The record-union., 1897-06-29
WICKED WASTE OF WATER.
TWICE AS MUCH USED AS is
NECESSARY.
Mayor Hubbard Recommends That
Water Inspector Be
Appointed.

AT last nights session OF Lhe %ltS
Trustees Mayor Hubbard sent IN the
following message relating to the great
waste of water, entailing tWo-1ola
expense on the city. The message
reads:
To the Honorable Board Of Trustees:
The average quantity of water 1ar-
nished in cities in the United states
is a little less than 100 gallons per day
for each and every inhabitant OF the
city. Some cities furnish as low as
ffty-five gallons per capita, but very
few over 100 gallons. The records al
our Water Works show that this city
is furnishing fully 200 gallons per cap
ita per day, which is an unreasonaD Die
quantity, and it is very evident that
a great deal Of water is wasted.
This great quantity Of water, S0O0,-
900 gallons per day, should be deliV-
cred through meters, so that the waste
could be located and accounted for,
but under our present liberal manner
of supplying water many persons
through carelessness viii permit great
waste, and others through pure mali
ciousness win leave faucets turned on,
irrigate during prohibited hours, leave
the hydrants in closets running all the
time, and in many other ways waste
the water which costs so much to fur
nish
[ know of no city where water is
furnished so plentifully, or as cheaply,
as in Sacramento. Perhaps this is why
many of our citizens pay so little at
tention TO it.
I believe it would be for the best in
terests of the city that an officer be
appointed whose duty shall be to in
spect all places where water is fur
Itished by the city, and that he be in
vested with authority to make arrests
and compel water takers properly to
use water that is supplied by the city.
Before such an officer could be ap-
pointed it would be necessary to pass
an ordinance creating an office for such
purpose.
1 therefore recommend that your hon
orable board create the Office of Water
Inspector, whose duty shall be as above
stated. Respectfully submitted,
c. H. HUBBARD, Mayor.
Trustee Devine moved that the COM
munication be received and placed on
file, and that no further action be TAX
en- at this time
Mckay said it was in the line of good
government to instruct the Mayor to
appoint an Inspector to serve during
the next two months at a salary of
SO a month.
President Leonard said complaints
had come in respecting the lack of wat
er quite frequently of late, and he
thought the suggestion was a good one.
Trustee Devine said he should favor
no ordinance which would create furth-
er offices in the city, and that the city
ALREADY had a man who could attend
to the matter very well.
Trustee Mckay said he had never ia
vored a measure since he had been a
member of the board which Trustee
Deyine had not combatted, and Devine
responded that he would never vote for
any ordinance to create another office
in the city.
Trustee Davis favored the appoint
ment of an Inspector, and thought S75
a month would be a sufficient salary.
Trustee Mckay said that water was
going to waste in certain sections of
the city, while in other sections people
could not get enough of the fluid in
which TO wash their faces.
Street Commissioner Croly was called
up and questioned concerning the al
legged wasting of water. He said it
was true that a great deal of water was
wasted daily, and that certain lawns in
the city were kept soaked until the sur
plus water ran into the street. In his
opinion a Water Inspector had become
q necessity.
President Leonard submitted that
water was not only wasted by watering
lawns, but also by allowing drop-closets
to run all the time. He thought it
time to put a stop to the unwarranted
waste of water, and that to do so il
would be necessary to have an Inspec-
tor appointed.
Trustee Devine contended that the
present escape of water helped to flush
the sewers and keep the city in a
healthy condition. He contended that
the city would get no corresponding
good for the money to be expended as
salary for the Inspector.
Trustee Kent offered a substitute to
the effect that the Mayor be instructed
to direct the Chief of Police to enforce
the present laws respecting the use of
water. If one man could stop unwar-
ranted waste of water, he thought six
teen men could do the work better, and
Ifl3C there MoulQ De no 0eeu IOF AD
Inspector if the police did their duty.
Trustee Davis submitted that he
would willingly favor instTucting the
police to do their duty, but that the in
tent of the substitute was to defeat the
object of the original motion.
Trustee Pennish offered a resolution
providing that the Mayor be instructed
to appoint an assistant to the City
Water Assessor, at a salary of $50 a
month, the Office to continue four
months.
Trustee Mckay accepted Trustee
Pennish's resolution, and withdrew his
original motion.
Trustee Wachhorst said he did not
understand the proposition, and moved
that the matter go over one week. His
motion received no second.
Trustee Devine said he understood
that a canvass had been made outside
of the meeting, and that it had been
pre-arranged that the resolution should
be adopted.
so far as I am concerned" said
Trustee Tozer, that statement is abso-
lutely false"
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