The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-04-28
THE WATER SUPPLY.
An All-Absorbing Topic to
be Considered.
The DAMMING OF CITY CREEK.
The Feasibility of Tapping Utah
e-Advantages OF The PROPOSE
tion-ProbabIe Cost, Etc.

lOr DOGn ldlk anu bHOuSAb llo"ouah S'
That it is an all-inportant topic is adj
mitted and that its discussion requires
deep study and thorough understand
ing of its many branches is also con-
coded.
The idea advanced in last Monday
mornings HERALD. relative to placing
dam in City Creek Canyon, thereby
forming a reservoir for storing much Of
the waste water has many advocates
and some enthusiasts in its favor;
but. as there are ii Rays two sides to
every picture, HERALD representative
sought. yesterday, views OF those not so
enthusiastic over the proposed plan.
Chief Ottinger, of the fire depart
ment was seen, and from him was OBJ.
tained an expression of ideas, both in
regard to the City Greek reservoir sys-
TEN and the securing of permanent
water supply from Utah Lake, which
will forIu interesting reading to all in
terested in the matter.
PLEASANT VALLEY.
The practicability of damming up
City Creek at Pleasant Valley, and the
storing of several million gallons
of water there, is not doubted; but the
foundation there is questionable, and
the experiment might prove costly
sp< culation. Catch-water reservoirs
are always dangerous, and require a
good deal of care in their construction.
If. as has been reported by more than
one scientist, the geological formation
at Pleasant Valley is tertiary conglom-
crate, it is an excellent one for
reservoir purposes. But it has been
pretty well demon strated that tue
water sinks at that point in the creek S
course, and if such is the case, that fact
would seriously interfere with the pro-
ject. What appears to be conclusive
evidence that the water escapes in that
vicinity, the Chief asserts is that above
Pleasant Valley the volume ef water in
the bed of the creek is greater than
below. This leak. or sink, it is be
lieved, accounts for the springs at
Hooper's and at Pugsley's, and this
belief is strengthened by an observa-
ton made several years ago. When
the sawmtll was operated in the can
yon above Pleasant Valley, the spripgs
mentioned did not exist, the SUPPOSE
ton being that tue Sawdust from the
mill choksd the outlet and stopped up
the supply.
THE CITY's WATER SUPPLY.
People generally have no idea
of the water consumed in the
city. Just before the recent
rainfall, Mr.. Ott,nger stated, the
citizens were using $1,000 gallons of
water every half hour, in sprinkling
lawns, streets and for culinary pur-
poses To maintain this supply and in
crease 1t would necessitat. the ime
pounding of vast quantity Of the
aqueous fluid and many reservoirs
would be required, especially if the
city's growth and demands increased
as every body is sanguine they will.
In view of this and the matters men
toned IN connection with the uncer-
tainty of the success of the damming
proposition, would it not be we'll to
seek for other and better sources of
supply, and one which would be certain
anu permanent? We think so, and
suggest that the city employ COM
petent corps of engineers to cast about
fer such one. The gentlemen should !
be thoroughly posted in every detail O.
the subject, and then report, if they
were instructed to find such a supply
as could be converted into successful
system, let the cost be what it may
Those entrusted with this task should
be informed as to the subject of gravi-
tation, which is the leading essential to
be considered. According to an emil
nent writer on water supplies,
GRAVITATIoE
is that system of supply where the
rainwater drainage of elevated water
sheds is gathered in natural or artl-
fetal storage basins (such as Pleasant
Valley would be-, and conveyed by
conduits by gravitation to the point of
supply. The important points enter
ing into the consideration of thus
method are:
1-Character of water; present or future
contamination.
Water shed; present and future re-
qHirements for quantity and availability
with proper knowledge of the geology Of |
the su rounding country.
3.-Rsinfall, absorption and evaporation. |
4.-Elevation and distance Of source.
s. Route OF conduit.
Cost OF construction.
This brings US to the consideration OF
the feasibility OF
TAPPING UTAH LAKE
and the advantages of waterwo! KS
system fed from that body of water.
1t has Leen reported that the elevation
of Salt Lake City, at the Temple Block
base and meridian, is 2S7 feet lower than
Utah Lake. If that fall is to be
obtained, the pressure would amount to
100 pounds. and if that were not
deemed sufficient, it could be Increased
| by raising the south end Of the main
piping and pumping Into it another
hundred feet higher, which would
greatly add to the pressure.
Even with the pressure first
spoken of, through 100 feet of hose, the
horizontal discharge would approach
1876 feet, the vertical distance reached
by the jet would be 14S feet and the
amount of water thrown would be 245
gallons a minute, enough, in all con-
science, for fire extinguishing purposes.
With an ordinary half inch service
pipe "a and Cloths gallons of water
could be run. And the
QUALITY OF THE WATER