- owners relative to certain levee districts on opposite sides of the river located a short distance below Pekin. In reply to the question as to how much space it is necessary to leave between two levee districts in question, Mr. Woermann among- ■other things stated : '' "The actual discharge of the Illinois River in this reach during the flood of 1904, according to the discharge measurements taken under my direction, was about 95,000 cubic feet per second. In other words, at Sturgeon Island it appears that approximately 17,000 cubic, feet per second passed through the timber or beyond the tops of the banks. For a similar flood this is the amount that should be provided for outside of the channel proper. As the average velocity outside of the channel would probably not exceed 5.0 feet 128 REPOKT ON ILLIi^OIS EIVER. per second, this would require a supplemental cross;:section of 3,400 square feet, and as the depth of the water on top of the banks was about 10 feet at this point, this would mean a supplemental width of 340 feet, provided this width was clear. This is the greatest additional width that is required in any part of this reach. At this particular point, most of this additional width can be secured by clearing Sturgeon Island. In other words, the cleared width at this point should be not less than 940 feet. The next most restricted section is below the head of Scott's Lake, marked Station 756 on the government map; during the flood of 1904, the discharging capacity of the river proper was about 87,600 cubic feet per second, leaving about 8,000 cubic feet per second to be carried outside of the banks. For a velocity of 5.0 feet per second, this would require a supple- mental area of 1,600 square feet. As the depth over the banks was about 8 feet at this point, the supplemental width beyond the banks should amount to not less than 200 feet. In other words, the cleared width at this point should be not less than 820 feet. To allow for a factor of safety and for the uncertainty connected with the application of any formula to a large river, I would recommend that 800 feet be taken as the minimum width to be kept clear. At Coon H'oUow Island and the other islands below it, the clearing of the islands will give sufficient width. This is an important matter and must not be negelected. If the islands and banks are allowed to become thickly covered with timber and brush, their discharging capacity may be reduced to almost nothing and the flood line may be raised as much as three or four feet. The cost of the clearing should be borne equally by the two districts. In regard to the location of levees, it is my opinion that the Spring Lake district on the whole has been quite liberal. At Coon Hollow Island the cen- ter line of their levee is only about 210 feet from low water shore line of 1901, but in the other sections this distance is considerably larger, and in some places much greater than necessary, as shown in the accompanying table. In locating your levee I would recommend that the center line be placed about 250 feet from the low water line of 1901, passing between the river and the several adjoining lakes, viz., Stillman Lake No. 1, Scott's Lake, Murray Lake and Kelcey Lake, m^aking the minimum distance between center lines of levees about 1,200 feet. A fringe of timber and brush 100 feet wide is sufficient protection from wave-wash and ice. In your supplemental letter of September 13 you state that the Spring Lake levee is 4 feet above high water mark. This is not definite as you do not state which high water. According to the information furnished me by their attorney, the top of their levee was 5 feet above the high water of 1902, or 3 feet above the high water of 1904, or 1.0 to 1.5 feet helow the high water of 1844. I would recommend that you build your levee at least 1 foot above the high water of 1844. The combination of circumstances which produced that flood may recur at any time. Furthermore, it gives your district a valuable asset to have its levee a little higher than the one on the opposite side. If, as the result of an ice gorge or failure to keep down the timber and brush, the river should rise to an unexpected height, the overtopping of the levee on the opposite side would probably save your own." In our opinion no levees should be permitted at a less distance apart, center to center, than the 1,200 feet recommended by Mr. Woer- mann. It is probable that in most places widths of 2,000 feet can reasonably be secured without sacrifice, all costs considered. This recom- mendation will apply as far south as the mouth of the Sangamon, with proper allowances for the increased drainage coming in below Pekin. This increased drainage is comparatively small. Below the Sangamon, the land is nearly all leveed, and there will be comparatively little occasion to pass upon this question. It is probable that the same allowance should be made between Peoria and LaSalle, for although the drainage becomes smaller at the north, the floods at LaSalle are nearly as great as those at Peoria. DISCUSSION OF REMEDIES. 129 Where the floods must pass between two lines of levees, we would emphasize the matter spoken of by Mr. Woermann, namely, the necessity for so removing underbrush and trees that the full effect of the cross- section is secured after providing a minimum of brush for protection of the banks against wave wash. It is a question as to how such bottoms shall be kept cleared on account of the rapid growth of underbrush. No doubt much can be accomplished by clearing and pasturing. It is a problem that must be faced where the river is completely enclosed, for it will be impracticable to build the levees high enough to force the water through great lengths of bottoms covered thickly with brush. STOEAGE m THE TEIBUTAEIES. It has been impossible to make a determinative study showing the effect of storing flood waters in the valleys of the tributaries, for the purpose of reducing the flood rates upon the Illinois Eiver. The means at our disposal do not permit of original surveys, and there is no data available from which the practicabilities of the matter may be definitely determined. Eeservoirs upon the lower ends of the tributaries if properly dis- tributed, will have substantially the same effect as equal volumes in the valley of the Illinois. If reservoir sites on the tributaries could be secured of such character that the average depth of the stored water mxaterially exceeds the average depths in the valley of the Illinois, then possibly there might be some advantage in utilizing such tributary storage. There would necessarily be sufficient advantage in reducing the area flooded to more than pay the cost of the dams necessary to create such reservoirs. Although is is possible that investigation might show some favorable reservoir sites, it must be remembered that at equal depths equal areas will be overflowed either on Illinois bottom lands or the bottom lands of the tributaries, and unless it can be shown that a much greater average depth can be secured on the tributaries, or land flooded having much less value, and both of the propositions seem doubtful, there would seem to be no net gain to the State to protect certain bottom lands of the Illinois at the expense of flooded bottom lands elsewhere. FLOOD PEOTECTIOK CONCLUSION. In the light of the figures upon the preceding pages, there Avould seem to us no doubt that the bottom lands will be most economically protected against flood by increasing the heights of the levees sub- stantially to the proflle marked "L" on Figure 34. It is our conclusion, in the light of all the data which we could find, that it is impracticable to effectively use bottom land storage reservoirs for the mitigation of floods, for the reason that more effective results can be secured at less cost through increasing the heights of levees. This takes into account all possible gain that might accrue to the fisheries through handling the bottom land reservoirs in such manner that they will assist in fish propagation. — 9 R L 130 EEPOET ON ILLINOIS RIVER. BEST USB OF EEMAIKIKG LAKES AND LANDS. The original bottom land lakes aggregated 49,340 acres at low water. Levee operations have np to the present time reduced this lake area to about 31,600 acres. There are about 22 meandered lakes, and Suggestion i^orCompiiOMise Levees Navigable Lakes To Accompoiny +he^ Reporf c^ AUVORD & BuRDlCK e (0 13 -B-— Indicorfes required Levee ^ su^cje^ed compromise. FIGURE 40. DISCUSSION OF REMEDIES. 131 possibly more, to which the State claims title. Table 41 is a list of the meandered lakes claimed by the Elvers and Lakes Commission to be public waters. It is stated that this list is not complete. We have added opposite the name of each lake its area by planimeter measurements from the U. S. Engineer's Survey Map. Excluding Peoria Lake, which we have included in the area of the river as elsewhere tabulated herein, these lakes aggregate 7,002 acres, or a little less than one-quarter of the lakes remaining unleveed. TABLE NO. 41— PARTIAL LIST OF LAKES ADJACENT TO ILLINOIS RIVER TO WHICH THE STATE CLAIMS TITLE. Area in Area in County. acres. County. acres. Slough near Otter Creek Jersey. . ." 450 Slough four miles above Macoupin Slough Greene 24 Liverpool Mason Slough near Van Geson Is- Clear Lake \ -^r ^^„ cm land Greene 17 MudLakoJ ^^^^^ ^^^ Slough near Valley City.... Pike 30 Spring Lake Tazewell 1,390 Meredosia Lake Scott-Cass.... 1,182 Saiwell Tazewell 42 Hickory Slough (near Pekin Lake Tazewell 244 mouth of Sangamon R.).. Mason 25 Gar Lake (near Sparland).. Tazewell 59 Lake Depue Bureau Huse Slough near Peru La Salle 59 MatanzasBay Mason 346 Pond opposite Peru La Salle 21 Dog Fish Lake 1 ,^ „„^ Thompson Lake Fulton 1,723 Quiver Lake../ ^ason 290 ^ Liverpool Lake Mason 290 Total 7,002 INCLOSUEE OF MEANDEEED LAKES. It has been the practice, in the construction of the levee districts, to build the levees close to the river, thus cutting off the inland lakes from the stream. In certain places the title to the land surrounding the lakes may be held by private individuals who desire to dyke the same, and if the State can establish its title to the lake bed, the dyking of lands adjacent to the large lakes will be very expensive, if completely dyked, the dykes being very long, and occupying the low ground. Fur- theremore, the lakes thus enclosed will be of little value for the propaga- tion of fish, if the levees are built close to the shore, for the high water levels in the spring and the higher water levels prevailing throughout the season hereafter through the increased drainage canal flows will rise upon the sides of the levees, thus destroying all the shallow water which is so advantageous to the breeding and rearing of fish. The suggestions has been made in circumstances such as these, to compromise with the land owners by trading a portion of the lake bed for a portion of the privately held land, and to build the levees sub- stantially as shown by line B, Figure 40; thus accomplishing for the land owner a levee of reduced cost, with reduced cost of maintenance, and accomplishing for the public a lake most practicable for the breed- ing and taking of fish. It would seem that this suggestion is worthy of very serious consideration in cases where applicable. In the storage computations which we have previously made, we have assumed that ultimateh^ practically all the bottom land will be under levee. This may require a long time for accomplishment, and it is quite possible that there are some areas lying so low, or so cut up by tributary streams, as to be uneconomical of reclamation. It will be further noted that certain tracts are so separated by meandered lakes as to make the long line of levees required so expensive that the economy of reclamation may be doubtful. The time at our 132 EEPOET ON ILLINOIS EIVER. disposal has obviously not permitted an examination of the practicability of dyking these individual tracts. It is strongly recommended that, so far as possible, these nnnsed lands and lakes be nsed for the betterment of the acqnatic life of the river. As to how they can best be nsed will probably be a subject of further study by the Department of Natural History. CLEAN BANKS. Competent observers state that under present conditions a great amount of the fish spawn is being destroyed through the growth of fungi, occasioned by decaying land vegetation^ such as trees and brush that have been permanently inundated and killed through! the increased water stages since 1910. We have heretofore pointed out the great desirability of clearing the bottoms, except for a narrow wave break in those sections of the river where both sides of the stream are leveed, in order that a clear waterway for the flood may be provided. The keeping of these lands cleared will not only serve to provide a practicable channel for flood waters but will best serve the needs of the fishes. With the levee placed well back from the river banks, as recommended in districts to be built hereafter, the grounds between the levees and the river bank, properly cleared, will be of great benefit to the aquatic life of the stream. GAME FISH AND HUNTING. The waters of the Illinois Kiver have been the rendezvous of the sportsman — both the hunter and the fisherman — for many years. It is too much to expect that the entire river bottoms will be retained in the original state of nature in order to furnish recreation grounds for those capable of benefiting by them. In general, the fate of these bottoms will doubtless be ultimately decided by financial considerations, which, as we have shown, point towards agriculture as the most profitable use of the bottoms, commercially. It is hoped that future studies in intensive fish culture may find a way to keep the stream stocked, through a better utilization hereafter of the breeding and feeding grounds that reinain. Large expenditures are being made by cities, and the U. S. Govern- ment is not only setting aside unused lands wherever possible for play- grounds for the people, but is spending considerable sums annually for their maintenance. It is not beyond reason that the State of Illinois should obtain such bottom lands by purchase as may be necessary to aug- ment the most favorable meandered lake holdings, for the double purpose of studying, and, if possible, increasing the aquatic life of the stream, and furnishing state parks or preserves, in which, under proper re- strictions, hunting and game fishing may be pursued, and which will serve as nurseries for augmenting the commercial fishery of the stream generally. COOPEEATION WITH THE SANITAEY DISTRICT. It is generally known that damage suits, aggregating large sums, have been filed against the Sanitary District of Chicago for damage to Illinois bottom lands through the increased water delivered to the river DISCUSSION OF REMEDIES. 133 hy the Chicago Drainage Canal. The suggestion has been made for the State and the Sanitary District to combine in the purchase of the lands ■damaged^ or certain of them as might be most useful to the State for the purposes heretofore mentioned. FIGURE 41. Tiiver Banks at Recent Moderate Water Stages, Showing the Dead and Decayed Land Vegetation. The following figures are taken from the report of Mr. Lyman E. Cooley, C. E.^ entitled "The Illinois Elver. Physical Relations and the removal of the N"avigation Dams/' August, 1914. Mr. Cooley places the expenditures of the Sanitary District to date on the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers in payment of land damages, the expenditures of the Engineering Department in preparation for defense of suits, and the ex- penditures of the legal department, at between $500,000 and $600,000 up to December 31, 1912. TABLE NO. 42— CLAIMS AGAINST SANITARY DISTRICT ON ACCOUNT OF DAMAGE FROM OVERFLOW ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1912. Permanent damage. Temporary damage. Total. Claims. Amount. Claims. Amount. Claims. Amount. XJtica to Havana 122 2 5 $2,474,400 33, 330 469,000 46 108 1 $ 434,900 1,118,350 10,000 168 1 $2,909,300 110 1,151,610 6 479,000 1/a Grange to Mouth Total 129 $2,976,730 155 $1,563,250 284 $4,539,980 The total claims pending against the district for damage on account of overflowed land up to December 31, 1912, upon the Illinois River below Utica, amount to a total of $4,539,980. The principal details of these claims are shown upon Table 42, herewith. 134 REPORT ON ILLINOIS EIVER. The total of the land and lakes in the Illinois Eiver bottoms outside of the districts at present leveed, amounts to 219,760 acres below the flood plane of 1844, and 195,000 acres below the flood plane of 1904. The total damage claims as stated are equivalent to $20.20 per acre below the 1844 flood plane and $22.80 per acre below the flood plane of 1904. If we exclude the lake beds outside the levee districts, amounting to- 31,600 acres, the total of the damage claims per acre would be $24.00 and $27.80 per acre for the land below the flood planes of 1844 and 1904, respectively, or if we exclude from the acreage of land those acres for the protection of which levee districts are now projected, the land acreage will be reduced by an additional amount of 49,250 acres, and the total of the damage claims per acre, respectively, below the 1844 flood plane and the flood plane of 1904, would be $32.75 and $39.70 per acre of land. The report above referred to further states : "The additional claims preferred but not yet entered of suit will raise the total to about eight million dollars." Eight million dollars in damages will serve to nearly double the figures above mentioned. With regard to the value of the bottom lands, as has been previously stated in this report, those lands leveed along the Illinois Eiver are held at from $100 to $150 per acre. The unreclaimed low bottoms are of uncertain value. It is said that much of this land is held at about $15 per acre. Within 25 years past it is probable that all the land in the- bottoms could have been purchased at from $5 to $10 per acre. In the light of all these figures, it would seem that lands of con- siderable value to the pu.blic might be secured by the State through cooperation with the Sanitary District, thus relieving the District from at least a part of the heavy damage claims against it, and securing to the public permanent and undisputed possession of land well adapted to assist in the maintenance of the aquatic life of the river and at the same time to form state parks or state preserves that would accrue to the benefit of the public generally. ACKFOWLEDGMEKT. This investigation, particularly so far as it relates to natural history,, would have been impossible except for the services of Prof. Stephen A. Forbes of the State Laboratory of Natural History, who from the begin- ning of the investigation has advised us on all matters pertaining to his department. We are further indebted to Mr. L. K. Sherman, C. E, Engineer Member of the Eivers and Lakes Commission, for valuable criticism and data; to Mr. E. E. Eichardson, in charge of the Biological station at Havana, for much valuable information regarding the fisheries ; to Prof. J. G. Mosier, of the Department of Agriculture, State University, who accompanied us upon our inspection trip and from whom we learned much relating to the agriculture of the bottom lands. We are further indebted to the members of the Eivers and Lakes Commission and the Fish and Game Commission, who also accompanied us upon our first inspection trip DISCUSSION OP REMEDIES. 135 The investigations relating to agriculture and the agricultural levee districts were conducted by Prof. Leslie A. Waterbury, under our general direction and we are indebted to our assistant, Mr. E. T. Eeilly, for much painstaking work in the intricate hydraulic calculations relating to the flood waterways Eespectfully submitted, John W. Alvord. Chas. B. Eurdick. Engineers. Chicago, Illinois, July 2i, 1915. APPENDIX 11. REMOVAL OF DAMS IN THE ILLINOIS RIVER. (From Annual Report of 1914.) The Illinois Association of Drainage and Levee Districts and similar organizations have at various times passed resolutions demanding the removal of the four dams in the lower Illinois Eiver. The Sanitary District of Chicago has at various times made attempts to have these dams removed. Considered solely from the standpoint of drainage and land overflow, these dams should be removed at once. Section 23 of the act of 1889 to create sanitary districts and to remove obstructions in the Des Plaines and Illinois Eiver recites as follows : "The district * * * sha]l remove the dams at Henry and Copperas Creek in the Illinois River before any water shall be turned into said channel. And the canal commissioners, if they shall find at any time that an additional supply of water has been added to either of said rivers, by any drainage district or districts, to maintain a depth of not less than six feet from any dam owned by the State, to and into the first lock of the Illinois and Michigan Canal at LaSalle without the aid of any such dam, at low water, then it shall be the duty of said canal commissioners to cause such dam or dams to be removed." After the attempt by the Sanitary District to remove these dams the Supreme Court held (Vol. 184^ 111., page 157) that the clause in section 23 of the Sanitary District Act was not mandatory but permissive, and that the dams could not be removed until an equivalent navigable depth is available without the aid of the dams. The Eivers and Lakes Commis- sion has made computations and investigated the flow records and profile of the Illinois Eiver, and finds that if the pending litigation of the Sani- tary District in the Federal Courts shall limit the flow of the Chicago Drainage Canal to 4,167 cubic feet per second, and, furthermore, if no dredging or channel improvement is undertaken, the removel of the four dams in the Illinois Eiver will decrease the depth of water to much less than 6 feet in numerous places to the great detriment of navigation. It would be deplorable to the State of Illinois to have the flow limited to 4,167 cubic feet per second, but at the present time the fact must be met that such a condition may possibly exist. We therefore, do not advocate the unconditional removal of these dams at the present time. The next question is, can the dams now be removed providing com- pensating channel improvements be made? On page 18 of a Eeport by a Board of Officers of the Corps of Engineers of the U. S. Army upon a navigable waterway through the Illinois Eiver, Document 263, 59th Con- gress, First Session, signed by Col. Ernst, Lieut. Col. Bixby and Major Casey, the following statement is made : 136 APPENDIX II. 137 "The additional flow provided by the Chicago Drainage Canal is now 4,200 cubic feet per second. It will allow the removal of the present locks and dams, and it makes practicable the maintenance of an open channel considerably deeper than the seven feet now provided by these structures." Our computations are in accord with this statement, but we find that considerable dredging and channel regulation work will be required to accomplish the above results. The Rivers and Lakes Commission recommends and advises as follows : 1. The four State and Federal dams in the Illinois River between Utica and the Mississippi River should be removed, subject to the provision that the dredging and channel improvement necessary to secure a minimum depth of 7 feet is insured. 2. The Sanitary District of Chicago should be permitted to remove the Henry and Copperas Creek dams, subject to specific stipulations as to dredg- ing regulations by the State through the Rivers and Lakes Commission, or other authorized State agency. 3. The Federal appropriation of $1,000,000 for the improvement of the Illinois River (section 1 of the Rivers and Harbors Act', approved June 5, 1910, is now legally available and should be appropriated at once to dredge the lower Illinois River so that the government dams at La Grange and Kampsville may be removed and a navigable depth of 8 feet be secured without such structures. 10 K I F CO ^<,m>^J .V \\ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS lllllll ^N' \s 029 708 378 8 N A \^ x' ^^ \' ^^^v>^ xx\. '^v^:^^mv? ^%^v,^.-^,M^