Oral Histories

Interview of Julian Hinds

General manager and chief engineer for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Assistant administrator for the Colorado River Aqueduct.
Subtitle:
Western Dam Engineer
Series:
Oral History of California Water Resources Development
Topic:
Urban Planning and Land Use
Water Resources
Biographical Note:
General manager and chief engineer for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Assistant administrator for the Colorado River Aqueduct.
Interviewer:
Schippers, Donald J.
Interviewee:
Hinds, Julian
Persons Present:
Hinds and Schippers.
Place Conducted:
Hinds' office in Santa Paula, California.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Interviewer Background and Preparation:
The interview was conducted by Donald J. Schippers, Interviewer-Editor, UCLA Oral History Program; B.A., History, UCLA; M.A., History, Occidental College; M.L.S., UCLA.
Processing of Interview:
Editing of the manuscript was begun by the interviewer, continued by Ronald Barr, Editor, UCLA Oral History Program, and concluded March 28, 1970 by Bernard Galm, Supervising Editor, UCLA Oral History Program. The verbatim transcription of the interviews was thoroughly checked against the original tape recordings. Only slight changes in grammar and syntax were made; correct spellings and punctuation were supplied. Proper names were verified either by the editors or the respondent.The edited transcript was returned to the respondent who reviewed it and made significant additions and changes before returning it to the Program in September 1970. The material in the following manuscript has been retained in the order that it was actually spoken on the tape. Bracketed words or phrases were not spoken by the respondent on the tape.The index was prepared by Winston Wutkee, Interviewer-Editor, UCLA Oral History Program.
Length:
7 hrs.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Series Statement:
This series had its origin in a grant from the University of California Water resources Center in 1965. The project was a joint effort by the UCLA Oral History Program and the Regional Oral History Office, University of California, Berkeley. For some years after the close of the grant period, limited interviewing in this area continued.
Abstract:
Childhood in Warrenton, Alabama, and east Texas; farm life, 1880s and 1890s; education at University of Texas; building concrete bridges for Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, 1909; early precast concrete technology; employed by United States Bureau of Reclamation, 1910-26; Yakima River Project, 1910-11; Elephant Butte Dam, 1912-15; chief design engineer, Denver office, 1915-26; work in Mexico for White Engineering Corporation, 1926-29; Calles Dam project; Joaqui Dam; employment with Los Angeles City Department of Water and Power, 1929-30; transfer to Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), 1930; Colorado River Aqueduct Project; Parker Dam route; construction problems on aqueduct; strike at San Jacinto Tunnel; William Mulholland; William B. Mathews; Ezra F. Scattergood; appointed MWD general manager, 1941; industrial versus agricultural use of water; Joseph Jensen; retirement from MWD, 1951; work as general manager and chief engineer of Ventura County United Water Conservation District, 1951-55; Santa Felicia Dam project; Sespe Creek Project; Central Valley Project; consulting work since 1955; Columbia River Project; effectiveness of high-rise dams; use of power tunnels; desalinization of seawater; state and regional water rights; pollution.