St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-06

water shed. containing an area OF 154
square miles, added four-fifthS TO the
present supply of water This, to-
gether with the forty square miles of
drainage now received in the city, by
the present completed works, would
give a total of 1914 square miles of drain
90"
Since that date other surveys have
been made and thirty square miles may
be addel, making total of 224 square
miles OF drainage ground. III the HOODS
of rain and melting SNOW that fall on
this large area are wisely stored in the
lakes that fill large area of this drain
aye ground. there will DC no want of
water; but as il is, the daily use of
wat for 1889 is an average of S.000,000
gallons per day. and this supply was
entirely from the forty square miles or
drainage within the limits of Ramsey
county, aud there has been no want OF
water. The supply has been equal to
the demand. Yet the rainfall Tor the
year 1889 has been less than fourteen
inches, whereas the normal rainfall for
the last thirty years the records give at
$3.50 inches, showing the fact that the
year 1889. so far, has been the dryeSt
wear on record. Assuming, as fact.
that fOrty-nine square miles of drainage
has given S.0O0,O0O gallons of water
daily this year, then, under the same
conditions and like circumstances gov
erning the additional 1S4 square miles
of drainage ground now tapped by the
new limo of works, would give an adj
ditional supply of 36,OOO.OnO gallons.
making an aggregate of 44.000,0C0 daily.
And the character of the whole county
being nearly alike in contour. and
dotted over with forty sparkling lakes,
containing all area of 1920 acres
of water, or twenty-five and fifth
square miles of water. Assuming these
statements and figures to be practically
correct, there wilt be plenty of water
for long time. The rains will soon
appear; then the complaint will be
there is too much rain. As to the
quality of water in st. Paul, twenty
years of use have demonstrated its
purity.
During the past fall and summer con-
siderable has been said in the news
papers and otherwise about the new
water works for the future and where
the water should come from. | have
not found water in sufficient quantity
to supply ST. Paul with more
water than the present system will
give. as | have stated, without
extensive pumping machinery, as it is
always most desirable TO supply large
cities 10y gravitatiOn if found exDedient.
The largest body of water of sufficient
elevation, that would permit the water
to reach st. Paul by gravitation. is the
Mile Laos, at an elevation of 37S feet
above Vadnais lake. This water can
be brought in an aQueduct. The dis
lance is eighty-one miles. The approx
innate cost of the conduit built by the
board during the year 1884 was $50 per
lineal foot. exclusive of its appurte-
nanceS. 1t wOu d therefore be safe to
say that this eight y-One miles of acque-
duct would, in round numbers, cost
$3.50, 500. The water shed OF
Mile Laos is but small, and it
is prOblematical if it could
be relied upon to furnish large sup
ply for city.
| trust the time is far remote when
this sum of money will be required for
the introduction of a new water supply.
By consulting the reports of the chief
engineer of the United States army.
could find no elevation on the St Cr0iX
river of sufficient altitude to bring
water by grayitatiOn until point some
distance from the Snake river is reached.
l therefore dismiss the ST.. Croix river
as impraetirable for a gravity system
Water, however. can be pumped from
the st. CrOix river into the lakes now
concerted with our present system.
should it in course of time he deemed
necessary. Another source of supply,
if pumps are to be added, is the MiSsis-
sippi river. Pumps can be placed
twenty-five miles above ST. Paul and
the water forced into our present sys-
TEN OF late storage through pipes, dis
lance of about seven miles.