ABSTRACT
LAVERTY 09.07. 1901 Wellsville OH/USA 11.07. 1998 Pasadena CA/USA Finley Burnap Laverty obtained in 1925 the BS degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA. He was then field engineer of the High Sierra power project construction in South California, becoming in 1928 engineer on sewers of the Flood Control District, Los Angeles CA. From 1935 he was chief hydraulic engineer of the Los Angeles Flood Control District, involved in the operation of 14 dams, and 8 km2 water conservancy grounds. He also directed the District Hydraulic Division in accomplishment of its flood control and water conservancy research, including barrier to salt-water intrusion into groundwater basins through well recharge. Laverty has written a number of papers and reports. The 1946 paper deals with waterspreading grounds developed in Los Angeles County, using the methods of ditch and furrow, basin, and regulation of flows in stream channels. This method is generally used in rough and sloping terrain, with canals and ditches laid out on the topographic contour with sufficient slope to prevent deposit of suspended material. A modification of this approach is to install broad, shallow main canals, from which smaller ditches at regular intervals spread the water over the area. The advantages of the ditch method are low cost of maintenance and operation, whereas the basin method involves the construction of dikes at regular intervals. Water is led to the upper basin by canal and spilled from basin to basin. From the last basin the waste water is returned to the flood channel. Laverty investigated both the advantages and disadvantages of these two approaches for the Los Angeles Coastal Plain. The 1952 paper is concerned with sea-water intrusion, controlled by injecting fresh water through a line of recharge wells. His conclusions include that the approach works if the injection rate is sufficient, if the height of the pressure mound is proportional to the input rate, and if the well spacing is 150 m. Anonymous (1949). Laverty, chairman of Society’s Committee. Civil Engineering 19(11): 846. P Anonymous (1956). Finley B. Laverty, Director, District 11. Civil Engineering 26(10): 683. P Anonymous (1959). Laverty, Finlay B. Who’s who in engineering 8: 1440. Lewis: New York. Anonymous (1998). Laverty, Finley B., Honorary Member ASCE. Trans ASCE 163: 630-631. Laverty, F.B. (1946). Correlating flood control and water supply: Los Angeles Coastal Plain. Trans. ASCE 111: 1127-1144; 111: 1156-1159. Laverty, F.B. (1952). Recharging wells expected to stem sea-water intrusion. Civil Engineering 22(5): 313-315.
