Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-06-08
THE DRAINAGE QUESTION.

slough, and that the proposed pumping
system ought not to be entered upon, at
least until more complete arrangements
have been made for disposing of the entire
sewage of the city. As regards the canal,
MIR. Knox is, we think, laboring under
some Misrepresentation. He states that it
can be completed for ga few thousand dol
Glars" and generally speaks of it as
work which is already mora than half fin
ished, and which it will cost very little to
complete. Now this is not at all the view
taken by engineers who have examined
the canal, and know the nature of the
work to be done before it can be finished.
They say that the heaviest and most ex-
pensive part remains to be done; that the
canal, which it was originally estimated
could be made for IS, 900, has already cost
$50, 600, and that it will take from $780,
900 to $50, 900 more to put it in working
order through to Snodgrass slough. They
assert that it will be necessary to
dredge out the entrance to the slough
on the river side, and to keep dredging
it, since it is being constantly filled
up by debris brought down the Nickel
umne river. They say that two or three
flood gates must be built; that the work of
making the canal from the slough upwards
for several miles will be botll difficult and
expensive, because the ground there Is a
sort of cross between land and water; and
that when that difficulty is overcome the
remaining portion OF the work will be
scarcely less costly and arduous. They
further allege that it is impossible to keep
the canal from filing up without period
ically turning the water out Of its channel
il order to clean out the latter, and that
a, this turning would have to be done in
the summer, it would result in subjecting a
large area to the danger OF malaria and
typhoid diseases, to be appre blended from
the evaporation OF the sewage under hot
sun. Further they are of inion that the
canal never can drain the city effectively,
owing to the nature Of the conditions un-
der which it is built, and they therefore
hold that the city ought to waste no more
time and money upon it. but adopt some
practical system of pumping such as has
now been proposed.
We yesterday suggested a doubt
whether the pumping system proposed
was calculated to handle the entire sew.
age of the city. We have since been
informed by Mr.. Bassett that though al
present no plans have been drawn looking
to the disposal of the house sewage, yet il
estimating the capacity of the pumping
machinery allowance has been made fol
every possible contingency. In fact the
present discharge requirements of the
sewers have been quadrupled in the esti.
mates, and the pumps which it is proposed
to put in will be amply capable of hand
ling all the sewage that complete sys
tenn of drainage can provide them with.
The engineer has had before him the future
as well as the present, and while it has beer
considered best to leave the development
of the sewer system for future considera
ton, so as not to impose too heavy /:
present burden upon the taxpayers, it ha'
been sought to make such a beginning il
the way of pumping provisions as woult
require no change when the sewerage sys
tenn is more fully developed. Tnis i.
what is needed, and it meets all the doubts
which we limited at yesterday. It woul(
be great mistake to put in pumps which
were only capable of handling the present
average amount of sewage, because ny
to this time we have really had no drain
age in the full meaning of the term, and
because it is evident that we must have
such system as quickly as we can at
ford it.
1t will not do to 60 on in the old loose
and inefficient way, digging cutters to gel
rid of small part of the drainage, and
having them deprived of usefulness pre-
cisely when we need them most. Sacra-
mento can never get rid of her sewage ex
cept by pumping. That we believe to be {
fact which must be recognized sooner OF
later, and the sooner the better Such ex.
periences as we have had during the past
two winters ought to be enough to convince
anyone that city which is liable to b.
surrounded by water for several months
every year cannot be drained by simply
pouring its sewage outside the city limits.
1t must be lifted high enough TO be taken
clear of the city, and it must be put whers
it will not come back on US. There is nc
way to effect this but by pumping, and il
we make up our minds to that we shall be
all the nearer practical solution OF the
problem. After the pumps are erected il
will be in order to work out rational and
comprehensive plan of sewerage to connect
the houses with the sewers to recon
struct the latter so as to give them the
necessary fall to got rid of the disease
breeding cesspools and by degrees to
complete drainage plan which will en-.
nance the value of property ive-fold, and
raise the sanitary standard OF the city.
This is what is aimed at in the new pump
ing scheme, and it is scientific and prac.
teal programme, than which none better
10. tb,,a far baar, ,roYoraj