Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-12-19

As to cost, up to certain |
9 - pipes are the cheapest. Above that, |
brick sewers are the cheapest. The price
offers with the size of material. Con- |
crete is better than bricks, if the bricks |
are not very good. He had gone through
d gems of concrete sewers in Europe,
and had been astonished at the differ |
ence betweea well-msde and badly-made
sewers.
Mr.. Workman asked whether Mr..
Herring saw any objections to combin'
ing the storm drains with the sewer
system.
Mr.. Herring replied that he did not
from sanitary point Of view, but in the
case of Los Angeles he would advise
that they be kept separate. He did
this purely on economical grounds. The
city needed sewers Immediately but the
storm water could. run off over the sur
face. Then when sewage is to be used
for irrigation, trouble is experienced II
the storm water is mixed with it. The
sand silt would mix with the sewage and
render it difficult to handle. Then foul
water sewers should be laid deep to
carry the water away from cellars, while
as matter of economy storm sewers
should be laid as near the surface as
possible to carry off the water. In the
case of Los Angeles there was no ques-
ton in his mind but sewage would
be used for irrigation for number of
years, and in consequence the two eys'
TENS should not be combined. In Bos-
ton the systems were combined, but it
was inconvenient in the winter time. In
nearly every large city the systems were
combined, but then the sewage was
wasted; and here he would not recon-
mend the combination, because it would
be very expensive. The extra money
could be saved, There WAS no question
but storm water drains would be needed
when the streets are paved. Storm
drains are needed in some of the streets
now, but they should be kept separate.
In reply to Mr.. Jackson, Mr.. Herring
said that storm water drains should be
Of brick, on account of the size, and the
size depended on the territory to be
drained. In st. Louis there was storm
drain twenty feet in diameter; in Phila-
delphia one of twenty feet; in Washing
thirty feet in diameter. He advised that
long as possible on the surface,
|
it underground to its destination. In
large cities the water is taken from the
surface every block, and in medium
sized cities every two blocks. At any
rate it must be kept on the surface if the
city could not afford to build the drains.
As to the disposition of the sewage,
Mr.. Herring said he agreed that it should
60 on the land. If it did not it would
1 - 10 1,,
Expensive to waste the sewage than to
use it on the land. Boston had spent
"a, 600, 900 in order to be able to waste ite
sewsge, and London had expended
$40, ,000, 900 for the same purpose. The
experience has been that there is nc
value in sewage that will pay for the cost
of taking it on the lands when wanted.
| The question is here what to do with
the sewage when the people don't want
it. He would not advise the city to
purchase sewer farm.
| L.r. Herring. then explained that the
Board of Engineers had ascertained that
there were but q very small proportion oi
the people south of the city who would
take the sewage and the question was
what to do with it.
In reply to q question as to what
made the sewage Objectionable south oil
the city, Mr.. Herring said that it must be
on account of its improper management
The earthen bitches were one cause ol
the objections. He did not think the
objections of the people in regard to the
healthfulness of the sewage we're
founded on fact. The statistics
showed that the healthiest localities were
those in which sewage was used for irriga.
tion.
Continuing, be said: "Allow me to
say here that we are faced with practical
difficulties at this point. The board sent
out circulars asking the people whether
they would take the sewage, and those
who say they will are insignificant in
number. 1t is an insurmountable obsta-
Gle. We can't get: the land on which to
put the sewage in winter, and are there
fore obliged to find some other means of
dieposing Of It,"
He said that the sewage could be taken
into the ocean without nuisance at
Balions. 1t should be carried out in
pipes q distance of 1900 feet and then
emptied at depth Of twenty-five feet
below the surface. IT the sewage was
strained before going to the ocean nobody
would notice that there was any sewage
there. Its presence could net be de.
tected at Santa Monica by chemical
analysis. Even in summer if it all went
to the ocean it would not pollute the
water at Santa Monica, and he could not
see how any water would get to the
ocean in summer, for it would be taken
out of the pipe and used for irrigation.
He had examined the various routes
to the ocean, and that by Ballona was
the leaet expensive.
He said that the sewage might be
emptied at the city boundary into the
river, but objections would be made
by the people to this on the ground
| of the nuisance created. He thought
| it great pity that the land could not be
obtained for the sewage in winter, for
then, the city would be: saved all the
money for taking it away during few
months each year.
City Engineer Eaton exhibited a map
of the land south of the city, showing
where the owners would take sewage
and where not, and the discussion was
carried on in an informal manner until
4:30 o'clock, when the Chair thanked
Mr.. Herring for the information he had
given, and the meeting adjourned.
New Cases.
p. W. Herndall and Wallace W..
Wetherby ask to be allowed to 60 into
voluntary insolvency. Liabilities,
81 1875 %; assets nothing.