Saturday, June 7, 2008

Flowers Marching Uphill Following Water

June is such a great month to be in Manton. Leaving Red Bluff on 36 the grass is brown and dry, almost all the way to Manton. But head east up the hill from Manton Corners on either Rock Creek Road or Forward Road and you will return to the emerald world of green. Numerous flowers line the road, one of my favorites being the pink wild peas. Last week while driving on Forward Road I noticed hundreds of yellow iris. It is spring NOW at Forwards Mill.

Up in Lassen Park it is still more like winter. The loop road through the park opened early this year, but was recently closed due to a late spring storm. It may be open again now, but if you go, take a sweater or jacket because the wind can still be biting. Eventually spring will come to the park, usually in July. The largest migratory deer herd in California follows the green grass up the hill, just as the native Americans used to do. The southern Yana tribes knew when the deer left the rapidly heating lowlands it was time to break camp and seek cooler climes higher up.

With the Governor declaring this week that California is in a drought he is only stating the obvious to those of us who have lived in the state for more than fifty years and cannot remember a drier spring. A friend who lives in San Francisco called me yesterday to ask if I knew of any property for sale in Manton which has tillable land and WATER. It is clear that we are running low on oil, food, and now water. Yikes! It's enough to make even a normal person think about becoming a survivalist.

Water is definitely a critical consideration when moving to the country. Manton is blessed to be situated in the Battle Creek Watershed, a unique water resource due to its proximity to Lassen Peak, the southern-most Cascade volcano. For whatever reason, Lassen Peak seems to get far more snow than the High Sierra. The snowmelt creates year-around springs, of which there are
at least nineteen in the Manton area. The lava tubes underlying Manton carry this cold clear water many miles from Lassen Park before they surface in areas like Bluff Springs and Eagle Canyon. Wells drilled in the Manton area can vary greatly in depth, depending on the distance from the surface to these underground water sources.

Water ditches are another water resource in Manton which is somewhat typical of the California foothills. These are diversions from area creeks such as Battle Creek (north and south forks), Digger Creek, Bailey Creek and Rock Creek. P. G. & E. has the largest ditches which you can't miss when driving around Manton. These water diversions lead to penstocks for the numerous small hydro power plants in the Battle Creek Watershed. Some diversions on local creeks have served domestic needs for decades, the largest and best known being the Boole Ditch which is sourced from Digger Creek. Our house and trout pond receive water 24/7 from this system.

In conclusion, as cool spring turns to hot summer and the wildflowers retreat up the mountain, thoughts of dependable water in this drought year become more pressing. Manton is uniquely situated in a very favorable and enviable position: an abundant water supply in both lean and fat rainfall years. Not a bad place to be! And to answer my city-slicker friend: YES, there are places currently for sale in Manton with abundant water. Call me to find out where.