Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-05
LETTER BAG

The Outfall Sewer Not Necessary.
EDITORS HERALD-Now that the coun-
ellis of this city have been baffled twice
by way of the Ballona route by the
voters, and by way of the Centinela
route by the owners of the rancho-in
their attempts to get an outfall sewer to
the sea, why will not the partisans of
that particular mode of sewage disposal
listen to reason, and seriously consider
other methods, such as are adopted in
other parts of the civilized world, and
which in the opinions of large numbers
of our citizens, we, after all our possible,
costly experiments, will have to come to
at last.
Paris, Berlin, and other cities in
Europe much larger than Los Angeles,
have no outfall sewers to the sea, and
don't want any. And if in those wet
countries they have no need for such
methods of sewage disposal. how much
| less have we in this dry country? If,
! where irrigation is unnecessary and al
most unknown, and in cities vastly more
populous than any in California, they
can successfully dispose of their sewage
by absorption in the ground, or by pre-
cipitation and publication, and thus
save their running streams or ocean
fronts from contamination, why, in the
name of common sense, cannot we, in
our dry climate and on our dry and
sandy soils, solve the same problem in
similar fashion?
1t is not at all strange that Mr.. Free
man of the Centinela ranch and those
owning land under him, oppose the
passage of our sewer across their hold
ings. And even if by roundabout
and very expensive route we should
finally take it to the sea, our troubles
will then only have begun; for, with
currents up or down the coast, will not
the beach be contaminated? And then
are not the people at Redondo and
Santa Monica going to get after the au-
thorities of this Angelic city, both in
the courts and through the thunderings
of public opinion, for defling watering
| places in which all Southern California
takes just pride?
In view of the foregoing and of the
present situation generally, including
the fact that large numbers OF citizens
will vote and work against an outfall to
the ocean by any route that may be
proposed, we earnestly urge the city
council to abandon, for the present at
least, the ocean outfall, and try, expert
mentally or tentatively, the European
plan of absorption on the land
within or near the southern
city limits with settling tanks neal
the river so that the sewage when moi
needed can be rendered innocuous, and
then the effluent can be turned into the
river, and thus the whole problem car
be solved right here at home instead O
fifteen or twenty miles away. What il
wanted pressingly is immediate sewage
disposal, so that our interior sewer sys
tenn, which has cost the city already
hundreds of thouaands of dollars in
bonds, can be made available at the
earliest possible moment. We verify
believe that hundreds if not thousands
of voters would favor snch plan, wht
would oppose an ocean outtall as i'm
practicable, unnecessary and wasteful
or, as councilman has expressed it, al
criminal.
If this changed plan would carry anC
the other would not, why should no
householders who desire to connect will
the new sewers as soon as possible be II
favor of the new plan? Why shoulC
not the sewer-pipe interest and The
plumbing interest, and every othe
interest also be in favor OF it, for thel
they all could commence right away t
profit by it? In fact their interests anC
those of citizens generally would become
identical inasmuch as all classes deriv'
the speedy utilization of our now un
used sewers. Ii the large number VIII,
are totally opposed to an ocean outfall
will vote for home absorption on th'
land, with precipitation works available
when needed, thus giving US quick 80
luton of the whole matter, why no
give them chance for such plan?
H. D. BARRows.