Technical Report on Hydraulic Machinery Laboratory
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In 1933, the greater Los Angeles region saw renewed interest in hydraulics as a source of energy and began laying the foundations for a modern Western water–energy infrastructure. Drawing on a lifelong interest in hydraulics, Theodore von Kármán championed the creation of a hydraulics program at Caltech, arguing it would hold “a unique position in this country and almost in the whole world” (Boronkay, 1985).
The document shown here is a technical report describing the establishment and early work of the Cooperative Hydraulic Machinery Laboratory (informally known as the Caltech pump lab), a joint research facility created by Caltech and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. In November 1933 the two organizations signed a three-year agreement to design and build the laboratory, which was completed in August 1934 and soon placed into continuous operation.
At the time, the laboratory’s primary engineering challenge was addressing problems faced by District engineers in the design of pumping plants for the Colorado River Aqueduct. The aqueduct was planned to deliver roughly 1,600 cubic feet of water per second across nearly 300 miles from the Colorado River to Southern California municipalities. To reach the Los Angeles basin, the water would need to be lifted nearly 1,700 feet, requiring approximately 350,000 horsepower—making it the largest pumping project in existence at the time (Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, n.d.).
Under the supervision of von Kármán, R. L. Daugherty, and R. T. Knapp, the laboratory conducted pump studies and precision model tests to guide the aqueduct’s engineering design. Von Kármán himself played a central role in shaping the laboratory’s direction and work and was marked as an irascible personality within the team (Housner, 1984).
WORKS CITED:
Boronkay, C. (1985). The sleeping giant must stir. Focus on Water, no. 3. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Housner, G. W. (1984, July 2, 3, & 11). Interview [Interview]. Conducted by R. Prud'homme. Oral History Project, California Institute of Technology Archives. http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Housner_G
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. (n.d.). Colorado River Aqueduct virtual tour. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://www1.mwdh2o.com/vr-tours/CRA.html?appid=a5e959ec1c544e1cbeaf63d6ecd56128