Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-01-03
FRIDAY, JANUARY 5. 1890.
surface and Underground storm
Drains.

In the report of the sewer engineers
the suggestion to carry off the overflow
OF the hills on the surface Of the streets
running south from Sixth street is thus
treated:
1t has been suggested to spread the
storm water over o number of parallel
streets 80 as to divide it, and thus make
the stream in any one of them small
enough to be unobjsctionable. This ex-
pedient has been followed in smaller
cities, and it should be followed wherever
practicable and economical. Difficulties
are in the way, however, when the guam
tity-- water becomes great. Where
valleys are sharply defined the water is
almost always concentrated on one street,
and if this concentration once requires
an underground removal, then q spread
ing out below is no longer possible. For
instance, the water from the Arroyo de
los Reyes, draining about 1900 acres, is
naturally concentrated on Flower and
Hope streets, which are situated at the
lowest part of the ravine. If the water
is put into underground drains on these
streets it cannot again be brought to the
surface to how once more in the cutters.
If the water which concentrates at
Flower and Fourth streets were carried
by tunnel as far as Seventh and Flower,
it could then be discharged upon the sur
face of the latter street, because the
natural fall from Fourth to Seventh
would bring the drain about even with
the surface at that point, or perhaps a
short distance below. Hope street is on
the line with the natural outlet of the
Arroyo de los Reyes, and there would
be no need Of an underground drain, if
Hope street were covered with water
tight pavement. It is admittedly i'm
possible to make an underground canal
that would carry off the rains from the
hills that overflow the Arroyo de los
Reyes during one of our abnormal
storms. They will necessarily have to
find their way to the river or
the limits Of the city through the
several streets that run south
and east. If Flower, Hope and
the other parallel streets were paved as
Sixth street is, the overflow of our great
storms could be directed over those
streets, and cause but very slight incon-
venience. A large portion of any of these
sudden overhows would find ite way
down Sixth street, and ultimately to the
river. The water passing down the
other streets has it's ultimate outlet in
Ballona creek. The question to our
mind is whether it would not be more to
the advantage to the city in every way
if, instead of spending money in build
ing costly underground canals to carry
off the storm waters OF our hills, we
should provide for their drainage by
paving the streets over which they would
naturally overflow. Ii the streets named
were paved with bituminous rock their
whole length they would carry the waters
of the heaviest storms to the river or be-
yond the city without causing the
slightest inconvenience to our people.
The city could we'll afford to aid the
property-holders on the lines of those
streets to lay the new pavement if ii
would thereby save the cost of under.
ground drains, which, after all, would
not be equal to the carrying off of the
surplus water of our exceptional rain
storms.