The morning call., 1893-01-15
THEWATERS SUPPLY
Spring Valley and Its
Unique System.
A GREAT PROBLEM SOLVED
Unrivaled by Any in the World-Ab-
soIuteIy Safe From COntagiOn or
Epidemic-Its Great Plant.

necessary article oil water Times nave
changed since the founding of the city,
when the daily supply was brought in bar
rels from Lake MERGED and doled out IN
bucketIuis at 81 bucket. Profound have
been the calculations by which the present
means Oh supply nave been made pracuca-
ble but the result is that San Francisco
now possesses one of the most reliable. GER
tain and inexhaustible systems of supply.
a system which hardly any great city of the
whole world can rival.
The tremendous increase Of population in
all the great cities has brought with 1t
problems which the greatest inquirers have
found il a difficult task 10 solve. The coun-
try is young yet, and nature has so Literally
endowed it with all that is required for the
comfort and welfare of its Inhabitants that
only within a comparatively brief number
of years has the necessity Of provision for
the economy and extension of present
resources to meet the requirements OF
| future populations been forced upon the
| attention of this generation.
| London is now wrestling with the water
| problem. There are 100000 people to bs
| provided for Only supply Of 200,0O0,0CO
| gallons day can be depended upon, allow
| ing daily consumption of but little more
| than thirty gallons 10 each. London has no
reservoirs wnere water can be stored and
! itself. Its supply is largely drawn from
| the rivers Thames and Lear, both flowing
| through country that is thickly popu-
| lated, and whose waters are contaminated
| thereby. London is at this moment con-
sldering the advisabiliy OF constructing
| an immense aQueduct from one of the
| Scottish lakes 10 cost $780, 100000. with
| which to convey supply of wholesome
water to its overcrowded population.
| New York City is not much better of in
1 &c hat, I md In oil fxyO f
| tue fluid furnished is said to be not unlike
| the greater city, said by experts TO be
| diluted sewage" New York is spending
| 100000 for new acqueducts and 10 the
| construction If new dam on Croton River.
| which will afford stOwage capacity for a
| supply for $50 days. Eventually this vast
| quantity will DO insufficient for the pros
| pective population of the great American
| metropolis, and the difficulties with which
| that city is now contending In procuring a
| sufficient water supply will have to be con-
| sidered again before the present generation
| expires.
Philadelphia is another great city which
has been obliged TO face a vast expenditure
| for future water supply. Its great source
is the Schuylkili River which drains a c0un-
try Astounding in manufactures and thickly
| populat d. TIE water In every succeeding
| year is becoming less palataDle and whole
| some. Philadelphia is also considering a
! project for tapping the Delaware 100 miles
| above the city at an expense which appals
| its citizens, who hesitate al assuming such
| heavy financial burdens.
| Boston Is no better off. It's Cochtuate
| flows through a country filed with people
| and Astounding in factories, ana the yearly
| diminution In quantity and reduced quality
! of the water is constant source OF CON-
| plant and pTeSages the time when it too
must shoulder debt of S25, 1000 600 in order
| to bring from the lakes of Maine or New
| Hampshire supply of such purity that the
| health OF the city will not, as it is now, be
| seriously affected by IT,
| Chicago is another instance where only a
| few years ago It's water supply system was
! regarded as perfection itself and thought TO
| be forever free from any possible contain
| ination, yet with the fabulous increase of
! lis population of late years it is found that
| the sewage flowing from the Chicago River
| does reach the inets of the lake tunnels and
| has become such a standing menace TO the
| public health that it has 10 be averted AT
any cost. Chicago, therefore, has been COM
| pelled in order TO escape contagiQn trpm
impure water, to embark upon a
gigantic undertaking by which the
waters of the Chicago River Will be d.
yerted from its course and discharge into
| the Mississippi. The cost to the city of
Chicago for this effort TO improve the quail.
| ity of its water will be 100000. 600 and may
be double that sum. The cost Is assumed
| by the city as disagreeable but absolute
necessity.
In each of the above cities the supply of
water is obtained from a tainted source
and whenever drought occurs the NOR
tally OF all of them Is most sensioy in
creased. None OF these municipalities, I'M
like San Francisco, with the exception of
Chicago. have storage reservoirs, in which a
supply for the future may be collected and
by its own natural action purified New York
London, Philadelphia and Boston, and de-
pendent upon the daily flow of the rivers
oh. a
slight drought or short interruption Of
the rainfall rendered their water supply In
sufficient and invariably unhealthful. This
knowledge of the liability of a spread of
eOntagiOn through the water supply fills the
minds Of the people of these cities with
alarm and dismay. In case of an epidemic
of cholera visiting this country, which Is
regarded as strong probability, its spread
can be greatly fastened, should, by any
means, the water supply become Infected.
1t is said by scientists that the discharge
from one cholerec subject absorbed by
stream or reservoir would be sufficient to
infect whole city. In each OF the above
named cities without reservoirs the danger
from such an emergency is very imminent
and fully recognized. The only way to pre-
vent such lamentable contingency is to
keep the watershed free from habitatlon
or use. Thus only can supply of pure
walter be attained, but in any OF the cases
cited this is an absolute impossbility.
1t is this feature OF the Spring Valley
Water system that makes it unriyaled by
| that Of any city in the world. The territory
supplying the storage reservoirs are almost
wholly the property Of the company, and
| are left as free from sources of cOntamina-
ton as when 10 state Of nature. Private
| interests on these domains have been ab-
sorbed, grazing has been checked or pro-
hibted, and trees ana bushes allowed to
| propagate as in natural state.
The acquisition OF the sites OF these great
| reservoirs and the lands surrounding them
was the policy of the Spring Valley Water
Works for many years, and was inaugurated
long before the great increase OF population
on both sides OF the bay was antc-
pated. The wisdom and sagacity which
prompted these purchases is now fully
admitted. These lands can never be
valuable except as they are made
the sources of a purer and enlarged water
supply. 1t is in measurable distance when
this city Will contain four to five times its
present population. There is enough water
and 10 spare even for such number, and 1t
will be due to the forethought of the CON-
pany that such contingency has been pro-
vided for. In case Of cholera invasion
this city would be absolutely safe from In
lection from the source of its water supply.
The storage reservoirs are located high in
the hills. with no habtations near, and are
beyond cOntagi0n from any source. The
purchase of great tracts of land upon
WHICH 10 erect storage TeseTVolts was Also
necessitated by the popularity of tue sea-
sons in this vicinity. Between May and
November rain seldom falls. The supply
for the whole year must be accumulated
from December 10 April inclusive, and
sometimes. though rarely, a drought pre-
vents obtaining the necessary quantity, and
therefore, to be beyond peradventure safe,
supply adequate for three years consump-
ton was one of the early absolute require
ments OF the system. Thus the object of
the acquisition of these lands has been Sc
eured-namely, an absolute purity of the
product with abundance, and storage for
years of the supply in case of possible
drought
In comparison with other great cities men,
toned, tile people Of this city can c0ngrat-
ulate themselves upon the solution OF
;nnp 0thar n ara