The record-union., 1896-08-10
THE CITY DRAINAGE PLAN.
That Which the People Are to Vote on
Tomorrow.
City Engineer Mullenney Makes a
Brief Explanation Of Its
Features.

Eds "Record-Union" Concerning
the drainage proposition which is to be
voted on tomorrow, 1 wish to make a
brief explanation to those of our cit1-
zens who have not found time to exam
Inc carefully into the merits of the plan
which I recommend.
I am prompted to do this for the rea-
son that during the past few days many
have come to my Office asking for infor-
nation and claiming to have very little
knowledge of the present method of dis
posing Of drainage.
It has been a satisfaction to show
these persons maps and diagrams of our
sewers and also to explain the proposed
plan, for in every instance the party in
terested has departed convinced Of its
practicability and with an expressed de-
sire to vote for the proposition. These
questions have frequently been asked:
First-Is this disposal plant designed
TO dispose of all drainage-that is,
stormwater, sewage and Sipage?
Second-WiIl 1t have to be abandoned
when a new system Of sewers is
adopted?
Third-Will the present system Of sew
ers, designated patchwork by some,
have to be entirely abandoned when a
new plan is adopted?
To the first question I answer yes, and
to the second and third questions, very
emphatically no. And for the following
reasons respectively:
First-The proposed brick conduit is
TO be placed at an elevation and grade
so drain the lowest portion Of the city
and to have a capacity of about S0.OOO,-
COG gallons daily, which is equal to our
heaviest rainfallS of one inch in twenty
four hours over the entire area and In
cludes house drainage and Sipage water
Second-The disposal plant is to be To-
Gated in the natural drainage pocket OF
this city-the natural reservoir of which
years ago received the drainage from
Burns Slough, and toward this pocket
all lines of surface drainage, as
we'll as sewers now converge, as shown
by our city grade and sewer maps. So
that we must receive the entire drain
age here on S street for all time, and
therefore If the disposal works are con-
structed Of durable material that will
give it permanent character, it will fill
the requirements for an indefinite
length of time, and of course must be
used for storm water and sipage, what
ever arrangement is made for house
vi eAiiAe1SS anu llOol e1S,S III GUY 1OA AO use
drainage also as long as that is to be
pumped into the Sacramento River.
Third-Before giving reasons for my
answer to the third. question, 1t must
be agreed that we require storm water
sewers all over the city, and cannot de-
pend upon the street cutters to carry all
the surface water to the disposal plant,
for we can readily see that. in this city,
with grades so fiat, the process of drain
ing by means of the cutters alone would
De too slow and would result in an ac-
cumulation of water on the streets ap-
preaching the disposal works that would
be an intolerable nuisance to adjoining
residents in wet weather.
Therefore we must have storm water
sewers to receive the surface water by
means of catch basins placed at street
intersections in the same way that they
do in all large cities where grades are
fat. It naturally follows, then. that
such of our sewers as are designed to
receive the amount Of storm water in
the district they drain will continue to
be useful in that respect even should
the house drainage be diverted from
them in adopting q plan designed by a
sanitary engineer.
Some of these sewers are too small. Of
course, and must be replaced by larger
diameters, and some will require to be
enlarged only at their lower portion. Of
these latter are the Fifth, Seventh and
Ninth streets brick sewers. each of oval
form, five feet diameter and extending
to the alley between X and L streets.
where they flow into small pipes.
The Seventeenth-street brick sewer
forty-four inches in diameter, Is all
right, and only needs connection with
the proposed brick main to make 1t ef-
fective.
1t is proof of the efficiency Of these
sewers for all purposes that an inspec-
ton shows the drainage running with
good velocity and with no indication Of
obstruction where the outlet is free.
All the plans for a system submitted
by engineers two years ago combined
our present sewers to a large extent
with those proposed, which is certainly
a recognition of their usefulness not
only for storm water but for all drain
age. VIM. MULLENNEY,
City Surveyor.