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Hancock Library ot^itl^KS and Oceanography

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

D e partment of Wa ter Resources

BULLETIN No. 161

^5VT^ OF S0U7H.,v,v

FLOOD!

DECEMBER 1964 -JANUARY 1965

HUGO FISHER

Adm/n/s/rofor

The Resources Agency

JANUARY 1965

EDMUND G. BROWN

Governor

State of California

v>->«v£:MS!rYOFCALIFORNIAl

MAR Z 0 1984 WiiUAM b. WAKNt '

Director Department of Water Resources

state of California THE RESOURCES AGENCY

Department of Wa ter Resources

BULLETIN No, 161

FLOOD!

DECEMBER 1964 -JANUARY 1965

JANUARY 1965

HUGO FISHER

EDMUND G. BROWN

WILLIAM E. WARNE

Adminisfrator

Governor

Director

The Resources Agency

State of California

Department of Water Resources

TC

Hancock Library of Biology 1 ^ and Oceanography C'?^

FOREWORD

The purpose of this report is to document and disseminate, very quickly, as much data as possible about the Floods of December 196^4^ - January I965.

Here then, is published a great deal of preliminary information about the floods: The meteorological conditions and the storm itself; precip- itation amovmts; runoff quantities eind hydrographs; reservoir operation data; damage information; and pictures.

But raw figures and graphs and charts and even pictures do not tell the entire story of a flood, for floods effect people. And once again during the Christmas season it was the people of majiy areas of Northern California who were challenged and tested by a capricious mother nature. "Good will to men" took a somewhat different form during Christmas 196^ in these areas of Northern California. It took such improbable forms as helicopter pilots flying and dying on rescue missions, and in many places there were more sandbags filled than stockings, and the lights were on the levees -- not on the trees. That part of the flood story, the people, is beyond the scope of this report.

This report is for the engineers, planners, and other technical people who need to know as much as they can, as quickly as they can, about the flood. Much of the data is of course preliminary and will be revised, where necessary, when this information is published at a later date in the annual Bulletin 69-65 - California High Water.

Much of the data for this report was furnished by the many public and private agencies involved with hydrological activities and flood opera- tions. Their cooperation is gratefully acknowledged.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

FOREWORD ili

ORGANIZATION, DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES xiil

THE FLOODS OF DECEMBER 1964 - JAHUARY I965

INTRODUCTION 1

METEOROLOGY OF THE FLOODS OF DECEMBER 196^^ -

JANUARY 1965 3

December l8-2J , 196k -- The Warm Phase 3

January 2-7, I965 -- The Second Phase 9

RUNOFF 11

North Coast Area 11

Smith River Basin 12

Klamath River Basin 13

Trinity Subbasin 15

Redwood Creek Basin 19

Mad River Basin 22

Mattole River Basin 24

Eel River Basin 24

Russian River Basin 29

Runoff Volume - North Coast 31

Central Valley Area 33

FLOOD AREAS AND FLOOD DAMAGE 37

North Coast Area 37

Central Valley Area 44

Flooded Areas 44

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)

Page

Flood Damages U5

Sacramento Basin k6

San Joaquin Basin kj

TABLES

Table

No. Page

1 PRECIPITATION COMPARISONS - SIERRA NEVADA 7

2 REPRESENTATIVE RAINFALL TOTALS FOR THE DECEMBER

STORM - SMITH RIVER BASIN 12

3 SELECTED PEAK RUNOFF EVENTS - SMITH RIVER BASIN 13

k PEAK STAGE DATA FOR THE KLAMATH RIVER 15

5 REPRESENTATIVE RAINFALL TOTALS FOR THE DECEMBER

STORM - KLAMATH RIVER BASIN 17

6 REPRESENTATIVE RAINFALL TOTALS FOR THE DECEMBER

STORM - TRINITY RIVER BASIN 17

7 SELECTED PEAK RUNOFF EVENTS - REIWOOD

CREEK BASIN 21

8 TIME TO PEAK FROM END OF PEAK RAINFALL 21

9 SELECTED PEAK RUNOFF EVENTS - MAD RIVER BASIN 23

10 REPRESENTATIVE RAINFALL TOTALS FOR THE DECEMBER

STORM - MAD RIVER BASIN 2^^

11 SELECTED PEAK RUNOFF EVENTS - EEL RIVER BASIN 26

12 REPRESENTATIVE RAINFALL TOTALS FOR THE DECEMBER

STORM - EEL RIVER BASIN 28

13 SELECTED PEAK RUNOFF EVENTS - RUSSIAN RIVER 30

vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)

TABLES (Continued)

Table No. Page

Ik REPRESENTATIVE RAINFALL TOTALS FOR THE DECEMBER

STORM - RUSSIAN RIVER BASIN 31

15 ESTIMATED STORM RUNOFF VOLUMES FOR THE DECEMBER

FLOODS OF 1955 AND 1964 32

16 SACRAME3IT0 RIVER FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT WEIR

OVERFLOW DATA 35

17 FLOOD DAMAGE ESTIMATE (In Dollars) 38

18 ESTIMATE OF HOMES, FARM DWELLINGS AND TRAILER HOMES DESTROYED OR DAMAGED (In Dollars) kO

19 ESTIMATE OF DAMAGE (in Dollars) ''H

20 FLOOD DAMAGE ESTIMATE (In Dollars) k2

21 RED CROSS RECORDS - JANUARY k, I965 kk

APPENDIX

APPENDIX A - RUNOFF

TABLE A-1 PEAK FLOWS AND STAGES .

Page

A-1

North Coastal Area Central Valley Area

TABLE A- 2 RESERVOIR OPERATIONS .

A-6

vii

TABLE OF CCWTENTS (Continued)

PLATES

SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF WEATHER PATTERN Plate 1

METEOROLOGICAL DATA - PRESSURE GRADIENT AND WIND Plate 2

METEOROLOGICAL DATA - TEMPERATURE Plate 3

ACCUMULATIVE PRECIPITATION CURVES - NORTH COASTAL AREA,

DECEMBER 196^^ Plate h

ACCUMULATIVE PRECIPITATION CURVES - SIERRA NEVADA AREA,

DECEMBER 196^+ Plate 5

ACCUMULATIVE PRECIPITATION CURVES - SIERRA NEVADA AREA,

JANUARY 1965 Plate 6

ISOHYETAL MAP - NORTH COASTAL AREA, DECEMBER l8-27, I96U . . . Plate 7

ISOHYETAL MAP - NORTH COASTAL AREA, DECEMBER 21-22, 1964 . . . Plate 8

ISOHYETAL MAP - CENTRAL VALLEY AREA, DECEMBER 18-27, 1964 . Plate 9

ISOHYETAL MAP - CENTRAL VALLEY AREA, JANUARY 2-7, 1965 .... Plate 10

HYDROGRAPHS OF SMITH RIVER AMD REIWOOD CREEK Plate 11

HYDROGRAPHS OF MAD AND TRINITY RIVERS Plate 12

HYDROGRAPHS OF EEL RIVER Plate 13

OPERATION OF LAKE MENDOCINO RESERVOIR AND HYDROGRAPH OF

RUSSIAN RIVER Plate ik

OPERATION OF SHASTA RESERVOIR AND HYDROGRAPH OF

SACRAMENTO RIVER Plate 15

OROVILLE DAM EMBANKMENT, FEATHER RIVER, AND OPERATION

OF BLACK BUTTE RESERVOIR, STONY CREEK Plate I6

HYDROGRAPHS OF BUTTE CREEK AND YUBA RIVER Plate 17

OPERATION OF FOISOM RESERVOIR, AMERICAN RIVER, AND

HYDROGRAPHS OF FLOW PAST LATITUDE OF SACRAMENTO Plate I8

HYDROGRAPHS OF COSUMNES AND SAN JOAQUIN RIVERS Plate I9

vill

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)

PLATES (Continued)

OPERATION OF PARDEE AND CAMANCHE RESERVOIRS,

MOKELDMNE RIVER Plate 20

OPERATION OF LAKE McCLURE RESERVOIR AND HYDROGRAPH

OF MERCED RIVER Plate 21

OPERATION OF DON PEDRO RESERVOIR AND HYDROGRAPH OF

TUOLUMNE RIVER Plate 22

OPERATION OF MELONES AND TULLOCH RESERVOIRS,

STANISLAUS RIVER Plate 23

HYDROGRAPH OF STANISLAUS RIVER AND OPERATION OF NEW

HOGAN RESERVOIR, CALAVERAS RIVER Plate 2k

GAGE HEI(2ITS OF SACRAMENTO RIVER AND YOLO BYPASS Plate 25

GAGE HEIGHTS OF FEATHER RIVER, YUBA RIVER, AND

CACHE CREEK Plate 26

GAGE HEIGHTS OF SAN JOAQUIN RIVER Plate 2?

PRECIPITATION AND STREAM GAGING STATIONS - NORTH

COASTAL AREA Plate 28

MAJOR DISASTER AREAS Plate 29

MAJOR DRAINAGE AREAS IN CALIFORNIA Plate 30

PHOTOGRAPHS

Cover:

December 2k, I96U - AERIAL VIEW OF OROVILLE DAM EMBANKMENT AND IMPOUNDED FLOOD WATERS OF FEATHER RIVER. NOTE DEBRIS BEHIND LOG BOOM AND VORTEX FORMED BY WATER FUHNELING INTO SUBMERGED DIVERSION TUNNELS. (DWR Photo)

IX

.[ABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)

PHOTOGRAPHS (Continued)

Frontispiece:

December 2k 196^^ - AERIAL VIEW OF OROVILLE DAM EMBAMKMENT SHOWING FEATHER RIVER FLOOD WATERS DISCHARGING THROUGH DIVERSION TUNNELS BELOW LEFT ABUTMENT OF HANSEL'S BRIDGE. NOTE CONSTRUCTION FACILITIES, IMPOUNDED FLOOD WATERS, DEBRIS, VORTEX AND MIDDLE FORK BRIDGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT LEFT BACKGROUND. (EWR Photo)

Following Page 10:

December 25. 1964 - U. S. 101 HIGHWAY THROUGH KLAMATH. THE KLAMATH SlJvELOPEb THIS COMMUNITY TO A DEPTH OF 15 FEET AT THE HEIGHT OF THE FLOOD: 9&io OF THE TOWN WAS DESTROYED. (Photograph Courtesy of Eureka Newspapers Inc.)

December 23, I96U - AERIAL VIEW OF HOLMES FLAT ALONG THE SURGING EEL RIVER. (Photograph Courtesy Eureka Newspapers Inc. - Neil K. Hiabert)

December 23, 196k - THE JOHN NUNES HOME AT GRIZZLY BUJFFS ENGULFED IN THE RAMPAGING FLOOD WATERS OF THE EEL RIVER. THE TEN MEMBER FAMILY WAS TRAPPED IN THE ATTIC FOR TWO AND A HALF DAYS BEFORE RESCUE THE TWO MEMBERS SHOWN CLIMBED OUT ON TOP OF THE HOUSE AFTER CUTTING A HOLE THROUGH THE ROOF. (Photograph Courtesy of Eureka Newspapers Inc. - Neil K. Hiilbert)

December 23 196if - EEL RIVER DELTA AND FLOODED AGRICULTURAL LANDS S ™AiE. NOTE VEHICLES PARKED ON ONLY HIGH GROUND IN FRONT OF OLD FERNDALE CREAMERY. (Photograph Courtesy of Eureka Newspapers Inc. - Neil K. Hulbert)

December 2k I96U - DEVASTED TOWN OF WEOTT AUMG SOUTH FORK EEL RIVER. U. S, 101 HIGHWAY IN BACKGROUND. (Photograph Courtesy of E\ireka Newspapers Inc. - Neil K. Hulbert)

Following Page 36:

December 2k, 196k - AERIAL VIEW OF BIEWELL BAR ABOVE DEBRIS- CHOKED CONFLQENCE OF MIDDLE AND NORTH FORKS OF FEATHER RIVER. BACKWATER CREATED BY OROVILLE DAM EMBANKMENT EXTENDED UPSTREAM TO MIDDLE R)RK BRIDGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION. (DWR Photo)

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)

PHOTOGRAPHS (Continued)

Following Page (Continued) :

December 23, 196k - FEATHER RIVER AT OROVILLE DAM EMBANKMENT. LOOKING UPSTREAM AT FLOOD WATERS ISSUING FROM DIVERSION TUNNELS BELOW HANSEL'S BRIDGE AND EMBANKMENT. (IWR Photo)

December 23, 196k - AERIAL VIEW OF PARTIALLY COMPLETED THERMALITO DIVERSION DAM ON FEATHER RIVER BELOW OROVILLE DAM EMBANKMENT. NOTE CONSTRUCTION FACILITIES AND CONTRACTOR'S HAUL RAILROAD. (DMR Photo)

December 2k, I96U - AERIAL VIEW OF BORROW AREA ALONG FEATHER RIVER BELOW OROVILLE AND OROVILLE DAM EMBANKMENT. HISTORIC DREDGER TAILINGS AT RIGHT CENTER OF PICTURE PARTIALLY INUNDATED BY FLOOD WATERS. (DWR Photo)

December 23, 196^1 - AERIAL VIEW OF FEATHER RIVER AT OROVILLE LOOKING DOWNSTREAM. HIGHWAY 40A AT LEFT BANK; CONTRACTOR'S HAUL RAILROAD IN CENTER. NOTE PARTIALLY INUNDATED TRACKS IN BACK- GROUND. (DWR Photo)

December 25, 196^^ - BRIDGE AND FLOODED ORCHARDS FEATHER RIVER NEAR BORROW AREA. (DWR Photo)

December 2k, 196k - AERIAL VIEW OF MARYSVILLE LOOKING SOUTHWEST. (DWR Photo)

December 25, 196^^ - SACRAMENTO RIVER AT SACRAMENTO WEIR NEAR SACRAMENTO. (DWR Photo)

December 23, 196^^ - AERIAL VIEW OF TOWER BRIDGE AT SACRAMENTO RIVER AT SACRAMENTO. (EWR Photo)

December 2k, 196k - AMERICAN RIVER AT FOLSOM BRIDGE WITH FOLSOM DAM AND RESERVOIR IN BACKGROUND. (DWR Photo)

December 27, 1964 - BANK SLOUGHING ENDANGERING HOMES BUILT ON FLOOD PLAIN OF AMERICAN RIVER IN VICINITY OF CARMICHAEL. (DWR Photo)

XI

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)

PHOTOGRAPHS (Continued)

Following Page 36 (Continued) :

December 2k, 1964 - AMERICAN RIVER AT SACRAMENTO ABOVE "H" STREET BRIDGE. (DWR Photo)

December 28, 196^1 - EMERGENCY REPAIRS BEING MADE TO LEFT BANK OF AMERICAN RIVER BELOW "H" STREET BRIDGE. SACRAMENTO STATE COLLEGE IN BACKGROUND. (IWR Photo)

December 2k, 196k - AERIAL VIEW OF SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT ALONG AMERICAN RIVER NEAE CARMICHAEL. (IWR Photo)

Following Page kQ:

December 2k, ISSk - FLOODED FARM IN YOLO BYPASS. (IWR Photo)

December 21 , I96U - AERIAL VIEW OF TWITCHELL ISLAND FLOOD FIGHT IN SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN DELTA. DREDGE ASSISTED FLOOD FIGHT CREWS IN COMBATING DAMAGE CAUSED BY HIGH TIDES, HIGH DELTA INFLOW, AND WAVE WASH. (EWR Photo)

December 2?, I96J+ - VIEW OF TWITCHELL ISLAND FLOOD FIGHT IN SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN DELTA. CONSERVATION CREW INMATES DIRECTED BY DWR ENGINEERS SAVED THE ISLAND FROM INUNDATION. (DWR Photo)

December 27, 19Sk - PHOTO ILLUSTRATING EFFECT OF TREES BEING PERMITTED TO ENCROACH ON RIVER SIDE OF LEVEE SLOPE. THESE TREES INITIATE EDDYING ACTION SUBSEQUENTLY CAUSING TREES TO TOPPLE AND PULL OUT LARGE SECTIONS OF THE LEVEE WITH THEIR ROOT SYSTEM. (DWR Photo)

December 2k, 1964 - FLOOD FIGHT CREWS PLACING CANVAS WAVE WASH PANELS ON YOLO BYPASS LEVEES DURING THE NIGHT IN THE VICINITY OF SACRAMENTO BYPASS. (iWR Photo)

xii

STATE OF CALIFORNIA THE RESOURCES AGENCY DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

EDMDND G. BROWN, Governor HUGO FISHER, Administrator, The Resources Agency

WILLIAM E. WARNE, Director, Department of Water Resources

ALFRED R. GOIZE' Chief Engineer

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

ROBIN R. REYNOLDS Division Engineer

WILLIAM L. HORN Chief, Water Operations Branch

This report was prepared under the immediate supervision of

ROBERT W. MILLER Chief, Flood. Operations and Forecasts Unit

by

WILLIAM A. ARVOLA Meteorologist III

JOSEPH B. POWERS Meteorologist III

A. J, BROWN Senior Engineer Water Resources

CHARLES H. HOWARD Associate Engineer Water Resources

RODERICK L. HALL Associate Engineer Water Resources

WARREN J. AMSTUTZ Associate Engineer Water Resources

KENNETH LLOYD Water Resources Engineering Associate

C. A. DETTLOFF Water Resources Engineering Associate

DONALD K. BAKER Assistant Civil Engineer

DAVID L. HAMILTON Assistant Civil Engineer

FRED J. GIENTKE Assistant Engineering Specialist

WILLIAM C. HUGHES Assistant Engineering Specialist

A. L. RAIMUNDO Water Resources Technician II

JOHN RIDDLE Junior Civil Engineer

C. E. FITZGERALD Junior Civil Engineer

J. C. BRINGHAM Water Resources Technician I

RICHARD McGUIRE Engineering Aid II

C. A. HARBEY Intermediate Stenographer

with drafting by

JOHN L. JAMES, SR Supervisor of Drafting Services

xiii

THE FLOODS OF DECEMBER 1964 - JANUARY I965 INTRODUCTION

FloodJ With quickening pace the rivulets of water stream down the slopes of the mountains of the Coast Reinge and Sierra to swell into wild angry rivers. Combining forces, these raging torrents surge throxigh the foothill areas and sweep relentlessly into the vulnerable valleys below.

This scene has been repeated many times in California since the legendary flood of I86I-62. Each time the dark, swirling waters find more works of man built to slow and control them. But in California, man is not yet to that inevitable point in time when he is master of the flood situation, and he is particularly defenseless in the North Coast.

Nature once again chose Christmas to prove how vulnerable the North Coast area is -- and she made her point. "A major American disaster" said Governor Brown viewing the North Coast devastation. Further inland, the Sacramento Valley, too, was subjected to rainfall that seemed intermi- nable emd runoff quantities that staggered the imsLgination. But here, in the Sacramento Valley, man had made his mark; with dams and reservoirs, channels, bypasses, and levees. Man won in the inland fight if anyone wins in a flood. At least man didn't lose.

There were a number of similarities between the floods of 196^)- and 1955. The weather patterns had shown evidence several times during the fall of 196^*- of developing into a 1955 storm situation. Once again, on the weekend of December 19-20, meteorological events began etching a pictiire of impending trouble. A combination of factors; a warm mass of

moist Pacific air, a flow of cold air from an Alaskan high, a low pressure trough off the coast, and a strong westerly flow completed the meteorolog- iceil picture to provide aJjaost optimum conditions for heavy precipitation. This was the weather pattern on December 21, 1964 and in December 1955.

The potential of the meteorological situation was realized. The North Coast received very heavy rainfall accompanied by strong gusty winds. As the storm moved inland, precipitation was centered primarily in the basins of the Feather, Yuba, and American Rivers. The heaviest rains occurred on December 22 and 23, however, the nine-day totals (December 19-27) were also quite impressive.

Resultant runoff from the streams of the Coast Range, almost with- out exception, produced peak stages and peak flows that exceeded previous records. Runoff from the Sierra, in the Feather, Yuba, and American Rivers surpassed all previous records. In the remaining watersheds of the Sacramento Valley, peak stages and flows tended to about equal those experienced in 1955. In the northern San Joaquin Valley, runoff from streams of the Sierra was high but not of record-breaking proportions. The second storm, of early January, was centered further south than the Christmas storm and produced flows in northern San Joaquin streams that were generally higher.

This flood report provides in subsequent pages a compilation in more detail of the facts and figures of the December 1964 - January I965 flood. The period covered is from December I9, 1964 to January 15, I965. The information is presented in various forms tables, graphs, plates and written description. It is a provisional technical record, subject to change later as all basic data is collected and analyzed more thoroughly.

METEOROLOGY OF THE FLOODS OF DECEMBER 196k - JMUARY I963

Decemljer 18-27, 196^ -- The Warm Phase

The memories of the notorious flood of December 1955 had scarcely dimmed with the residents of the North Coast area when another flood, even more destructive, hit this portion of the state nine years later. The flood of December I96U - January I965 has much similarity to the earlier flood with respect to the meteorological features; ironically, the peak flows on many of the streams occurred on the same date as in the earlier flood.

The broad- scale pressure pattern at the onset of the flood- producing rains was an elongated area of low pressure across the Pacific Ocean, extending from the coast of British Columbia southwestward and westward into the latitude band 30° -^"N across the international date line. To the south of this elongated west- to-east low, the westerly winds were increasing on December 20 and carrying a series of frontal systems eastward toward the Washington-Oregon coast. This progression of events hastened the transport of warm, moist air from the southerly latitudes of the Pacific toward the coast. Here strong winds inipinging on the coastal and inleind mountain barriers were to bring optimxim orographic lifting and release heavy precipitation from the cloud masses.

Another characteristic of the flow pattern was an area of high press\ire over Alaska. The effect of this pressure feature was most clearly observed at the upper levels of the atmosphere, where the injection of cold polar air southward across the Gulf of Alaska was forced to flow into juxta- position with the warm air current emanating from the southerly latitudes.

-3-

This strong contrast between cold and warm air masses brought into conflu- ence served to strengthen the westerly wind flow and maintain an energy- explosive frontal boundary straddled across the Oregon coast.

On Plate 1 is shown a schematic flow chart at the 500 millibar pressure surface (about 18,000 feet above sea level) depicting the general air flow of the troposphere during the pre-Christmas period when the rains fell most intensely over Northern California. This flow pattern bears a close resemblance to that in December 1955. The belt of maximum winds in the 196^ storm was a little further north than in the 1955 pattern, but in both years the origin of the problem was the sustained flow of moist, tropi- cal air over California.

In the following paragraphs the synoptic events are described in more detail with additional charts to illustrate this meteorological event.

On the weekend of December 19 and 20, I96U, a semi stationary low was centered off the British Columbia coast. This low was narrowly sepa- rated from a more extended area of low pressure in the central Pacific by a ridge of high pressure extending southeastward from the Aleutian Islands. A weak southwest flow of moderately moist air over California was bringing some light precipitation to Northern sind Central California. The snow level* of the precipitation in the central Sierra (American River Basin) was about 6,000 feet. Late on Sunday, December 20, the protective ridge collapsed and a migratory low pressure center headed towards the Oregon coast. This development was to set the stage for the next five days when

*Snow level here is defined as the level where the precipitation form changes from rain to snow.

a strengthened southwest current was to bring a warm, moist air mass to batter the northern half of the state. On the following days a series of migratory low pressure centers moved eastward from the vast mid-Pacific spawning area toward the Pacific Northwest, but the frontal system sepa- rating the cold and warm air masses did not penetrate southward into California, except briefly, until Christmas Day. To the south of this front the pressure gradient directed from south to north remained strong. This pressure differential, which is normal to the wind flow, is shown on Plate 2 where the time graph of the pressure difference between San Francisco and Areata has been plotted along with the Oakland and Medford 850 millibar wind speeds (about 5,000 feet). On the upper part of the plate is shown the 6 hourly rainfall distribution at Ukiah (this station lies somewhat to the south of the heavy rainfall area in the Eel River Basin) . This plot illustrates the sustained strong flow which prevailed for a three-day period over the North Coast, as well as the inland areas.

The heavy rains were accompamied by strong, gusty surface winds. Rainfall reports from many stations in open exposures, especially in the North Coast area, indicate that the catch was deficient due to the tvirbulent winds. The airport at Areata reported gusts of kO to 50 mph. Other stations reported gusts of similar magnitude.

The warmth of the tropical air mass is illustrated by the time plot of the air temperature at two mountain stations. Sexton Stumnit in southern Oregon (elevation 3>84l feet) and Blue Canyon in the Sierra Nevada (elevation 5,280 feet). This is shown on Plate The snow level at the warmest period was about 9,500 feet in southern Oregon and 10,500 feet at

-5-

the latitude of the Central Sierra. Significant also is that the high snow level remained for a period of several days.

Before the onset of the warm rainstorm, there was a snowpack of 2- to 3-foot depth in the moxintains with the snow line near the 5^000-foot level. Warm temperatures accompanied the heavy rain on December 21 and 22, and measurements taken in the snowpack at a number of points in the Sierra following the stonn indicated that the shallow, lower elevation snow melted and ran off as would be expected. However, at the higher elevations (above about 6,000 feet), the existing snowpack intercepted and retained much of the rainfall. As a result, and contrary to popular belief, the net contri- bution to the rain-fed runoff was probably negligible.

The heavy rains occurred primarily on the two days, December 21 and 22. Mass or accumulative rainfall cvirves for a number of stations are shown on Plates h aind 5 The curves for the stations in the North Coast area, Ukiah, Willits -Howard, Redwood Creek (O'Kane)*, are based on either 6 hourly or variable-time increment data, but these curves serve to illus- trate the time distribution of the rainfall. For the Sierra basins, mass rainfall curves for Brush Creek in the Feather River Basin, Camptonville in the Yuba Basin, and Blue Canyon in the American River Basin are shown on Plate 5 The data for Brush Creek and Camptonville have been obtained from the Department's radio rain gages; data for Blue Canyon, available only through December 31^ was taJcen from the published "Local Climatological Data" by the U. S. Weather Bureau. The table below shows one-day, two-day.

^Station located near where Highway 299 crosses Redwood Creek.

and three-day precipitation totals for selected Sierra stations for this storm compared to previous record storms.

TABLE 1 PRECIPITATION COMPARISONS - SIERRA NEVADA

Station

Dec. 1955

Oct. 1962

Jan. -Feb. 1963

Dec. I96U

One- Day

Brush Creek

8.68

n.ko

4.99

9.U

Caraptonville

8.85

6.94

5.91

8.83

Blue Canyon

l.hk

7.37 Two -Day

8.70

9.33

Brush Creek

11.93

18.75

9.78

14.56

Caraptonville

13.18

13.32

9.98

16.03

Blue Canyon

13.36

13.81 Three-Day

13.96

15.24

Brush Creek

13.64

23.70

12.55

18.76

Canrptonville

16.38

18.1^7

12.07

20.03

Blue Canyon

18.55

19.55

16.01

19.79

On December 23^ the weather maps indicated a general relsixing of the southwest flow of moist air. This occurred when the frontal boundary in the Pacific shifted far enough south to cut off the previously extended fetch of southwest winds blowing from the warm oceanic region of the Hawaiian Islands. Some precipitation still continued to fall through the Christmas holiday, but not with the intensity of the 2-day period December 21-22.

-7-

On December 26, a migratory low moving eastward on the frontal bovtndary into Washington succeeded in pushing the cold front southward across California, with the front passing the North Coast area in the early afternoon hours on December 26 and the lower Sacramento Valley late that evening. The passage of this front ended the warm phase of the storm.

The cold air pouring southward out of Alaska in the wake of the cold front established a pronounced trough of low pressure, both at the surface (sea level) and aloft, just off the west coast. The snow level in the North Coast area lowered to 1,500 feet and in the Central Sierra (east of Sacramento) to 3^000 feet. While the cold air feeding into this trough was unstable and generated numerous showers, including hail, the saving featiu-e was that much of the precipitation falling on the already saturated watersheds came as snow.

During the post-frontal cold phase of the storm, snow fell in the mountains accompanied by strong winds, bringing blizzard-like conditions. This seriously impeded highway travel on the trans-Sierra routes and in the mountain regions of northwestern California where rescue operations were being carried out to aid flood- stricken inhabitants.

For the isohyetal maps, a map was prepared covering separately the warm phase of the storm, i.e., from the morning of December l8 to the morning of December 27, the latter date being the day the cold front moved through the state. For the North Coast area this is shown on Plate 7 , and for the Central Valley drainage on Plate 9 In addition, for the North Coast area, Plate 8 shows the isohyetal map for the 24-hour period ending at OBOO, December 22, 1964; this points out the heavy rain which fell on this area during the severest part of the storm.

-8-

Several stations in the south fork drainage of the Eel River reported quite large amounts: for the 24-hour period ending at O8OO, December 22., Richardson Grove had 11. 30 inches; Willits-Howard 8.67 inches; Garberville 8.29 inches; and Standish-Hickey State Park 10.57 inches.

For the 9-day period, December 18-27, the zones of maximum amounts included 30 inches in the Eel River Basin, and 25 inches in the Redwood Creek Basin and the lower Klamath River Basin. Maximum amounts in the Russian River Basin were 20 inches; Cache Creek Basin 5 inches; and in the Feather, Yuba, and American River Basins 35 inches.

January 2-7, 1965 -- The Second Phase

The cold trough of low pressure which developed off the coast on December 27 continued to maintain itself for the following 10 days. With this semistationary circulation pattern, northerly storm systems moving through the Gulf of Alaska were swept southward into this large scale trough. One frontal system, which was not significantly active weatherwise when it entered the trough on January 2, began to intensify at longitude 130'W and brought a new 5-day precipitation siege to the northern and central part of California. While this storm raised the snow level in the North Coast area from 1,500 to 3^500 feet and in the Sierra Nevada from 3,000 to 5^500 feet, this storm did not have the extreme warmth of the December storm. Nevertheless, rainfall below the snow level was intense enough to bring new crests to most streams of the Sacramento drainage. Most of the rain fell in the 5-day period ending at O8OO, January 7, with 10 inches in the Feather-Yuba Basins, and 9 inches in the American River Basin. This rainfall extended southward into the Sierra basins of the San

Joaquin Valley. The rainfall was svif fie lent to bring substantial runoff for the basins from the Mokelumne River south to the Chowchilla and Fresno Rivers. Rainfall amounts in these basins varied from 5 to 6 inches.

Mass rainfall curves for the two stations. Brush Creek in the Feather River Basin and Canrptonville in the Yuba River Basin, are shown on Plate 6 . The snow level in the Feather River Basin on January 3 was below the elevation of Brush Creek (3>560 feet), but rose to above the station elevation on January ^i-. The steepness of the mass rainfall curve around noon on January k was partly caused by the melting of snow which accumulated in the collecting funnel of the rain gage.

Above the snow level, accumulations to the snowpack amounted to 4 to 5 feet. Norden, at elevation 6,900 feet, which reported a snowpack of 86 inches on December 30, had l40 inches by January k.

An isohyetal map for the Central Valley drainage covering the 5- day period from 0800, January 2 to 0800, January 7, 1965^ is shown on Plate 10.

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RUNOFF

North Coast Area

The recent floods on the Smithy Klamath, and Eel Rivers exceeded all previous floods of record -- possibly even the \inrecorded floods of 1861-62. The record-breaking flows in the Smith, Klamath, and Eel River Basins were generated by the 24-hour intense burst of rainfall that started on the late afternoon of December 21 ajad which followed the earlier, but less intense, precipitation. Although heavy flooding occurred along portions of the Russian and Mad Rivers, newly constructed dams (since 1955) tempo- rarily retained upstream runoff and subsequently alleviated downstream peaks. On Redwood Creek, the town of Orick witnessed the passage of a crest within a foot of the I955 peak.

The waves of devastation annihilated 26 important U. S. Geological Survey stream gages in the North Coast. Only on the Russian and the little Mattole Rivers are there composite records from which an exact analysis of the flood can be made. Consequently much of the data on the character of the rise was pieced together from scattered but valuable observations taken by residents throughout the North Coast.

The text which follows covering North Coast runoff is somewhat detailed and lengthy. However, this coverage in detail seems quite well justified considering the great significance of this flood and considering that previous floods in this area have not been too well documented.

At this time, the analysis of the flood can only be provisional. With the information available, this treatment will attempt to recreate, where possible, certain phases of the hydrological mechanism responsible for propagating the North Coast flood of December 1964.

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Smith River Basin

Heavy precipitation during the latter half of December l^Sk propa- gated record flows in the 6l3 square mile Smith River Basin. Located in the extreme northwest comer of the state, recorded precipitation for the December storm ranged from 9*21 inches on the coast at Crescent City to 26.59 inches at Gasquet Rajiger Station, 12 miles inland along the Middle Fork of the Smith River.

According to residents in the area, the Smith River near Crescent City apparently peaked during the morning of December 22 and held steady throughout the day at a level just under the 1955 peak stage. A sudden surge that evening pushed the river up another 5 feet to a reported stage of Ml-. 5 feet around 2100 Pacific Standard Time (PST) . One observer specu- lated that this rapid rise and even more rapid recession was caused by the breaching of a slide across the South Fork of the Smith River.

The maucimvun flow past the "Smith River near Crescent City" stream gage was reported to be 192,000 cfs comp&red to the 1955 peak of 165,000 cfs.

Tabulated below are representative stream and rainfall data avail- able at this time.

TABLE 2

REPRESENTATIVE RAIHFALL TOTALS FOR THE DECEMBER STORM SMITH RIVER BASIN

Precipitation Gage

Rainfall Period (inclusive)

Rainfall Total (inches)

Crescent City

Crescent City 7EME

Gasquet Ranger Station

19-27

19-27

19-27

9.21 18.71

26.59

■12-

TABLE 3

SELECTED PEAK RUNOFF EVENTS SMITH RIVER BASIN

Stream Gaging Station

Drainage

Area (Sq. Mi.)

Provisional

Peak Flow

(cfs)

Peak

Discharge

Per Sq. Mi.

Dec. 20-26, Runoff Volume |

SFD

Acre- Feet

Inches

Per Sq. Mi.

Smith River nr Crescent City

613

192,000

3U

35^,000

700,000

22

Klamath River Basin

The December flood affected devastation throxighout the Klamath Basin from Iron Gate Dam in extreme north central California to the com- munity of Klamath at the mouth of the river. The flood completely destroyed the important USGS stream gages on the Klamath River near Seiad Valley, and at Somesbar, in addition to inxmdating the gage below Iron Gate Dam and near Klamath. Many of the historic peaks which occxirred in 1955 were exceeded. Only in the Trinity River subbasin were there instances of peak flows lower (because of Trinity Dam) than those occurring in 1955.

The following analysis first discusses the flood on the Klamath River from Iron Gate to Somesbarj then on the Trinity River from Trinity Dam to Hoopa; and lastly in the ungaged region from Klamath to Somesbar and Hoopa. Because of data limitations, this discussion has to be limited to generalities.

At Iron Gate Dam, Pacific Power and Light (PP&L) reported that a peak spill of arovuad 23,000 cfs occurred at 2100 PST on December 22 over the 745-foot long side-channel spillway. The spillway has a design capacity of

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30,000 cfs. The region above Iron Gate Dam (and from Shasta Valley) has perennially produced significantly lower runoff than the downstream regions through the combined effect of topography, diversions, and a series of four major PP&L dams. This flow past Iron Gate Dam during the flood merely sus- tained the recession further downstream.

The Shasta River peaked at 12.i^8 feet about 2200 PST, December 22. In 1955, the river peaked at 9.i<-3 feet (6,090 cfs). The Shasta River is partially regulated by the 72,000 acre-foot Lake Dwinnel.

On the Klamath River at the Oak Knoll Ranger Station, an observer reported a peaJt 2 feet higher than the 1955 crest had occurred around l800 PST, December 22. No discharge figures are available as this is not a rated section. The ranger estimated the recent peak to be 10 feet above flood stage.

At Happy Carap, another Forest Service ranger provided important relative stage data on the crest at this community. His data indicates the December flood peaked at around 0100 PST, December 23, approximately 10 feet above the 1955 crest.

Immediately above the "Klamath River at Somesbar" stream gage the Salmon River flows into the Klamath River. A Corps of Engineers' field team reported that a 2 to 3 million cubic yard slide occurred in the Salmon River canyon about 6 miles upstream from the mouth of the river. Reports from residents indicate that the slide occurred several hours before noon on December 22, impounded water to an imknown depth and eventually breached around I7OO PST, December 22.

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At the "Klamath River at Somesbar" stream gage, high water marks suggest that the peak flow was around 300,000 cfs (75-^ feet). This radio telemark stream gage was completely destroyed.

Further downstream at Orleans, a crest occurred around 2^00 PST, December 22, approximately 13 feet above the 1955 crest.

Tabulated below are peak stage data for the Klamath River at various points.

TABLE h PEAK STAGE DATA FOR THE KLAMATH RIVER

Station

Peak Stage Feet

Time - Date of Peak

1955

Peak Stage

Feet

Iron Gate

Shasta River near Yreka

Oak Knoll

Seiad Valley

Happy Camp Somesbar Orleans Weitchpec Klamath Glen

13.63

12.1+8 37.9

90-91 75.^

60 70 55. i^

2100 12/22/64

2200 12/22/6k

1800 12/22/64

Evening of December 22

0130 12/23/64

2300 12/22/64

0100-0200 12/23/64

0200 12/23/64

9.43 35.9 29.2

81-82

59.^ 47 50 49.7

Trinity Subbasin

During the storm period December 19-26, Trinity Reservoir stored approximately 372,200 acre-feet of runoff from the 718-square mile basin

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above the dam. Apparently only 10 inches of runoff was contributed from the upstream area. The peak inflow to the reservoir probably occurred around l400 PST, December 22., judging from reports received on the "Trinity River above Coffee Creek" stream gage which indicated the peak passed at 1230 PST that day.

Further downstream, "Trinity River near Burnt Ranch" stream gage recorded a peak of 79,000 cfs (29. 8U feet) occurring at 2^400, December 22. This flow was 93,000 cfs below the 1955 peak. (Trinity Reservoir un- doubtedly had a peak inflow in excess of 100,000 cfs and was responsible for the comparatively low flows throxogh this reach of the river. )

Along the South Fork Trinity River, peaks occurred in the late afternoon of December 22 in the upstream regions. At the "Trinity River near Salyer" stream gage, a peak of 95,000 cfs (^7«6 feet) was generated aroiond 2^*00 PST, December 22, compared to the 1955 peak of 65,100 cfs (39.^ feet).

Near Hoopa, the reported peak of 260,000 cfs (^2.3 feet) occurred aroxmd 0200 PST, December 23. The peak here was probably caused by the near coincidence of the two peaks from the Trinity River and South Fork Trinity River plus heavy local runoff.

At this time, hydrographs of the Trinity River are not available for presentation here. Representative rainfall totals for the Klamath and Trinity River Basins are tabulated below.

.16-

TABLE 5

REPRESENTATIVE RAINFALL TOTAIS FOR THE DECEMBER STORM KLAMATH RIVER BASIN

Precipitation

Rainfall Period

Rainfall Total

Gage

(inclusive)

(inches)

Orleans

19-26

17.66

Klamath Glen

19-26

18.15

Yreka

19-26

10.03

Fork Jones

19-26

6.50

Happy Camp

19-26

16.07

TABLE 6

REPRESENTATIVE RAINFALL T0TAI5 FOR THE DECEMBER STORM TRINITY RIVER BASIN

Precipitation

Rainfall Period

Rainfall Total

Gage

(inclusive)

(inches)

Forest Glen

20-26

22.06

Big Bar RS

19-26

12.91

Salyer RS

19-24

15.78

Hayfork RS

19-26

10.03

Hoopa 2SE

20-26

18.70

Coffee Creek RS

20-26

15.56

At "Klamath River near Klamath" streeun gage a flov of about 650,000 cfs (55.3 feet) reportedly occurred around 0200 PST, December 23,

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This tremendous discharge completely inxmdated the community of Klamath to a depth of 15 feet.

At this time, preliminary analysis shows that the hydrological mechanism which generated the peak at the town of Klamath was the result of the following:

(1) The surge from the Salmon River canyon,

(2) The tremendous local inflow from the basin below the Somesbar (Klamath River) and Hoopa (Trinity River) stream gages,

(3) The flow from the Klamath River above the Somesbar stream gage, and

(U) The flow from the Trinity River above the Hoopa stream gage.

Available reports would indicate that the surge from the Salmon River passed the town of Klamath before the 0200 PST peak. However, the recession from this surge would have been in progress to supplement the 0200 PST peak.

Analysis of the local xingaged area has shown it to be potentially a significant contributor of runoff. In fact the entire area possesses hydrological and topographical characteristics similar to the Smith River Basin from which acceptable analogies have been drawn. A synthesized hydrograph for this area shows that a peak of over 130,000 cfs could have been generated from the intense rainfall beginning the late afternoon of December 21. This local inflow peaJi would have passed Klamath several hours before the heavy contribution from the upper Klamath and Trinity Rivers arrived, but as with the Salmon surge, would have supplemented the 0200 PST peak.

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The contribution from the Trinity River woiild have appeared in the downstream area before the record flows from the Klamath River became avail- able. However, the time (in view of the hydrograph's durations) between arrival of these two peaks would have been insignificant. Thus, the near coincidence of the record flows out of the Klamath £uad Trinity Rivers supplemented by significant local inflow and the Salmon River surge combined to produce the destructive flows that inundated the town of Klamath.

Redwood Creek Basin

The USGS maintains two stream gages along this 50-mile long river. The upstream gage is known as "Redwood Creek near Blue Lake" and is set several hundred feet upstream from Highway 299 bridge, while the second gage, at Orick, is near the mouth of the river. The upstream river gage and an adjacent rain gage (Redwood Creek O'Kane) are equipped with radio telemarks which can be interrogated by the Eureka Weather Bureau.

During the December delvige over the Redwood Creek Basin, the up- stream river gage withstood the record flow and, along with the rain gage, was interrogated frequently from Eureka. The downstream gage, however, was partially torn loose from the U. S. 101 highway bridge to which it is attached. Nonetheless, an observer at Orick was able to provide valuable stage information almost to the crest before he was forced to evacuate through a foot of water in his establishment.

These three gages were able to provide some interesting data on the character of the storm and flood in the basin. Interesting because the voliime of runoff past the upstream gage was conrputed to be 27.9 inches from

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December 20 through December 26, whereas the measured rainfall at the adjacent rain gage for the same period was 2k inches. Heavier upstreeun rainfall, poor rain gage ejcposure, rain gage location, and/or high winds could have acted individually or collectively to produce the obvious inconsistency. It can be said (with some reservation) that an average of about 35 inches of rain should have occiirred over the basin.

The rain at Redwood Creek O'Kane, of course, ceinnot be teiken as representing the basin average rainfall. However, since no rain gages are located in the basin above Redwood Creek O'Kane, no reasonable quantitative estimate of heavier upstream rain is possible at this time.

Heavier rainfall (other than that indicated at O'Kane) did occur in the basin above "Redwood Creek near Blue Lake". Table 7 illustrates that, per square mile, the region above this gage produced substantially a greater runoff volvune somewhere in the order of 30 percent. That is, the basin above the upper gage produced about 0.7^ sfd/sq.mi., whereas the basin between the Blue Lake gage above the Orick gage generated 0.56 sfd/ sq.mi. The rain gaige is protected by a tall, dense, circumjacent stand of trees which aJJ.eviate localized gusts near the orifice. High winds accompa- nied the rainfall throughout the North Coast and this factor remains as one of the most probable agents responsible for the discrepancy between rainfall and runoff. Weather stations at Areata and Red Bluff indicated wind velocities in excess of 50 miles per hour.

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TABLE 7

SELECTED PEAK RUNOFF EVENTS REDWOOD CREEK BASIN

Stream Gaging Station

Drainage

Area (Sq. Mi.)

Provisional

Peak Flow

(cfs)

Peak

Discharge

Per Sq. Mi.

Dec. 20-26 Runoff Volume

SFD

Acre- Feet

Inches

Per Sq. Mi.

Redwood Creek nr Blue T^ke

Redwood Creek at Orick

67.5 278

15,100 50 ,000

224 180

50,600 169,000

100,000 3^40,000

28 23

As on other North Coastal rivers there occurred two distinct peaks, approximately 2k hours apart, with the first and lower crest occurring on the afternoon of December 21. The first rise was generated by the brief but intense burst of rainfall from O7OO PST to 1100 PST on December 21.

TABLE 8 TIME TO PEAK FROM END OF PEAK RAINFALL

Gaging Station

December 21, 196^

December 22, 1964

Time of Peak

Time to Peak

Time of PeaJc

Time to Peak

Redwood Creek near Blue Leike

Redwood Creek At Orick

1300 PST 1700 PST

2 hours 6 hours

1400 PST 1900 PST

0 hours 3 hours

Following 6 hours of insignificant rainfall, over 8.5 inches of rain were reported at the rain gage during the next 21 hovirs. This produced a peak at "Redwood Creek near Blue Lake" of around 15,000 cfs and a stage of

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15.6 feet, (compared to 12,100 cfs and stage of 13.68 feet in 1955). Further downstream at Orick a peak near 50,000 cfs occurred several hours later.

Time of peaks tabulated here disagree somewhat with the figures shown in Table 8. Examination of the hydrographs on Plate 11 indicate that the river had effectively peaked (within 0.2 foot) slightly earlier from the prolonged, intense burst of rainfall be- ginning 1700 PST, December 21. In the basin above Blue Lake, the ratio of rain to niDoff was approaching (if not equaling) unity. In other words, almost 100 percent was occurring as runoff. The intense rain had (by itoO PST, December 22) completely satxxrated the basin so that even had the rain continued at the same intensity, a substantially higher peak would not have occurred.

Mad River Basin

On December 20, an observer at Ruth Dam reported a 24-hour total rainfall of 5.77 inches. Runoff from this rainfall was sufficient to fill the nearly 3^000 acre-foot of storage remaining in Ruth Reser- voir and initiate minor spilling over the 100-foot wide spillway. Thus, the new Ruth Dam (maximum capacity 51^800 acre-feet) was not able to store (permant,:,tly) any of the excessive runoff that resulted from the heavy rain during the subsequent two days. The voliime of runoff contributed from the Mad River Basin above Ruth Dam has been estimated to be

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approximately 129,000 acre-feet (20 inches per square mile) for the period December 20 through 26, inclusive.

At "Mad River near Forest Glen" stream gage about 9 miles down- stream, a reported peak of 20,100 cfs (16.86 feet) occurred at 1700 PST, December 22. This crest was far below the 1955 peak of 39,200 cfs {2k.3 feet).

At "Mad River near Areata" stream gage, a peak of 71,000 cfs (23.4 feet) occurred at 0200, December 23. In 1955, the Mad River near Areata peeiked at 77,800 cfs (27.30 feet). The intakes to the stream gage were damaged such that drawdown within the gage well occurred. The discharge was rated to the 26.0-foot high water mark found on the outside of the well.

TABLE 9

SELECTED PEAK RUNOFF EVENTS MAD RIVER BASIN

Stream Gaging Station

Drainage

Area (Sq. Mi.)

Provisional

Peak Flow

(cfs)

Peak

Discharge

Per Sq. Mi.

Dec. 20-26, Runoff Volume |

SFD

Acre- Feet

Inches

Per Sq. Mi.

Ruth Dam

Mad River nr Forest Glen

Mad River nr Areata

119 k8k

20,100 71,000

141 IU7

65,000* 213,000

129,000* i^20,000

20* 16

♦Estimated

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TABLE 10

REPRESENTATIVE RAINFALL T0TAI£ FOR THE DECEMBER STORM

MAD RIVER BASIN

Precipitation Gage

Rainfall Period (inclusive)

Rainfall Total (inches)

Forest Glen Bridgeville Blue Lake Guest

20-26 20-26 20-21+

22.06 16.99 17.98

Ruth Dam probably held in temporary storage about 2l+,000 acre-feet (3.76 inches) during the time of peak nonoff. Because of this, the reser- voir probably delayed the upstream peak contribution eind alleviated the downstream crest until portions of intervening local inflow passed the Areata gage.

Mattole River Basin

The 2lK)-square mile Mattole River Basin experienced heavy rainfall during the storm period. At Honeydew, a December 19-21+ rainfall total of 26.0 inches was recorded.

The resulting runoff generated a peak flow of over 80,000 cfs (28.2 feet) on December 22, well below the 90,1+00 cfs (29.6 feet) recorded in 1955.

Eel River Basin

Every importajit stream gage in the Eel River was either destroyed or inundated. At this time, only the Fembridge stage hydrograph is com- plete for the entire storm runoff duration. The following discussion is

.21+.

therefore based on preliminary high water marks and corresponding peak dis- charges. Residents of the "basin provided information on the time the crest apparently occurred.

Scott Dam is a concrete gravity structure situated in the head- waters of the Eel River Basin north of Clear Lake. At the start of the storm, only l6,400 acre-feet of storage (1.05 inches/square mile) was avail- able behind Scott Dam in Lake Pillsbury. The reservoir became full early December 21 and by I6OO PST that day was reportedly spilling 6,kO0 cfs. At the peak the following afternoon, approximately 58^000 cfs was passing over the crest of the dam. The time of this peak was probably around I9OO PST. Eight miles downstream at Van Arsdale Dam an observer recorded the passage of a crest at I93O PST, December 22, which was later estimated to be 62,000 cfs. Scott Dam undoubtedly attenuated the inflow hydrograph both in magni- tude and duration, causing the time of peak contribution to be delayed several hours in the downstream regions.

At the "Eel River above Dos Rios" stream gage, high water marks indicated that the river crested at 5U feet (175,000 cfs) about 8.6 feet above the December 1955 peak.

On the Middle Fork of the Eel River, the U. S. Forest Service rangers near Covelo provided valuable stage information. They indicated that a minor peak occurred at 2000 PST, December 21 as a resvilt of the heavy rain which fell around noon. A prolonged intense period of rainfall through the morning of the 22nd generated a peak flow of 165,000 cfs (33.1 feet) at 2100, December 22. The I955 peak was 89,100 cfs (25.0 feet).

■25-

TABLE 11

SELECTED PEAK RUKOFF EVENTS EEL RIVER BASIN

Stream Gaging Station

Drainage

Area (Sq. Mi.)

Provisional

Peak Flow

(cfs)

Peak

Discharge

Per Sq. Mi.

Dec. 20-26, Rimoff Volume

SFD

Acre- Feet

Inches

Per Sq. Mi.

Eel River below Scott Dam

Eel River at AldeiTpoint

South Fork Eel River nr Miranda

Eel River at Scotia

290 2,079

537 3,113

58,000 600,000

200,000 750,000

200 289

372 241

104,200 1,510,000

390,000 1,860,000

207,000 2,980,000

772,000 3,720,000

13 27

27 22

At the "Eel River below Dos Rios" stream gage, the reported peak was 460,000 cfs (63.1 feet) occxirring around I8OO PST, December 22.

Further downstream on the Eel River at Alderpoint a reported peak of 600,000 cfs (90.5 feet) occurred around 2000 PST, December 22. This is approximately 224,000 cfs and I8 feet above the 1955 peaks. At O6OO PST, December I9, the stage was 4.9 feet, indicating that the river rose 85.6 feet in 86 hours. Extremely heavy flows eminating from the North Fork contributed markedly to this peak.

In the headwaters of the South Fork Eel River, near Branscomb, a peak of 19,900 cfs (l6.l4 feet) occurred on December 22. Further downstream a peak estimated at 200,000 cfs (45.9 feet) was interpreted from high water marks at the inundated stream gage of "South Fork Eel River near Miranda".

-26-

Apparently the ^3*9 square miles above the Branscojnb gage did not experience as heavy rainfall as occ\irred in the South Fork basin below. In addition, the peak at Branscomb was slightly lower than the 1955 peak.

The stream gage near Miranda is a radio telemark stream geige interrogated from Exireka. Aroxmd 2200 PST, December 21, the power to the relay station atop nearby Pratt Mountain was lost and no signals could be received from the Miranda gage. The last available reading was taken at 2135 which indicated a stage of 31.7 feet -- around 100,000 cfs. The river had been holding steady near this stage for three hours probably as the result of a short period of light rainfall. The subsequent period of intense rainfall beginning the late afternoon of December 21 and con- tinuing through the following morning, generated the -peak, of 200,000 cfs at about 1800 PST, December 22 27,000 cfs above the 1955 peak.

At Scotia, the Eel River reportedly peaked at around 750,000 cfs (70 feet) on December 23 at 0200 PST, over 200,000 cfs and 8 feet above the previous maximum of 1955 The last reported stage received from this stream gage before it malfunctioned was 6I.9 feet (the I955 peak stage) at 1200, December 22.

At Bridgeville, on the Van Duzen River, a peak of i^9,800 cfs (22.6 feet) was reported. In 1955 7 the Van Duzen River crested at ^3,500 cfs (21.3 feet). Residents living 20 miles downstream at the confluence of the Van Duzen and Eel Rivers reported that the peak from the Van Duzen occurred simultaneously with that from the Eel River.

At Fembridge, a wire-weight gage was used to determine the Eel River's stage during the flood. The peak at the bridge was estimated to be

■27-

29.5 feet occurring arovind 0400 PST, December 23. The previous majctmum stage in 1955 was 27.7 feet. The discharge could have exceeded 800,000 cfs. Representative December storm rainfall totals recorded at various points in the Eel River Basin are tabulated below.

TABLE 12

REPRESENTATIVE RAINFALL TOTALS FOR THE DECEMBER STORM

EEL RIVER BASIN

Precipitation

Rainfall Period

Rainfall Total

Gage

(inclusive)

(inches)

Standish-Hickey S.P.

19-26

28.62

Alderpoint

19-25

17.52

Garberville

20-26

21.75

Dos Rios

19-24

23.32

Consistent time periods are not available at this time. The high winds (over 50 miles per hour) occurring throughout the North Coast un- doubtedly affected the above rainfall totals.

From the Eel River Basin above Dos Rios, the runoff though record breaking -- does not appear to have been capable of contributing markedly to the downstream peaks. In the Middle and North Forks of the Eel River, reports indicate that staggering runoff amounts occurred. Apparently heavy, but unreported, precipitation fell in these two subbasins.

The record runoff thro\aghout the South Fork basin was most certainly generated by heavier rainfall than that reported. The lack of rainfall recording charts in the basin, coupled with high winds persisting through December 21 and 22, prohibits any accurate analysis at this time.

-28-

Undoubtedly though, the character of the rainfall eind resulting runoff was similar (but on a larger scale) to that propagated in the Redwood Creek Basin.

As the South Fork Eel River near Miranda reportedly crested two hours before the Eel River at Alderpoint, the peak contributions from these basins appeared separately at Scotia. However, the magnitude of the flows and near coincidence of peaks effectively combined to generate the record flows past Scotia and Fembridge.

Russian River Basin

Although rainfall amounts in the Russian River Basin were less than in other North Coast basins, high river stages occurred along the entire length of the Russian River. One exception to this general rainfall pattern apparently occurred above Coyote Dam where extremely heavy precip- itation totals were recorded.

As a consequence, the peak inflow into Lake Mendocino (Coyote Dam) was 21,000 cfs as the river rose 5.20 feet above the 1955 recorded stage of 15.06. This flood control reservoir effectively contained the excessive flows from the East Fork Russian River until the Russian River began receding in the downstream reaches. Storage increased from 70,800 acre-feet (0800 PST, December I9) to a maximum of 129,250 acre-feet (17OO PST, December 2^) .

On the Russian River near Hopland, a reported peak flow of kl,200 cfs (26.06 feet) occurred around I9OO PST, December 22. Further downstream at Healdsbirrg, a peak of 67,100 cfs (26.62 feet) occurred at Oi^30 PST, December 23, and at Guerneville 90,000 cfs (^9.6 feet) around I8OO, December 23.

TABLE 13

SELECTED PEAK RUNOFF EVENTS RUSSIAN RIVER

Stream Gaging Station

Drainage

Area (Sq. Mi.)

Provisional

Peak Flow

(cfs)

Peak

Discharge

Per Sq. Mi.

Dec. 20-26, Runoff Volume

SFD

Acre- Feet

Inches

Per Sq. Mi.

East Fork Russian River nr. Calpella

Russian River nr. Hopland

Russian River

near

Healdsburg

Russian River

near

Guemeville

93 362

791 1,3^^2

21,000 i+1,200

67,100 90,000

226 llif

85

67

33,000 101,000

i9i+,ooo 318,000

65,000 200,000

385,000 630,000

13.1 10.1^

9.1 9

Uniformly heavy rainfall (of about 11 inches for the storm period) was recorded in the basin below Coyote Dam, whereas extremely heavy but un- recorded rainfall occurred above Coyote Dam as indicated by Willits -Howard FRS. Table ih represents rainfall totals recorded at selected rain gages in and around the Russian River Basin.

.30-

TABLE 111

REPRESENTATIVE RAINFALL TOTAIS FOR THE DECEMBER STORM RUSSIAN RIVER BASIN

Precipitation Station

Precipitation (Inches

)

Dec. 21-23

Dec. 19- 2U

Total Dec.

Willits Howard

19.00

22.88

31.09

Ukiah

9.68

11.80

16.52

Hopland

9.57

11.76

16.20

Healdsbxurg

9.59

11.9^

15.55

Guemeville

7.57

10.62

1^.55

Runoff Volvnne - North Coast

The runoff volume from the heavy precipitation over the North Coast was the greatest of record. In 1955, most rivers experienced two major rises -- the second being the highest and responsible for the resulting devastation. In 196^, however, only minor rises preceded the record peaks of December 22 and 23. The subsequent runoff volximes therefore are not completely comparable. On a few Worth Coast streams the volume produced by the 1955 runoff with its two consecutive peaks exceeded the volume of the higher single-peaked runoff in 1964. The 1955 and 1964 runoff voltimes are compared in the following tabulation.

■31-

TABLE 15

ESTIMATED STORM RUNOFF VOLUMES FOR THE DECEMBER FLOODS OF 1955 AND 196^^

Drainage Basin

Drainage

Area (Sq. Mi.)

December 1964

December 1955 1

Period (inclusive)

RTinof f Volume

Period (inclusive)

Runoff Volume |

Inches

Ac re -Feet

Inches

Acre-Feet

Smith River

613

20-26

22

700,000

18-23

18.2

600,000

Klamath River

6,180*

20-26

9

3,020,000

20-26

8.3

2,730,000

Redwood Creek

278

20-26

23

3^,000

I8-2I1

13.8

200,000

Mad River

kdk

20-26

16

i^20,000

18-24

14.6

380,000

Van Duzen River

320

20-26

19

320,000

18-24

15

260,000

Eel River

3,113

20-26

22

3,720,000

20-26

14.8

2,450,000

Mattole River

2^0

20-26

22

280,000

18-24

27.4

350,000

Russian River

1,3^

20-26

9

630,000

19-25

11.6

830,000

Other

Coastal Streams

Total

1,500

20-26

12

960,000

18-24

13

1,040,000

10,390,000

8,860,000

•*The basin above the upstream community of Klamath River (near the confluence of the Shasta and Klamath Rivers) has not been included.

For the Eel River the 1964 rvinoff voliime was 49 percent more than that for 1955. The Smith and Klamath Rivers had respectively 21 percent and 8 percent greater total rxmoff. For the North Coast as a whole, the volume of water which passed into the Pacific Ocean from December 20-26 has been estimated to be around 10.4 million acre-feet.

The runoff volimes calculated above will disagree vith earlier published figures because of information received Just prior to publication of this report.

Central Valley Area

As the storm pushed further inland, heavy rainfall created major rises in many streams draining from the leeward or eastern side of the Coast Rajige and in most streams flowing to the Central Valley from the Sierra Nevada north of Stockton. Hydrographs of selected streams and reser- voir operations are illustrated on Plates 15-24. Gage heights for selected streams in the Central Valley are tabulated on Plates 25-27.

From the drainage area above Shasta Dam, inflow increased to a peak of 187,100 cfs, which may be compared to the 201,000 cfs flood crest that occurred in December 1955- Shasta Reservoir again controlled the flood water and the storage was increased nearly 800,000 acre-feet. The regulated releases from Keswick Dam reached 50,000 cfs.

By mld-aftemoon of December 22, the rising stages created by the heavy rainfall became flood crests of record levels for many streams flowing from the Coast Range. Cottonwood Creek near Cottonwood surpassed the previ- ous high stage of 15.4 feet and 52,300 cfs which was recorded in 19^1 . The new maximum stage is I9.6 feet and 56,000 cfs. Thomes Creek at Paskenta also experienced a new maximiim stage, 15.3 feet and 33^000 cfs, which exceeded the December 1955 stage of 13*9 feet and 23,500 cfs. Ord Ferry on the Sacramento River crested at 173,000 cfs with a stage of II9.O feet.

Streams flowing from the northern Sierra Nevada began to rise as the rainfall intensified over the Feather, Yuba, and Americeua River Basins

■33-

during the early evening hours of December 22. The Feather River crested above Oroville Dam, which is presently \inder construction, at a peak flow of approximately 250,000 cfs. Near midnight, this peak was reduced by the partially completed dam to a peak outflow from the two diversion tunnels of about 157,000 cfs. The dam is being built over the old stream gaging station. Feather River near Oroville, where previous high flows were ejcperienced in 1937 (l85,000 cfs), 19^ (152,000 cfs), 1955 (203,000 cfs), and 1963 (191,000 cfs). The previous historic maximum flow of 230,000 cfs was recorded in 1907 at a point five miles below the dam.

The Yuba River at Englebright Dam also established a record when it reached a stage of 5^6.0 feet and a peak flow of 166,000 cfs. This is the second new maximum since the near- legendary flood of 1955 established a record stage of 5H.7 feet with a flow of 1^*8,000 cfs. In February I963 a peak flow of 150,000 cfs was recorded at a stage of ^kk.& feet.

These record flows contributed to the anxiety of Yuba City resi- dents where channel clearing during recent years and a delayed Feather peak kept the flood crest stage at 76. U2 feet. A stage of 82.^*^2 feet was reached at the time of the disastrous levee failures in December 1955*

A few smaller streams in the Sacramento Valley also experienced new maximum flood stages. Butte Creek near Chico reached a stage of lU.l feet with a flow of 21,300 cfs.

Rainfall in the American River basin created high stages on most tributaries above Folsom Reservoir. Hell Hole Dam, a small sloping-core rockfill structure being built on the Middle Fork, failed Tjnder the stress of the flood water. This partially-completed dam retained approximately 30,000 acre-feet before failure occurred. This volume of water added to

Sh-

the peak inflow to Folsom Reservoir which reached 280,000 cfs. Previous maximum inflows occurred in December 1955 (218,000 cfs) and February 1963 (2^40,200 cfs).

Storage in Folsom Reservoir increased 322,000 acre-feet and controlled releases were increased to a peak rate of 115,000 cfs. These releases were reflected in high stages at the "H" Street Bridge in Sacramento which attained a crest at 41.89 feet.

The flow from the American River, together with approximately 75,000 cfs at Verona on the Sacramento River, required the opening of all k& gates at the Sacramento Weir. Total flow past Sacramento including both the Sacramento River and the Yolo Bypass was estimated to be 4^4^5,000 cfs.

All weirs of the Sacramento River Flood Control Project experienced

periods of overflow, and this data is stumnarized in the following table.

TABLE 16

SACRAMENTO RIVER FLOOD COHTROL PROJECT WEIR OVERFLOW DATA

Weir

Beginning of Overflow

Period of

Overflow

(hours)

Peak -cage and Distiharge

Date

Time

Moulton

12/22/6^1 1/V65

1930 1545

163

82.38 82.14

25,600 23,600

Colusa

12/22/64

1520

520

68.06

69,500

Tisdale

12/22/64

1900

*

50.10

29,000

Fremont (West End)

12/22/64

2000

*

39.5

245,000

Sacramento

12/23/64

0310**

222***

32.35

101,500

♦Continued overflow January I9, I965. **First group of five gates opened; all gates open by I503 on 12/23/64. ***Closing operations began O8OO on 12/30/64 and all gates were replaced by 0900 on 1/1/65.

-35-

South of the American River Basin rainfall amounts were generally less than the 20- to to- Inch totals which fell farther north. Stream levels reflected the lesser rainfall; however, several streams at the northern end of the San Joaquin Valley experienced notable peak flows. The Cosumnes River at Michigan Bar, for example, reached a crest of 13. 8 feet and a flow of 37,500 cfs which was not far below the December 1955 stage of lU.59 feet and flow of i+2,000 cfs.

Stream gaging stations on the San Joaquin River north of Newman recorded rises which were generally due to releases made from Sierra reser- voirs on the Stanislaus and Tuolumne Rivers. However, early in January when additional rainfall occurred and after flood-retention ability of most of these reservoirs had been exhausted, the releases were increased. Flow from Exchequer Reservoir on the Merced River, Melones and Tulloch Reservoirs on the Stanislaus, Don Pedro on the Tuolumne, in addition to local runoff from the Merced County Stream Group (Bums, Bear, Owens, and Mariposa Creeks), caused a crest stage of 28.2 feet and 21,200 cfs at Vemalis on January 12.

36-

DECEMBER 2l+, 1961+

AERIAL VIEW OF B I DWELL BAR ABOVE DEBR I S -CHOKED CONFLUENCE OF MIDDLE AND NORTH FORKS OF FEATHER RIVER. BACKWATER CREATED BY OROVILLE DAM EMBANKMENT EXTENDED UPSTREAM TO MIDDLE FORK BRIDGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

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AERIAL VIEW OF BORROW AREA ALONG FEATHER RIVER BELOW OROVILLE AND OROVILLE DAM EMBANKMENT. HISTORIC DREDGER TAILINGS AT RIGHT CENTER OF PICTURE PARTIALLY INUNDATED BY FLOOD WATERS.

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•ECEMBER 23, T96k

AERIAL VIEW OF FEATHER RIVER AT OROVILLE LOOKING DOWNSTREAM. HIGHWAY 1+OA AT LEFT BANK; CONTRACTOR'S HAUL RAILROAD IN CENTER. NOTE PARTIALLY INUNDATED TRACKS IN BACKGROUND.

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BRIDGE AND FLOODED ORCHARDS FEATHER RIVER NEAR BORROW AREA.

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CEMBER 2H, 196H

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EMERGENCY REPAIRS BEING MADE TO LEFT BANK OF AMERICAN RIVER BELOW "H" STREET BRIDGE. SACRAMENTO STATE COLLEGE IN BACKGROUND.

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FLOOD AREAS MP FLOOD DAMAGE

North Coast Area

The first day of winter, December 21, 196^, rather appropriately arrived with heavy rains in Northern California. However, as discussed on preceding pages the rain became an extended downpour with subsequent dis- astrous flooding.

On many swollen streams in the North Coast, walls of water tore down highway and railroad bridges, overturned autos, smashed houses and farm buildings, and swept away entire villages. The North Coast, where flood control works are essentially nonexistent, was hardest hit, but this intense Christmas week storm caused extensive flooding of urban and suburban areas throughout Northern California. Thirty- four counties received damage, smd Governor Brown proclaimed all of these counties as disaster areas. Six of these counties, located in the northwest area, suffered flood damage exceed- ing the combined deimage to all other counties. These six coxmties, Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Siskiyou, Trinity, and Sonoma, where there is almost no flood protection, suffered complete havoc. The few existing flood control projects on the Mad, Eel and Russian Rivers saved millions of dollars, and the proposed projects for the Eel River delta would have saved millions more.

Various categories of flood damages to the six North Coast counties noted above are discussed in the following pages and summarized in tables IJ , 18, 19/ 20, and 21. It should be noted that estimates relative to damage and costs are necessarily preliminary following a disaster -- and will probably change significantly when final reports are in. The majority of the damage

-37-

figures for the North Coast were obtained from the California Disaster Office

and the Red Cross.

TABLE 17

FLOOD DAMAGE ESTIMATE (In Dollars)

Cotmty

Protective

Health & Sanitation

Dikes, Levees & Drainage

Public Buildings

Public Utilities

Del Norte

$ 100,000

0

$ 1^3,000

$ 140,000

Siskiyou

300,000

$1,250,000

150,000

200,000

Humboldt

2,000,000

1,500,000

300,000

10,000

Trinity

150,000

90,000

550,000

Mendocino

50,000

200,000

150,000

25,000

Sonoma

500,000

20,000

100,000

100,000

It is difficult to bring the magnitude of this flood into focus, but some comparisons to the 1955 flood can be made. District I of the State Division of Highways encompasses the counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, and the westerly sections of Siskiyou and Trinity. In the 1955 flood. District I lost one bridge the one in Hoopa on the Trinity River. As an aftermath of the 1964 flood. District I records sixteen State highway bridges destroyed. The Humboldt County Road Department listed ten county bridges completely washed out or damaged beyond salvage. Virtually the whole region from Scotia to Crescent City was isolated as the rampaging Eel, Mad, and Klamath Rivers and Redwood Creek made U. S. Route 101 impassable.

It has been estimated the State Division of Highways has at least a 2-year task to restore the highways and bridges to their pre-flood condition.

-38-

Again, the magnitude of this flood overwhelms that of the 1955 flood when listing the number of cities and communities which have been devastated.

Communities Destroyed

Klamath

Orleans

Jfyers Flat

Weott

South Fork

Shively

Pepperwood

Stafford

Ti-Bar

Communities Partially Destroyed Metropolitan Rio Dell Scotia

Klamath and Orleans in the north, and Weott and Jfyers Flat in the south, are major centers of population, aside fiom the Eureka-Arcata, Forttma complex. The total extent of damages to many small hamlets has not yet been determined. The Crescent City area, hard hit by the flood, prompted Congressman Don Clausen (while accompajiying Governor Brown on his inspection trip) to remark "this is becoming the disaster district of the nation". It was Crescent City that suffered such havoc when struck by the Alaskan earth- quake tidal wave Easter weekend, 196^.

-39-

At Fembridge, the focal point of the Eel River stage measurements, the peak reached an estimated 29-5 feet, compared to the 1955 peaJc of 27.7 feet. Flood stage is 17.0 feet. Some l+,000 persons abandoned their homes in at least ten towns in the redwood coiintry. At Orlck, 800 residents also fled their homes when the flashy Redwood Creek reached a height of 23.27 feet, with a flood stage of 19 feet.

In the co-unties of Del Norte, Siskiyou, Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, and Sonoma at least 1,025 homes were destroyed and 3>759 more damaged. Three hundred seventy-four small businesses were either destroyed or damaged, and over 800 farm buildings destroyed or damaged.

TABLE 18

ESTIMATE OF HOMES, FARM DWELLINGS AND TRAILER HOMES

DESTROYED OR DAMAGED

(In Dollars)

County

Amount

Del Norte

$ 7,232,000

Siskiyou

2,770,000

Humboldt

13,850,000

Trinity

980,000

Mendicino

500,000

Sonoma

5,875,000

The timber industry is one of the primary supporters of the econo- mies of the northwest counties, ajid the flood damage was a devastating blow to the industry. Millions of board feet of lumber were lost when logs were swept from log decks and floated downstream. An estimated 100 million board feet

-IJO-

of lumber is in the Crescent City harbor and on the beach. Forest access

roads, highways, and railroeuis were impassable. In some areas 80 percent

of the county road system sustained major damage. Because of the lack of

transportation for logs and cut lumber, 4,000 workers are without jobs, and

an additional 8,000 workers will be affected as more than half the lumber

mills face closure. Weekly payroll loss could rise to $675>000.

Also hard hit was the dairy and livestock industry. Five thousand

head of livestock were lost, thirty-five hundred of which were cows and

calves. Pasture land was awash with mud and debris. Providing feed for

the surviving cattle was a major problem, and sixty tons of hay and grain

were flown to the area for the stai^ring cattle.

TABLE 19

ESTIMATE OF DAMAGE (In Dollars)

County

Debris Clearemce

Hon-Federal

Aided County Roads

Federal Aided County Roads

Del Norte

Siskiyou

Humboldt

Trinity

Mendocino

Sonoma

$ k6^,000 250,000 4,000,000 150,000 300,000 100,000

$1,050,000 1,855,000 6,500,000 2,555,000

2,550,000

561,000

$1,625,000

1,598,000

2,000,000

120,000

5,200,000

5,000

Preliminary flood damage estimates were compiled by the California Disaster Office from information collected by survey teams of State, Federal, and local public agencies, and Red Cross workers. Months of work by survey teams in the field and in the office will be necessary before the complete picture unfolds.

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-42-

As the grim task of cleaning up the flood- stricken areas started, the death toll began to rise. Rescue workers used helicopters to probe the slowly receding rivers for victims and survivors. Hundreds of persons had been stranded for days without food or shelter in the flood isolated valleys and foothills of the Eel River Canyon. Fog, rain, snow, and winds frustrated rescue efforts for areas which could be reached only by air and prolonged the misery of flood damage.

As rescue operations swung into full scale, another storm whipped into Northern California with rains, snow, and hurricane gusts of wind. Rising rivers again forced an estimated 1,300 persons to flee for the second time from the Eel, Mad, Klamath, and Russian River Valleys, and evacuation centers were reopened. River crests from this second storm were far below the earlier flood stages, and additional flooding from the second storm was minor and could do very little material damage beyond the prior flood.

Finally, on January 6, residents of the northwest area were able to relax a moment to look back and ahead as the rivers began to fall and the weather forecast for only scattered showers diminished the threat of renewed floods.

.43-

TABLE 21 RED CROSS RECORDS - JANUARY k, I965

County

Deaths

Injured

Hospitalized

Families Suffering Loss

Del Norte

1

264

15

l,3i^2

Siskiyou

1

101

6

800

Humboldt

19

1,250

30

3,000

Trinity

2

3

3

400

Mendocino

1

hk6

Sonoma

35

1

2,214

The Christmas week flood took its toll of human lives, livestock, houses, farms and even total villages and it took something else too: water.

A preliminary estimate showed 10.4 million acre-feet of water ran off into the sea from California's North Coast. This estimate includes everything from the Russian River north, including the Eel, Mad, Van Duzen and Klamath Rivers.

This wasted water is more than the total of the yearly amoxrnt the State Water Project will deliver in 1990, plus the State's annual share from the Colorado River.

Central Valley Area Flooded Areas

In the Central Valley Area the total area flooded amounted to about 375,000 acres. A breakdown of the estimated total of areas flooded, by major

-44-

drainage basins, are the Sacramento Basin - 325,000 acres, and the San Joaquin Basin - 50,000 acres. Major flooded areas included 20,000 acres on Thomes Creek, Cottonwood Creek and other Sacramento River tributaries in the vicinity of Red Bluff; 50,000 acres along Sacramento River, mainly from Red Bluff to Colusa; 75,000 acres in bypasses and floodways in the Sacramento Basin; 100,000 acres in Butte Basin; 25,000 acres on Feather River and tributaries; 20,000 acres along the Cosumnes River and in the Mokelumne-Cosumnes Delta area; and 18,000 acres on the Stanislaus River.

It should be noted that estimates relative to damage and cost are necessarily preliminary following a disaster and will probably change signif- icantly when final reports are in. The majority of the damage figures listed here for the Central Valley Area were obtained from the U. S. Corps of Engineers.

There are no known cases where people died in the Central Valley as a direct result of flooding; however, there are a number of instances where deaths occurred as an indirect result of the flood. These instances included such situations as people venturing out in a boat during high water and drown- ing as a result of the high flood flows.

Flood Damages

Preliminary estimates have been made of the flood damages for the December 196^+ - January I965 floods. These estimates should be considered as being only approximate. More final estimates will be made after detailed field examination. The estimates of flood damages contained here represent damages from stream overflow and stream bank and levee erosion. Losses from general storm damage, such as slides and falling trees, as well as from rain

-ii5-

damage or ponded surface water, have not been included. Total flood damage in the Central Valley Area is now estimated at about $29,000,000.

Sacramento Basin

The combined damages in the Sacramento Basin total about $25,000,000. About $7,000,000 of these damages occurred above the foothill line and represent loss of highway bridges, roads, cabins, a dam under construction, and other improvements. The $18,000,000 damages remaining represents losses on the valley floor area. Most of this damage was to agricultural properties and loss of livestock; however, the figure includes a substantial amount for flood fighting and levee repair at many locations where urban- suburban protection was involved.

In the Sacramento River "Major and Minor Tributaries Project" the only levee breaks were on Deer Creek tributary to the Sacramento River near Vina. Here there were two levee breaks, one on the right bank and the other on the left bank situated just upstream from Keefer Road.

Within the "Sacramento River Flood Control Project" the major problems were from boils and banks eroding from current action, and trees toppling and taking large sections of the berm with the root system, thus undermining the waterward slope of the levee system. In these cases rock riprap was dumped into the damaged reach. The other problem was erosion to levees caused by wave wash action. In these instances canvas panels or wood wave wash panels were placed to retard the erosion of the levee section. There were numerous trouble spots on the Sacramento River and four on the Feather River. On the Feather River, one problem area occurred on the right bank one mile downstream from Gridley Bridge, two on the right bank just

-h6-

below Shanghai Bend, and the other on the left bank downstream from Nicolaus. On the American River, a trouble spot developed on the left bank just downstream from the "H" Street Bridge on the City of Sacramento side. Flood fighting was also carried out on the levees of Cache Creek, the Sutter and Yolo Bypasses and several islands in the Delta region -- mainly Twitchell, Venice and Webb Tract.

The flood fight utilized local agency and Department of Water Resources' forces and approximately 1200 inmates from conservation camps of the Department of Corrections. These inmate crews were in the immediate charge of about 250 crew chief personnel of the Division of Forestry who were in turn advised by Department of Water Resources' engineers. These forces represented about 20 conservation camps throiighout the state. The Division of Forestry also supplied approximately 20 pieces of heavy equip- ment such as dump trucks and bxilldozers.

The only islands in the Delta that were inundated were the ones that are designed to go under diiring times of high water. They were Prospect, Liberty, Little Holland Tract, and McComiack and Williamson Tracts northeast of Walnut Grove.

San Joaquin Basin

Total damage in the San Joaquin Basin was near $4,000,000. Practi- cally all of this damage was below the foothill line and occurred to highly developed agricultural crop land. Major flooding occurred on the Stanislaus and Cosumnes Rivers, and damages of $2,000,000 and $1,500,000, respectively, resulted. About $500,000 total damage occurred on the Merced, San Joaquin, Chowchilla and Fresno Rivers, and on Merced County streams.

-hi-

In the "San Joaquin River Flood Control Project" there were nine breaks within a short reach of the left bank levee of the Stanislaus River in Reclamation District 2031 which is just about at its confluence with the San Joaquin River. The district's levee along the San Joaquin River was opened to discharge the trapped flood water so that the land that was in- undated would drain. In the same general area on the right bank of the Stanislaus River, in Reclamation District 2064, there were six trouble spots within a two-mile reach caused by high flood flows.

Another levee break occurred in the State's "Lower San Joaquin River Flood Control Project". The Eastside Bypass right bank levee was breached by flood water ponding on the landward side of the levee system. This breach occurred very near its junction with the San Joaquin River.

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APPENDIX A

TABLE A-1

PEAK FLOWS AND STAGES (Preliminary Data, Subject to Revision)

Stream and Station

Drainage Area in Sq. Ml.

Period

of Record

Source

of

Record

(a)

Previous Maximum of Record

December 1964 - January 1965

Date

Stage in ft.

Dlsohg. m cfs

Date

Time

Stage In ft.

Dlschg. In cfs

North Coastal Area

Shiith River near Crescent City

613

1931- USGS 12/22/55 tl.20 165,000 12/22/6t - 14.5*^ |1 92, 000**1

Shasta River near Yreka

796 ♦1933 USGS 12/22/55 9.43 6,090 12/22/64 2200 112 ."B**!

Scott River near Fort Jones

662 1941- USGS 12/22/55 21.40 38,500 No record - station destroyed

Klamath River near Seiad Valley

6,980 1912-25 USGS 12/22/55 29.2^ 122,000'' No record - station destroyed 1951-

South Fork Salmon River near Forks of Salmon

252

1953- USGS 12/22/55 18.86 24,200 12/22/64 - 21.73 I 31,000**1

Klamath River at Somesbar

8,480 1927- USGS 12/22/55 59.4 202,000° 12/22/64 - 75.4 |300,000**|

Trinity River near Burnt Ranch

1,438 1931-40 USGS 12/22/55 '*3 .2 172,000 12/22/64 2400 29.84 79,000

1956-

South Fork Trinity River at Forest Glen

208

1959- USGS 12/22/55 25.26 42,400 12/22/64 16OO 29.0

62,000**1

South Fork Trinity River near Hyampom

342 1956- USGS 12/22/55 22.2"'^ 39,400 12/22/64 1530 |31-0**I^

Hayfork Creek near Hayfork

87.2 1956- USGS 2/8/60 11.67 4,210 12/22/64 1100 14.45 I 7,000**|

Hayfork Creek near Hyampom

379

1953- USGS 12/22/55 18.00 25,300 12/22/64 - 19.13 | 29.000**1

South Fork Trinity River near Salyer

899 1911-13 USGS 12/22/55 39.4^ 65,100 12/22/64 2400 47.6 | 95,000**| 1950-

Wlllow Creek at Willow Creek

Trinity River near Hoopa

Klamath River near Klamath

43.3 1959- USGS 12/2/62 10.02

2,848 •1911- USGS 12/22/55 36.90

12,100 *1910- USGS 12/22/55 49.?'

5,190 No record - channel destroyed 190,000 12/22/64 2100 42.3*" |260,000**| 425,000° 12/23/64 0200 55.3^ |650,000**|

Redwood Creek at Orlck

278 1911-13 USGS 1/18/53 23.95^ 1953- 12/22/55 23.95

50,000 12/22/64 2200 23.27 50,000 50,000

Mad River near Forest Glen

143

1953- USGS 12/22/55 24.5^ 39,200 12/22/64 1700 I6.86 20,100

A-1

TABLE A-1 (Continued)

Stream and Station

Drainage Area In Sq. Ml.

Period

of Record

Source

of

Record

(a)

Previous Maximum of Record

December 1964 - January 1955

Date

Stage in ft.

Dischg. In cfs

Date

Time

Stage In ft.

Dischg. in cfs

North Coastal Area (Continued) Mad River near

Areata

Eel River below Scott Dam near Potter Valley

Eel River at Van Arsdale Dam near Potter Valley

Eel River above Dos Rios

Black Butte River near Covelo

Middle Fork Eel River below Black Butte River near

Van Duzen River near Brldgeville

Eel River at Fembridge

Mattole River near Petrolia

Russian River near Ukiah

East Fork Russian Fliver near Calpella

Russian River near Hopland

484

290

349

705

162

Covelo

367

Eel River below

Dos Rios

1,484

North Fork Eel

River near Mina

250

Eel River at

Alderpolnt

2,079

South Fork Eel

River near

Brans comb

43

South Fork Eel

River near

Miranda

537

Eel River at

Scotia

3,113

216

240

93.0

362

1910-13 USGS 12/22/55 27.30' 1950-

fi 77,800 12/23/64 0200 23.40*' 71,000''

1922- USGS 12/11/37 22.9^ 41,100*^ 12/22/64 - 24.2*" | 58,000**1

1909- USGS 12/22/55 31.4*" 48,600 12/22/64 I900 - | 62,000**1

1950- USGS 12/22/55 45.4*" 123,000° 12/22/64 - 54.0*' |175, 000**1

•1951- USGS 12/21/55 35.8'''*' 25,000 12/22/64 - 33.0*" | 50,000**1

1951- USGS 12/21/55 25.0'

,100 12/22/64 2100 33.1 1165,000**1

1911-13 USGS 12/22/55 49.86 283,000° 12/22/64 I8OO 63.1 |460,000«*|

1951-

1953- USGS 12/22/55 24.00 58,400 No record - station destroyed

1955- USGS 12/22/55 72.5*' 376,000° 12/22/64 2000"" 90.5^ |600,000«*|

1946- USGS 12/22/55 16.20 20,100 12/22/64 - 16.14 19,900

1939. USGS 12/22/55 42.7*' 173,000 12/22/64 iSOO"" 45.9*' |200,000*«|

»1910- USGS 12/22/55 61.90 541,000 12/23/64 0200 70.0 f7 50,000**1 1950- USGS 12/22/55 21.3^ 43,500 12/22/64 - 22.6 | 49,800**|

USWB 12/22/55 27.7

12/23/64 0400 29.5 |800, 000**1

*1911- USGS 12/22/55 29.60 90,400 12/22/64 1145 28.20 >80,000

99.6 •igil- USGS 12/21/55 21.0 18,900 12/22/64 1100 19.45 18,000

1941- USGS 12/21/55 15.06 13,300 12/22/64 - 20.26 | 21,000*«| 1939. USGS 12/22/55 27.00 45,000° 12/22/64 I8OO 26.06 41,200°

TABLE A-1 (Continued)

Stream and Station

Drainage Area in Sq. Hi.

Period

of Record

Source

of

Record

(a)

Previous Maximum of Record

December 1964 - January I965

Date

Stage in ft.

Dischg. in cfs

Date

Time

Stage in ft.

Dischg. in cfs

North Coastal Area (Continued)

Russian River near Cloverdale

Russian River near Healdsburg

502

793

Russian River

near Guemevllle 1,3'*0

1951- USOS 12/22/55 30.9

1939- USOS 2/28/40 30.0

•1939- USGS 12/23/55 t9.7^

53,000"- 12/23/64 - 31.6 I S't, 000**1 67,000 12/23/64 0430 26.62 I 67,100**1' 90,100° 12/23/64 1800 49.6^ 90,000"=

Central Valley Area

Cow Creek near Millville

425

1949- USGS 12/27/51 21.55 45,200 12/22/64 1130 18.4

30,300

Cottonwood Creek near Cottonwood

922

1940- USGS 3/l/'*l 15.'*

52,300 12/22/64 1400 19.6

56,000*

Battle Creek below Coleman Pish Hatchery near Cottonwood

358

1961- USGS 12/11/37 15.8*''^ 35,000 12/22/64 1200 12.5

8,780

Paynes Creek near Red Bluff

92.7 19'*9- USOS 12/1/61 11.33 10,600 12/22/64 1200 8.7

4,950

Sacramento River at Red Bluff

DWR 2/28/40 32.2

12/22/64 2100 27.7 170,000°

Mill Creek near Los Molinos

131

»1909- USGS 12/11/37 23.4'^ 23,000 12/22/64 1200 15.3 13,200

Thomes Creek at Paskenta

194 1920- USGS 12/21/55 13.89 23,500 12/22/64 1300 15.3 | 33,000**| DWR

Deer Creek near Vina

208 "igii- USGS 12/10/37 19.2^

DWR

23,800 12/22/64 1200 14.7 l8,800

Big Chico Creek near Chico

72.5 1930- USGS 12/10/37 16.6

3,260 12/21/64 2300 l4.6 I 8 , 400**1

Sacramento River at Ord Perry

Sacramento River at Colusa

»1921- DWR 2/28/40 121.7

ig**©- USGS 2/8/42 69.20

DWR

370,000° 12/23/64 1800- 119.0 2100

49,000° 1/7/65 0800- 67.0 1600

173,000''

42,800=

Butte Creek near Chico

147 1930- USGS 12/22/55 13.35 18,700° 12/22/64 l400 14.1 | 21,300**|

North Fork Peat her River at Pulga (formerly Big Bar)

1,953 •1910- USGS 12/23/55 35.60 72,400°'® 12/22/64 1300 35-2 71,800'

c,e

Middle Fork Feather River near Merrlmac

1,068 1951- USOS 2/1/63 21.65 65,400 No record - station destroyed

A-3

TABLE A-1 (Continued)

Stream and Station

Drainage Area in Sq. Ml.

Period

of Record

Source

of

Record

(a)

Previous Maximum of Record

December 1964 - January 1965

Date

Stage in ft.

Dlschg. In cfs

Date

Time

Stage In ft.

uisohg. in cfs

Central Valley Area (Continued)

Feather River at Oroville above Pish Barrier Dam

3,632

1901- USGS 3/19/07 39.3 DWR

230,000° 12/23/64 1200 25.3 157,000°'''

Feather River near Grldley

•1929- DWR 12/23/55 102.25

12/23/64 0800 100.4 153,000<='*'-

Yuba River at Englebright Dam

1,104 1941- USGS 2/1/63 544.84 150,000°''^ 12/22/64 2200 546.0 |166,000««)

,c,<

Deer Creek near Smartvllle

84.6

1935- USGS 10/13/62 13.77 11,600° 12/22/64 15OO 11. 85 8,260°

Feather River at Yuba City

1944- DWR 12/24/55 82.42

12/23/64 1200 76.4

Feather River at Nlcolaus

5,928

1943- USGS 12/23/55 51.60 357,000° 12/23/64 1500 51. 6 283,000°'''

DWR

Sacramento River at Verona

1929- USGS 3/1/40 41.20 DWR

79,200° 12/25/64 060O 39.7 75,000'

,c,h

Middle Fork American River near Auburn

American River at Sacramento

612 1911- USGS 2/1/63 43.1^

1,900S 1925- DWR 11/21/50 45.73

4",k

121,000 12/23/64 1340 |60.4«

176,000° 12/24/64 1100 41.89 115,000°

Sacramento River at Sacramento

*1879- USGS 11/21/50 30.14° DWR

104,000° 12/24/64- 1900- 29.4 99,600° 12/25/64 1400

Cache Creek at Rumsey Bridge

1957- DWR 2/24/58 18.4

1/5/65 1800 16 . f.

37,800

Yolo Bypass near Lisbon

1914- DWR 12/24/55 23.4 304,800 12/25/64 0700 25. 1 1.345,000**1

Sacramento River near Rio Vista

Cosumnes River at Michigan Bar

537

1906- USCE 12/25/55 10.2

1907- USGS 12/23/55 14.59 DWR

12/26/64 1000 9.5 12/27/64 HOO

42,000° 12/23/64 0800 13.8 37,500

Mokelumne River near Thornton (Benson's Perry)

Mormon Slough at Bellota

1959- DWR 2/10/60 8.7

12/24/64 0900 |15.5**I 1948- DWR 4/2/58 20.65 15,400° 12/24/64 05OO 8.56 3,000'=

Stanislaus River at Orange Blossom Bridge

1940- DWR 11/21/50 30.05 52,000= 12/24/64 1700 26.4 39,800°

Stanislaus River at Ripon

1940- USGS 12/24/55 63.25 62,500 12/25/64 060O 62.26 32,800° DWR

A-4

-n

TABLE A-1 (Continued)

Stream and Station

Drainage Area in Sq. Ml.

Period

of Record

Source

of

Record

(a) .

Previous Maximum of Record

Date

Stage Dischg. in ft. in cfs

December 1964 - January 1965

Date Time

Stage \ Dischg. in ft. In cfs

entral Valley Area (Continued)

luolumne River t Modesto

srced River ar Stevinson

;ar Creek at ;Kee Road

lowchllla River b Buchanan Dam Ite, near aymond

resno River ar Knowles

in Joaquin Iver at Fremont 3rd Bridge

m Joaquin Lver near wman

in Joaquin River ; Crows Landing ?ldge

in Joaquin River ; Patterson Idge

m Joaquin River ; Grayson

Joaquin River jar Vemalls

in Joaquin River Mossdale Bridge

*1878- uses 12/9/50 59.19 57,000° 1/7/65 1700- 55.3 DWR 2200

1,274

238

132

8,090

9,990

1940- USGS 12/5/50 74.79 USER DWR

USCE 12/-/55 23.0

»1921- USGS 12/23/55 16.50^ DWR

30,000 12/23/64 1100 583.1

»1911- USGS 12/23/55 11.52 13,300 12/23/64 1100 5.5

1937- USGS 4/6/58 71.14° USER DWR

1941- DIVR 4/7/58 61.9

14,010

1920- DVm 12/10/50 24.4

1/12/65 1700 13-92

LEGEND

(a)

USGS USER USVB USCE

Dvm

PG&E b

United States Geological Survey

United States Bureau of Reclamation

United States V/eather Bureau

United States Corps of Engineers

California State Department of Water Resources

Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Site and datum then in use

Affected by storage and/or diversion

Includes flow through powerhouse

Includes flow bypassing station

From flood marks

Estimated

Affected by partially completed Orovllle Dam

Does not include flow that bypasses station

Peak of flood wave resulting from failure of Hell Hole Dam on the Rubicon River

Approximate time

Incomplete record

r^Iaximum of record

A-5

11,500"-

13,600° 1/8/65 1800 72.08 10,600°

9,500 1/7/65 0600 15.2 5,600

6,250

2,900

5,910° 1/10/65 0600 64.53 2,550'^

1912- USGS 3/7/38 65.81 33,000° 1/10/55 0700 62.67 11,500°

DWH

1/10/65 2000 54.0 11,250

1938- DWR 6/13/38 54.0^ - 1/11/65 0800 47.00 10,750° 1928- DWR 3/8/41 45.15 23,900 1/11/55 2345 39.23 8,500°

•1922- USGS 12/9/50 32.81 79,000 1/12/55 0500- 28.2 21,200°

2400

I I I

I I I'

r I I I I

- - I r I

I f f< I I 111

0 r

0

I 1 I I I

I I I I

II I I i I I

TABLE A-1

(Continued)

stream and Station

Drainage Area in Sq. Ml.

Period

of Record

Source

of

Record

(a)

Previous Maxi of Record

mum

December 1964 - January 1965 1

Date

Stage In ft.

Dlschg, in ofs

Date

Time

Stage In ft.

Dlschg. In cfs

Central Valley Area (

Continued)

Feather River at

Orovllle above Pish Barrier Dam

3,632

1901-

USGS DWR

3/19/07

39.3''

230,000°

12/23/64 1200 25.3

157,000'^'*'

Feather River near Grldley

-

*1929-

DWR

12/23/55

102.25

-

12/23/64 0800 100.4

153, 000='^'

Yuba River at

1,104

19^1-

USGS

PG&E

2/1/63

544.84

150,000*^'"^

12/22/64 2200 546.0

c

Englebrlght Dam

[166,000**1

,^^<'^■■'^

a-riaiiiiS

Deer Creek near Smartvllle

Feather River at Yuba City

Feather River at Nlcolaus

Sacramento River at Verona

Middle Fork American River near Auburn

American River at Sacramento

Sacramento River at Sacramento

Cache Creek at Rumsey Bridge

Yolo Bypass near Lisbon

Sacramento River near Rio Vista

Cosumnes River at Michigan Bar

Mokelumne River near Thornton (Benson's Ferry)

Mormon Slough at Be 11 Ota

Stanislaus River at Orange Blossom Bridge

Stanislaus River at Ripon

84.5 1935- USGS 10/13/62 13.77 11,600° 12/22/64 1500 11. 85

5,928

612

1,900S

537

8,260°

1944- DWR 12/24/55 82.42

1943- USGS 12/23/55 51.60 DWR

1929- USGS 3/1/40 41.20 DWR

1911- USGS 2/1/63 43.1

1925- DWR 11/21/50 45.73

♦1879- USGS 11/21/50 30.14" DWR

1957- DWR 2/24/58 18.4

12/23/64 1200 76 . 4

357,000° 12/23/64 1500 51.6 283,000°

79,200° 12/25/64 0600 39.7 75,000'

c,h

121,000 12/23/64 1340 |60.4«*|

176,000° 12/24/64 1100 41.89 115,000°

104,000° 12/24/64- 19OO- 29.4 99,600^^ 12/25/64 1400

1/5/65 1800 16.8 37,800°

1914- DWR 12/24/55 23.4 304,800 12/25/64 0700 25.1 |345,000**|

1906- USCE 12/25/55 10.2

1907- USGS 12/23/55 14.59 DWR

12/26/64 1000 9.5 12/27/64 1100

42,000° 12/23/64 0800 13.

37,500

1959- DWR 2/10/60 8.7 - 12/24/64 0900 |15.5**I

1948- DWR 4/2/58 20.65 15,400° 12/24/64 O5OO 8.56 3,000<=

1940- DWR 11/21/50 30.05 52,000= 12/24/64 1700 26.4 39,800°

1940- USGS 12/24/55 63.25 DWR

A-4

62,500 12/25/64 0600 62.26 32,800°

fercea ».'■'-•

^a: CreiH & fciei is.

CnoKcnllla ^ it Rittar. '■•■ Slie, r.if

rear f^J^'^t-

oar, Joaci.lr. .llvtr at :s-.

Ever nesf Jiewtar

i.1 JMqii iUnr a: Crow M:;; SrUge

tEnr

at FattersK

^ loaqalj lixa >l Gravsa

San Joaqiiii ni„. "ear Venaij

*-1 ''l:;.

II I I I 1

TABLE A-1 (Continued)

Stream and Station

Drainage Area in Sq. Ml.

Period

of Record

Source

of

Record

(a)

Previous Maximum of Record

December ige^t - January 1965

Date

Stage

in ft.

Dlschg. in cfs

Date

Time

Stage in ft.

Dlschg. in cfs

Central Valley Area (Continued)

Tuolumne River at Modesto

*1878- USGS 12/9/50 69.19 DWR

57,000° 1/7/65 1700- 55.3 11,500° 2200

Merced River near Stevlnson

1,274 1940- USGS 12/5/50 74.79 USSR DWR

13,600° 1/8/65 1800 72.08 10,600°

Bear Creek at McKee Road

USCE 12/- /55 23.0

9,500 1/7/65 0600 15.2 5,600

Chowchilla River at Buchanan Dam Site, near Raymond

238

»1921- USGS 12/23/55 16.50^ DWR

30,000 12/23/64 1100 533.1

6,250

Fresno River near Knowles

132

»1911- USGS 12/23/55 11.52 13,300 12/23/64 1100 5.5

2,900

San Joaquin River at Fremont Ford Bridge

8,090 193T- USGS 4/6/58 71.14°

USER DWR

5,910° 1/10/65 0600 64.53 2,650-'

San Joaquin River near Nevmian

9,990

1912- USGS 3/7/38 65.81 33,000° 1/10/65 0700 62.67 11,500° DWR

San Joaquin River at Crows Landing Bridge

1941- DWR 4/7/58 61.9"

1/10/65 2000 54.0 11,250

San Joaquin River at Patterson Bridge

San Joaquin River at Grayson

1938- DWR 6/13/38 54.0^ - 1/11/65 0800 47.00 10,750° 1928- DWR 3/8/41 45.15 23,900 1/11/65 2345 39.23 8,500°

San Joaquin River near Vemalis

San Joaquin River at Mossdale Bridge

14,010

»1922- USGS 12/9/50 32.81 79,000 1/12/65 O5OO- 28.2 21,200°

2400

1920- DWR 12/10/50 24.4

1/12/65 1700 13-92

LEGEND

(a) USGS USER

usim

USCE DWR PG&E b

United States Geological Survey

United States Bureau of Reclamation

United States '.feather Bureau

United States Corps of Engineers

California State Department of Water Resources

Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Site and datum then in use

Affected by storage and/or diversion

Includes flow through powerhouse

Includes flov; bypassing station

From flood marks

Estimated

Affected by partially completed Oroville Dam

Does not include flov/ that bypasses station

Peak of flood wave resulting from failure of Hell Hole Dam on the Rubicon River

Approximate time

Incomplete record

r-Iaximum of record

A-5

7

8 t

9

10

11

12

1 13

1 llv

91^.1

1,881.1

1,985.8

1,989.6

1,993.9

1,999.6

2,00lv.2

2,008.6

92.2

86.3

79.6

72.3

68.6

6IV.9

61.1

57.1

30U.0

3,280.7

3,238.1^

3,197.6

3,19^.0

3,l9i^.lv

3,200.9

3,203.2

2li|.3

; ki.k

1

213.3

210.9

207.8

20lv.U

203.7

203.2

202.5

30.9

23.9

23.6

22.2

21.3

21.2

21.9

bs.s

637.5

605.5

577.lv

571^.3

571^.3

576.2

577.8

686.1

1,681^.1

1,678.2

1,671.8

1,665.5

1,660.2

l,65lv.9

1,650.6

266.1

1

261.3

251^.7

252.0

251.2

255.7

258.lv

256.lv

108.3

109.6

110.8

111.9

113.3

llU.l

lllv.T

115.5

^65.9

266.2

266.8

267.1

267.1

267.3

267.5

267.5

167.8

183.7

182.0

176.7

168.9

160.7

151.9

llv3.7

56. U

56.1+

56.3

56.2

56.1

56.1

56.0

52.1

78.7

7i+.5

78.1+

78. u

78.lv

78.lv

78.lv

78.lv

lOU.O

99.9

97.3

96.3

95.7

95.3

95.0

91^.7

69.3

62.8

59.1

57.2

53.3

52.lv

51.3

51.1

li+5.5

159.0

162.8

161.8

160.8

159.9

159.8

160.6

79.9

81.0

81.1

81.1

80.9

80.7

80.6

79. 1^

199.7

203.5

203.9

203.5

199.0

197.5

195.1^

193. i^

231^.5

237.1

239.5

21+1.1+

2I16.7

2lv9.8

252.9

256.0

A

APPEMDIX A TABLE A-2 RESERVOIR OPERATIC BS

DURING PERIOD DECMBER 1961* AMD JA^mABY 1965

( Pre lijai nary Data, Gubject to Revision)

Watershed

Reservoir

Crest

Elevation

feet

Capacity in 1000' s of Ac re - Fe e t

20 1

21

22

23

2lt

25

26

27

28 1

29

30

Water in 3 1 31

torage. Thousands of Acre-Feet 1 1 J ? 1 1 1

4

5

6

7 1

A 1

Q

1 Tt '

T^

1 r;; 1

Trinity

Trinity

^,395

2,500.0

l,li89.0

1,1(91.7

1,535-7

1,687.1

1,773-7

1,827. ll

1,859.6

1,885.5

1,902.1.

1,916.2

1,925.6

1,933-4

1,939-3

1,943-8

-^ L

1,949-8

1,953-9

J 2 1

1,957-4

2

1,965-4

. , ,f 1 1,974.7

0 1 1,881.1

2 1

1,985.8

10

1,989-6

11 1,993.9

12 1,999.6

J_ 12

2,004.2

14 2,008.6

E, F. Russian

Mendocino

78U

132.5

1.5.2

75.8

91.8

121.0

128.7

126.0

120.1.

119-5

III..3

106.7

96.6

87.6

79-3

■('5-2

74.4

75-3

76.0

89-1

92.2

86.3

79.6

72-3

68.6

64.9

61.1

57.1

Sacramento

Shasta

i,ot8

It, 500.0

2,527.0

2,576. It

2,733-9

3,052.9

3, 201.. 7

3,276.6

3,305.0

3,319-5

3,310.1

3,286.2

3,278.3

3,262.4

3,254.7

3,257.1

3,261.4

3,253-3

3,244.9

3,285.0

3,304.0

3,280.7

3,238.4

3,197-6

3,194.0

3,194.4

3,200.9

3,203.2

Clear CreeX

WhlskeytowT)

1,210

2I4I.O

208.8

209.5

221.6

21.2.1.

21.5.2

21*3.9

21.1.9

2lt0.6

238.6

236.0

232.8

229.2

225-2

221.1

217.6

213-6

209.8

213.3

214.3

213.3

210.9

207,8

204.4

203.7

203.2

202-5

Stony Creek

Black Butte

515

16C.O

29.0

29.8

37.4

71.. 0

96.5

gii-g

79.5

55.5

31..6

22.5

25.1

23.7

22-9

21-5

20.2

21-3

22.9

42.1

41.4

30.9

23.9

23.6

22.2

21.3

21.2

21.9

American

Folsom

)i80

1,000.0

577.0

596.5

650.1

838.3

888.2

861.5

733.0

688.lt

673.4

642.9

643.0

636.4

629-4

623-9

621.1

625-7

632-9

612.3

633.8

637.5

605.5

577.4

574.3

574.3

576.2

57T.8

Putah Creek

Berryessa

1.56

1,600.0

1,355 0

1,358.1.

1.393-2

1,1.78.9

l,5n.2

1,519-8

1,523.1.

1,5311. It

1,51.1.. 3

1,551.3

1,558.2

1,563.9

1,567.7

1,571-2

1,577.9

1,596-5

1,619.7

1,678.6

1,686.1

1,684.1

1,678.2

1,671.8

1,665.5

1,660.2

1,654.9

1,650.6

Merced

Lake McClure

710

289.0

n.e

160

17.6

38.6

101.8

153-1.

169.2

185.0

197.7

206.8

213.3

220.9

228.2

232-9

237-6

241.4

247.8

256.9

266.1

261.3

254,7

252.0

251.2

255.7

258.4

256.4

TuolLinme

Cherry Valley

"^,715

2a.o

10.5

11.5

14.5

36.7

60.0

70.3

80.7

85.8

89.4

92.5

94.9

97.2

98.9

100.4

103-7

103-7

104.8

106.4

108.3

109.6

110.8

111.9

113-3

114.1

114.7

115.5

Hetch-Hetchy

3,812

360.0

138.2

137.6

138.5

17'*.7

212.7

238.3

21.6.6

252.3

256.1

257.3

258.9

260.3

261.0

261.7

262.4

262.9

263.4

264.1

265,9

266-2

266.8

267.1

267-1

267.3

267.5

267.5

Dan Pedro

609

289.0

87.li

87.1.

87. 8

llil..2

lltl..3

190.6

196.1.

196.1

204.5

204.3

199.1

193-5

180.6

172.5

165.2

165.2

158.3

152.3

167.8

183-7

182.0

176.7

168.9

160.7

151.9

143.7

Stanislaus

Donnell ' s

1^,921

61t.5

-

26.7

27.0

I1O.7

58.3

57.7

57.5

57.3

57.1

57.0

57.0

56-9

56.7

56.6

56.5

56.4

56.3

56.4

56.4

56.4

56.3

56.2

56.1

56.1

56.0

52.1

Beardsley

3,1*05

97.5

-

36.9

37.0

1.1.. 7

53.9

69.0

75-9

97.6

97.2

78.9

78.8

78.6

78.5

78.4

78-3

78.4

78.4

78.4

78.7

74.5

78.4

78.4

78.4

78.4

78.4

78.4

Me lone s

723

112.5

-

1.2.1.

1.6.1.

87.2

113.2

10I..9

99-9

101.3

100.1

98.2

97.2

96.7

96.0

95-0

94.5

94.7

94.7

96.7

104.0

99.9

97.3

96.3

95.7

95.3

95.0

94.7

Tulloch

515

68.1*

"

53-9

51.. 2

59.1

69.5

6U.lt

70.0

67.8

67.6

64.6

63.6

63.9

63.2

63.2

60.9

62.3

65-5

68.5

69-3

62.8

59.1

57-2

53-3

52.4

51.3

51-1

Calaveras

New Hogan

725

325.0

16.8

19.1.

22.3

31.8

56.3

73-7

77.8

82.7

92.1

97.9

102.7

107.0

111.6

114.2

115.9

118.2

121-5

124.6

145-5

159-0

162.8

161-8

160.8

159.9

159.8

160.6

Hokelumne

Salt Springs

3.960

139. It

-

6.3

5.2

6.0

31.7

51.. 2

6U.5

69.9

73-6

76.6

78.4

79.9

81.8

81.8

77.3

77.3

76-9

78.8

79-9

81.0

81.1

81.1

80.9

80.7

80.6

79.4

Pardee

575

210.0

-

201.8

203.6

219.5

219.5

213-9

211.9

212.3

211.2

209.3

206.4

202.9

197.6

192.4

189.9

189-2

189-7

189. 8

199-7

203.5

203.9

203-5

199.0

197.5

195.4

193.4

Camanche

235.5

lt31.5

-

55.6

61.5

69.8

121*. 2

168.9

in. 3

189.0

200.6

210.5

214.3

221.5

225.7

229-3

239.8

230-4

229-0

232.5

234-5

237.1

239.5

241.4

246.7

249.8

252.9

256.0

PLATE I

Z^

(r

(0

iij

en

\-

<t

•»

Q.

OJ

CO

q:

iij

q:

X

UJ

1-

m

<

UJ

^

$

UJ

o

u_

ill

O

o

?

<

(/)

cc

QC

o

<

<

CD

^w

^—

Q

_l

_l

O

?

1-

<

O

Sr

o

u

lO

X

o

»-

(/)

<

PLATE I

PLATE 2

OSTROPHIC WIND SCALE

4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 12.0

lESSURE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FRANCISCO AND ARCATA- MILLIBARS

14.0

NOTE S

the direction from which the wind was blowing: b pressure is at at elevation of about 5,000 feet.

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

METEOROLOGICAL DATA -SSURE GRADIENT AND WIND DECEMBER 19-26, 1964

PLATE 2

DECEMBER 1964

PLATE 3

AIR TEMPERATURE AT SEXTON SUMMIT ELEVATION 3841 FEET

850 mb TEMPERATURE AT MEDFORD (ABOUT 5000 FEET)

AIR TEMPERATURE AT BLUE CANYON ELEVATION 5280 FEET

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

METEOROLOGICAL DATA

TEMPERATURE DECEMBER 19-27, 1964

850 mb TEMPERATURE AT MEDFORD (ABOUT 5000 FEET)

PLATE 3

AIR TEMPERATURE AT SEXTON SUMMIT ELEVATION 3841 FEET

AIR TEMPERATURE AT BLUE CANYON ELEVATION 5280 FEET

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

METEOROLOGICAL DATA

TEMPERATURE DECEMBER 19-27. 1964

DECEMBER 1964

PLATE 4

^^

..

.

-

-

_lt

\C

"^

29

30

3. 1

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY lEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF ECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

.ATIVE PRECIPITATION CURVES NORTH COASTAL AREA ECEMBER 18-31, 1964

- . .

'

PLATE

4

1

REDWOOD

CREEK - O'KANE-

7

/

-^

/

'^

^

y /

y

>

1 1 1 1 Mil 1 IT': HnwAon

/"

"

y

^

y"

.x*

titn

Uec

CAL.DIV.

1

OF 1

<^0R

esrffr^

/ /

/

/

/

/

/

f

^

.-

-

--

16.8"

1 1

^

/

._

__

-'

■"

-■

--

"

'

1

/

y'

*

_i

iKh_

1/y

--

■-

-

--

-

^ #^

y /

1

/

.

// / /

/

1

1

/ J

1

J

1

t

27

28

29

30

-^ 3' 1

STATE OF CALIFORNIA THE RESOURCES AGENCY

/

1

/

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

/

<*

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF

/

-&^

t_

stii

note

cf

y

*

f

DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

ACCUMULATIVE PRECIPITATION CURVES

^

■-• •*

y_

'-

-

" '

"

NORTH COASTAL AREA DPCEMBER 18-31. 1964

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

___^

1

DECEMBER 1964

PLATE

5

_^,

^'

--■

37.4"\

,^

^'

-"'

29

.0"

_r "

-

- -

- -

/ 26

1 29 1 30

ix 1

STATE OF CALIFORNIA THE RESOURCES AGENCY kRTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF :MBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

TIVE PRECIPITATION CURVES UBA-AMERICAN RIVER BASINS EMBER 18-31, 1964

PLATE

5

'

1

^

-

-

-

--

37.4"

1

^

>

^

^

^

29.8"

BLUE

CANYON

^

^^

r

--

--

-

--

1 28.0"

J

r

7

"■

m /-

.-

/

/

BRUSH CREEK

^

.-

m^'

f^

/

t

f

r --

--

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THE RESOURCES AGENCY

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DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

ACCUMULATIVE PRECIPITATION CURVES

FEATHER-YUBA-AMERICAN RIVER BASINS

nrrFMRFR lfl-31. 1964

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PLATE 6

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JANUARY 1965

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

LATIVE PRECIPITATION C

ATHER-YUBA RIVER BASIN

JANUARY 4-7, J965

URVES S

PLATE 6

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STATE OF CALIFORNIA THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

ACCUMULATIVE PRECIPITATION C FEATHER-YUBA RIVER BASIN JANUARY 4-7, 1965

URVES S

i

PLATE 7

-/0-~

LEGEND

ISOMYETS OF RAINFALL IN INCHES

RESERVOIR

NATURAL LAKE

DRAINAGE BASIN BOUNDARY

+5

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964 - JANUARY 1965

ISOHYETAL MAP NORTH COASTAL AREA

DECEMBER 18-27 1964 (9 DAYS)

SCALE OF MILES 16

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LEGEND

ISOHYETS OF RAINFALL IN INCHES

RESERVOIR

NATURAL LAKE

DRAINAGE 8ASIN BOUNDARY

+5

STATE OF C*L(PORNI*

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964 -JANUARY 1965

ISOHYETAL MAP NORTH COASTAL AREA

24 HOUR PERIOD ENDING 0800 PST DECEMBER 22 1964

SCALE OF MILES

LEGEND

ISOn-TETS OF fiAINFALL IN INCHES

RESERVOIR

NATURAL LAKE

DRAINAGE 8ASIN BOUNDARY

SAN FRANCISCO SAY

THE RESOunCES AGENCr DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF QPESATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

ISOHYETAL MAP CENTRAL VALLEY AREA

DECEMBER 18-27 1964 (9 DAYS)

SCai-E OF MILES

LEGEND

ISOHTETS OF nAIMFALI. IN INCHES

RESERVOIR

NATURAL LAKE

DRAINAGE QA5IN 80 UN DA RV

SAN FRANCISCO BAY

The resources agenc* department of water resources

division of operations

FLOOD OF

DECEMBER 1964 -JANUARY 1965

ISOHYETAL MAP CENTRAL VALLEY AREA

JANUARY 2-7 1965 (5 DAYS)

SCALE OF MILES

PLATE II

14

14

SMITH RIVER NEAR CRESCENT CITY

PERIOD OF RECORD: 1931 - PRESENT

DATE FLOW IN C F S 12,2Z'6J 192,000

12/22'5S 165,000

10'29/SO 152,000

1173,53 141,000

REDWOOD CREEK AT CRICK

PERIOD OF RECORD: 1910 - 15, 1916 - PRESENT

DATE FLOW IN C F S. 1 IB S3 50,000

12 22 55 50,000

12 22 64 50,000

REDWOOD CREEK NEAR BLUE LAKE

PERIOD OF RECORD: 1953 - 58, 1964 - PRESENT

DATE FLOW IN C F.S.

12/22-64 15, 100

12 21/55 12,100

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

HYDROGRAPHS OF SMITH RIVER AND REDWOOD CREEK

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PERIOD OF flECOHO IMS - ifl. I'M -. PRESENl

FLOW IMCF.S 11,100 11.100

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

HYDROGRAPHS OF SMITH RIVER AND REDWOOD CREEK

MAD RIVER NEAR ARCATA

PERIOD OF RECORD 1910-13, 1950-PRESENT

DATE 12 '22-55 I2'23M

FLOW INC F.S 77,800 71,000

PLATE 12

14

TRINITY RIVER NEAR HOOPA

PERIOD OF RECORD: 191t-M. 1916-18, 193UPRESENT

DATE

12/32/5S J/19/S8 2/28/40

FLOW IN C.FS- 260,000 190.000 125,000 124,000

STATE OF CAklFOItNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

HYDROGRAPHS OF MAD AND TRINITY RIVERS

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JANUARY 1965 1

TRINITY RIVER NEAR HOOPA

PERIODOF RECORD WM-U, 1916-lB, IHl-PHESENT

0*TE }3/n/5S

n.Oil in C. F s. IW.OOO 190.000 125,000

134.000

STATE OF CALIFOKNIA

the resources agency

departme:nt of water resources

division of operations

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

HYDROGRAPHS OF MAD AND TRINITY RIVERS

PLATE 13

EEL RIVER AT ALDER POINT

PERIOD OF RECORD: 19S5-PRESENT

DATE FLOWINCFS. 12. 22 64 600,000

12 22 55 376,000

2, 8.60 220,000

EEL RIVER AT SCOTIA

PERIOD OF RECORD; 1910-15, 19I6-PRESENT

DATE FLOW IN C F.S. 12 22. 64 750,000

12.2Z'55 541.000

12. 11 37 345,000

2/8.60 343,000

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

HYDROGRAPHS OF EEL RIVER

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DECEMBER 1964

JANUARY 1965 |

EEL RIVER AT ALDER POINT

PERtOOOF ReCOHO I95S-PBESENT

FLO* IN C.F.S 400.000 376,000 220.000

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DATE

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FLO" IN C F S 750.000 M 1.000 345,000 W3.000

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

HYDROGRAPHS OF EEL RIVER

PLATE 14

LAKE MENDOCINO (COYOTE DAM)

GROSS POOL 122,500 ACRE-FEET COMPLETED 1959 PERIOD OF RECORD: 1959-PRESENT

DATE INFLOW IN C F S 12 22 M 21,000

2 8 60 10.200

1 31 63 8,800

RUSSIAN RIVER NEAR HOPLAND

PERIOD OF RECORD: 1939-PRESENT

DATE FLOWINCFS

12 22 55 d5,000

12 22 64 41,200

2'28, 40 34, 100

STATE OF CALIFOKMA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OR OI>£RATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

OPERATION OF

LAKE MENDOCINO RESERVOIR AND

HYDROGRAPH OF RUSSIAN RIVER

PLATE 14

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LAKE MENDOCINO (COYOTE DAM)

GTOSSPOOL 112,S(B ACHE. FEET COMPLETED 1959 PERIOD 01= flECDRD: 19S9-PRESENT

DATE

INFLOW IN C F S

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RUSSIAN RIVER NEAR HOPLAND

PEfilOO Of RECOBO, t939-PRESE"T

DATE I2'2!.'5! 12 22 U 2 28 40

fLOWIKCFS 45.000

41.100 M.1D0

STATE OF CALIFO»tNfA

THE RESOUttCEB AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION on OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

OPERATION OF

LAKE MENDOCINO RESERVOIR AND

HYDROGRAPH OF RUSSIAN RIVER

-

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14

PLATE 16

OROVILLE DAM EMBANKMENT

IUnde> Consttuctionl

Outflow shown is hydrogpoph of Fealher River ot Otov.lle obovo F.sh Bai

PERIOD OF RECORD: 1902-PRESENT

DATE FLOWINC.FS, 12/22 64 250,000*

12/23/64 157.000"

3/19/07 230.000

'Peok .ntlow beh.nd Orov.lle Dam Embonkment "Peoh discharge o( Feother River at Oroville above Fish Sorrier Dam

14

BLACK BUTTE RESERVOIR

GROSS POOL 160.000 ACRE FEET COMPLETED 1963 PERIOD OF RECORD 1963-PRESENT

DATE INFLOW IN C F S

12 23 64 48,000

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES ACENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

OROVILLE DAM EMBAMKMENT,

FEATHER RIVER, AND

OPERATION OF

BLACK BUTTE RESERVOIR,

STONY CREEK

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JANUARY

865 1

SHASTA RESERVOIR

PERIOD OF RECORD: 1VIS-PRESENT IMFLOW TO SHASTA RESERVOIR COMPUTED ilNCE IM5 REPORTED AS "WCBAUENTO HfVER AT KESWICK" IWJ-W ■'SACRAMENTO RIVER Al KENNETT" 19J5-«

(NFLO# IN C F lOI.OOO* 187, 100- lai.OOD

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OECEMSER <964

JANUARY 1965

_J

SACRAMENTO RIVER AT RED BLUFF

Flow REGULATED 9Y SHASTA RESERVOIR ilNCE t'« PERIOD OF RECORD ie78-PflES£MT PRIOR 10 OOMSTfiUCIlON OF SHASTA DAW

DATE FLOW IN C f S

11/11/37 IB*.OOI)

SINCE COHSTBUCTION OF SHASTA 0AM

DATE IZZ2 W l/S-iS 2/19/38

STATE OF CALIFOdNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER t964-JANUARY 1965

OPERATION OF

SHASTA RESERVOIR AND

HYDROGRAPH OF SACRAMENTO RIVER

PLATE 17

F-

14

BUTTE CREEK NEAR CHICO

PERIOD OF RECORD; 1930-PRESENT

DATE 13 22 64 12 22 55

1/5/65

FLOW IN C F,S 21. »0 18,700 17,400

YUBA RIVER AT SMARTVILLE

COMPUTED FROM SUMMATION OF "AT ENGLEBRIGHT DAM" AND "DEER CREEK NEAR SMARTVILLE"

PERIOD OF RECORD: 1903-PRESENT

REPORTED AS "AT SMARTVILLE" (INCLUDES DEER CREEK} 1903-41; 1941-PRESENT. COMPUTED AS STATED ABOVE

DATE 12 22 64 12 23/55 2/1/63

FLOW IN C F.S. 171,800 156,500 155,000

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

HYDROGRAPHS OF BUTTE CREEK AND YUBA RIVER

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STATE or CAi.m>«WIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCV

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DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

OROVILLE DAM EMBAMKMENT,

FEATHER RIVER, AND

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PLATE 18

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PERIOD OF RECORD: 19U-PRESENT

DATE FLOW IN C-FS.

12'25 64 445.000

12/-24,'5S 405.000

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPCRATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

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STATE OF CALIFORNIA

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DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

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14

COSUMNES RIVER AT MICHIGAN BAR

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STATE OF CALirOBNIA

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DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

OIVIStON OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

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PLATE 20

■^

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PARDEE RESERVOIR

GROSS POOL 210,000 ACRE-FEET COMPLETED 1929 PERIOD OF RECORD: 1929-PRESENT

DATE 12/3/30 12/24/M 12/23/64 11/20/50

INFLOW IN C F.S. 34,000 32,100 30,500 30,000

.-

14

1

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CAMANCHE RESERVOIR

GROSS POOL 431,500 ACRE-FEET COMPLETED 1963 PERIOD OF RECORD: 1963-PRESENT

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

IVISICTN OR OPCRATIONS

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COSUMNES RIVER AT MICHIGAN BAR

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STATE OF CALIFOHNI*

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

HYDROGRAPHS OF COSUMNES AND SAN JOAQUIN RIVERS

PLATE 21

ivl

LAKE McCLURE (EXCHEQUER DAM)

GRObS POOL 289.000 ACRE-FEET COMPLETED 1926 PERIOD OF RECORD: 1926-PRESENT

DATE 12/23/55 11/19/50

INFLOW IN C F S 100,000 83,000

MERCED RIVER NEAR STEVINSON

PERIOD OF RECORD; 1940-PRESENT

DATE 12 5 SO

FLOW INC F S 13,600

STATE or CALIFOMNf A

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION Ofi-orCRATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY I960

OPERATION OF LAKE MCCLURE RESERVOIR AND HYDROGRAPH OF MERCED RIVER

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JANUARY 1965 |

GROiS POOL 110,000 ACRE-FEET COMPLETED 1919

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CAMANCHE RESERVOIR

GROSS POOL Ol.SOO ACHE-FEET COMPLETED l»3 PERIOD OF RECORD: 1963-PRESeNT

STATE OF CALirORNfA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

OIVISieJN OR OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

OPERATION OF PARDEE

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PLATE 22

DON PEDRO RESERVOIR

GROSS POOL 289,000 ACRE-FEET COMPL ETED 1922 PERIOD OF RECORD: 1922-PRESENT

DATE 12/22 55

11/19/50

INFLOW IN CFS. 100,000 86,000

TUOLUMNE RIVER AT MODESTO

PERIOD OF RECORD: 1950-PRESENT

DATE

12 9 '50

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STATE OF CALlFOI«NIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

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FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

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STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

GAGE HEIGHTS OF

FEATHER RIVER, YUBA RIVER,

AND CACHE CREEK

PLATE 28

LEGEND

RECORDING PRECIPITATION GiGE

O NON- RECORDING PRECIPITATION GAGE

e BOTH RECORDINGS NON - R E COR 0 I NG PRECIPITATION GAGES

A STREAM GAGING STATION

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

PRECIPITATION AND STREAM

GAGING STATIONS

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FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

GAGE HEIGHTS OF SAN JOAQUIN RIVER

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PLATE 29

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

MAJOR DISASTER AREAS

SCALE OF MILES 0 40 80 120

c o

LEGEND RECOnOiNG PnECiBIT&TION G4CE O NOH-RECOHOINC eREClPIT«IIOH OBGE

O BOTH «eC0n0lNC B NON-BECOROING PHEC101T4TI0N OaCeS A STREAM GACINC STATION

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

PRECIPITATION AND STREAM

GAGING STATIONS

NORTH COASTAL AREA

PLATE 29

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

MAJOR DISAS^TER AREAS

SCALE OF MILES 40 Bl

PLATE 30

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS

FLOOD OF DECEMBER 1964-JANUARY 1965

MAJOR DRAINAGE AREAS

IN

CALIFORNIA

LEGEND

ELEVATION IN FEET

500 AND UNDER

500 TO 2500

2500 TO 5000

SOOO TO 7500

7500 TO 10.000 1^1 10,000 AND OVER '"~-' DRAINAGE BOUNDARY

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS

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