Blaney, Harry French, 1892-1976

Blaney was born in Los Angeles, CA, July 19, 1892; BS, civil engineering, UC Berkeley, 1915; spent most of career working for US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), 1917-62; research assoc., Dept. of Irrigation Research and Soil Science, UCLA, 1962-65; served in Dept. of Engineering and Water Resource Center, 1965-73; author of many publications on consumptive use of water, irrigation, evaporation, and water supply; died in 1976.

From the description of Papers, 1919-1970. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 38128637

Biographical Information

Harry French Blaney, a water conservation engineer, made significant contributions to irrigation research not only in his native California, but also throughout the world. In 1915, Mr. Blaney received a B.S. degree in civil engineering from the University of California; and upon graduation, he worked two years for the Southern California Gas Company. He began a career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in May 1917 that continued until his retirement in 1962. From that time until 1973, he was a research associate at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Mr. Blaney was awarded the John Deere Medal from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, the Superior Service Award and Silver Medal from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Royce Tipton Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is probably best known for his work in the development of the Blaney-Criddle Formula, a method for calculating water loss from plants by evapotranspiration.

In 1969, his oral history, Harry F. Blaney: Water Conservation Engineer, was published by Oral History Program, University of California, Los Angeles (G4702/J9-5).

Harry French Blaney

Born in Los Angeles, California, July 1892. Died in October 1976.

Educated at Los Angeles Polytechnic High School (1907-1911) and the University of California at Los Angeles (1911-1915) with a B.S. in Civil Engineering.

• September 1915 - April 1917 : Engineer, Southern California Gas Company, Los Angeles
• May 1917 - May 1918 : Agent, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Silt Studies, Colorado River and Imperial Valley in California, and Mexico
• May 1918 - December 1918 : Master Gunner, Non-commission Staff Officer, U.S. Army
• January 1919 - January 1962 : Irrigation Engineer, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, in California and other areas as follows:
• 1919: In charge of Denver Irrigation Field Laboratory, evaporation and evapotranspiration studies.
• 1919 - 1927 : Studies of sedimentation in Imperial Valley and Colorado River; cost of irrigation water; evapotranspiration.
• 1927 - 1934 : Consumptive use of water by irrigated crops and native vegetation and rainfall disposal.
• 1934 - 1935 : Water conservation engineer, developing water for drought areas, New Mexico.
• 1935 - 1936 : Water utilization studies, Mojave River, and irrigation, California.
• 1936 - 1937 : In charge of consumptive-use studies, Upper Rio Grande, for National Resources Committee, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.
• 1937 - 1939 : Water utilization studies, Beaumont and San Jacinto Basins and San Fernando Valley, California.
• 1939 - 1941 : In charge, consumptive water requirements, Pecos River Joint Investigations, New Mexico and Texas.
• 1941: Member of technical mission to Cuba to investigate rehabilitation of agriculture, 12 dam sites, soils, and water supply for rice irrigation.
• 1941 - 1942 : Water utilization studies, San Luis Rey Valley.
• 1942 - 1943 : In charge, irrigation surveys on quantity, quality and cost of water in southwestern states of Guayule Rubber Project, Forest Service.
• 1943 - 1951 : Project supervisor, consumptive irrigation requirement studies in Arizona, Colorado River Basin, and Pacific Southwest; drainage studies in Imperial Valley, California.
• 1951 - 1954 : State research supervisor, in charge of cooperative irrigation studies with the State Engineer of California and U.S. Soil Conservation Service.
• 1954 - 1962 : Principal irrigation engineer, U.S. Agriculture Research Service in Pacific Southwest.
• 1959: Irrigation engineer consultant in Israel for U.S. Department of State, International Cooperation Administration.
• January 1962 - July 1965 : Research Associate, University of California at Los Angeles, Department of Irrigation and Soil Sciences Collaborator, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• July 1965 - March 1973 : Research Associate, University of California at Los Angeles, Department of Engineering and Water Resources Center

Consultant (Registered Civil Engineer, State of California):

For the State of California and other agencies on litigation of the use of water from the Colorado River (1956-1958)

For International Boundary and Water Commission, U.S. Department of State, on salinity in lower Colorado River (January 1962)

For 20 farms, Gila River Basin, New Mexico (1963-1965)

For State of Arizona on water use in Central Valley Project (January-February 1966) and consumptive use on farms in Colorado (January-November 1968)

Memberships in Scientific Societies:

American Society of Agricultural Engineers (1950-1968)

Past member of evapotranspiration and nomenclature committees.

American Society of Civil Engineers (1920-1976)

Fellow and life member; past vice-president, Los Angeles Section; past chairman of National Executive Committee of Irrigation and Drainage Division; past member of committee on sedimentation of reservoirs and the hydrology sub-committee; past chairman of committee on water conservation; chairman of committee on consumptive use of water; member of publication committee.

The Society of Sigma Xi (1951-1976)

United States National Committee of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (1952-1960)

Soil Conservation Society of America (1946-1963)

American Geophysical Union, National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council (1932-1976) Life member; delegate for the National Academy of Sciences and National Research Council to the Tenth General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, Rome, Italy, September 1954; past member of evapotranspiration, infiltration and groundwater committees; past secretary and vice-president of hydrology section.

Pacific Southwest Inter-Agency Technical Committee

Member of subcommittee on phreatophytes.

Honors and Awards:

Superior Service Award and Silver Medal; U.S. Department of Agriculture (1951)

Distinguished Service Award; Soil Conservation Society of America (California Chapter) (1961)

The John Deere Medal; American Society of Agricultural Engineers (1966)

Royce Tipton Award; American Society of Civil Engineers (1966)

Service Award - Member for 28 years; Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce (Agricultural Committee)

Honorary Member; Greek Committee of International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage

From the guide to the Harry F. Blaney Papers, 1920-1969, (Water Resources Collections and Archives)

Biography

Blaney was born in Los Angeles, California, July 19, 1892; BS, civil engineering, UC Berkeley, 1915; spent most of career working for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1917-62; research associate, Department of Irrigation Research and Soil Science, UCLA, 1962-65; served in Department of Engineering and Water Resource Center, 1965-73; author of many publications on consumptive use of water, irrigation, evaporation, and water supply; died in 1976.

From the guide to the Harry French Blaney Papers, 1919-1970, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.)