The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-12-30
& FUTURE WATER SUPPLYING FIELD DAY JIM IS
THE AUTHORITIES FIGURING ON
PLANS TO INCREASE.
Value of the Wells and Their Reser-
ering the Matter of Filtration.

The water supply of the future of
tion with the heads of the depart
ments. The presence of Mr.. Rudolph
Herring, of New York, one of the best
known consulting engineers in the
United States, in the city, has caused
those in charge to place considerable
stress on the matter.
While Mr.. Hering's chief business
in Honolulu is to make a thorough in
vestigation of conditions here and to
report upon a plan of sewerage, he has
been asked by the Government to
work out solution of the water
problem.
The New Workers. stay here is linn
tied to month and he has already be-
gun to make observances of the sew
erage possibilities. Today he is at the
Nuuanu Valley reservoirs in company
with Superintendent of Water Works
Brown and Mr.. f. S. Dodge, eXamin-
ing into the methods in vogue there.
He will visit the other reservoirs and
the artesan pumping plants this
week.
The next thing Mr.. Herring will turn
his attention to is the sand material
about Honolulu for filtration pur-
poses. He has stated before meet
ing of the Board of Health that the
cost of filtration depends very large
ly upon the conditions of any one
place. If the sand was easily accessible
then the cost would not be as great
as if it was necessary to bring 1t
from a long distance. He stated at
this meeting that quartz sand was
the best for filtration, although
crushed glass would answer the re-
quirements.
In an interview yesterday afternoon
Minister of the Interior King stated
that the question of water of the
city was one of the very important
matters now before the Government.
Will nave W bt bollt anu
that in the near future" continued
the Minister. AT present the greater
bulk of the water which is supplied
to that portion of the city below Judd
hill or that elevation, comes from the
artesian wells. Judd hill and higher
lands are provided with valley water"
NsNNhnt ;p h.,
residences that are built above the
line of the valley water?"
THE people living up Tantalus way
are compelled to secure their own
water They depend entirely on the
rains and catch this water in tanks
which they have made for this pur-
pose"
Continuing, the Minister said: "The
artesian pumping plants-Beretania
and Maliki-can well supply the pop
ulation of Honolulu below the valley
line, for some years to come nd | am
considering "A big increase of inhab-
itants, too. If we were obliged to de-
pend on the natural flowing artesian
wells | am afraid that the situation
would be serious, for this year the
supply would have been not half suf-
ficient to meet the demands. Bat
happily the second pumping plant
saved us. 1t is kept in reserve.
"Where the improvement is most
needed is in the valley water. To es-
tablish a filtration plant we are told
by MIR. Herring that it will cost in the
neighborhood of $4,000. This does
not include the running of the plant,
which will be between $4,000 and
$4,000 a year. The matter of expense
will figure quite prominently in the
improvements of the water system At
the present time. Mr.. Herring will be
able to give us some idea of what can
be done before he takes his leave for
the States"
Attorney General Smith, also pres
ident of the Board of Health, an
nounced at recent meeting ot that
Board, that the Government would be
obliged To consider the expense of fill
tering the valley water before taking
any decisive steps.
Mr.. Herring will meet the physicians
committee of the Board of Health and
c. \. Brown, who looked into filtra-
tion methods while in the States.
sometime this week. Filtration will
be discussed.