The herald., 1898-07-06
ANOTHER PROPOSITION
Water Supply Question Still Further
Complicated

There is a new factor in the field to de-
mand the attention of the city council in
considering ways and means of disposing of
the water supply problem. This new scheme
comes In the shape Of a proposition from
William Burbank, and was presented to the
council at Its regular meeting yesterday by
Attorney c. c. Wright, who made quite
lengthy explanation of the intentions of his
client should the city see fit to accept the
proposition.
The plan, in short, anticipates city owner
ship of the pipe lines and the delivery of
the water supply through such means as the
city shall elect, a standpipe system from
tanks or reservoirs at some elevated point,
or by direct pumping. The water supply
is to be obtained from the undertiow Of the
Los Angeles river bed Mr.. Burbank to have
the excess of the water required for the
citys use as consideration for his delivery
of the city's portion. This excess Mr.. Bur-
bank proposes to employ in the irrigation
Of the lands between Los Angeles and the
sea.
The proposition in full is as follows:
To the Mayor and Council of the City
Of Los Angeles-Gentlemen The under
signed hereby represents to your honorable
body the following statement:
First-That the waters of the Los An
geles river, including the underflow on
either side and under said stream, are the
property of the city of Los Angeles, and
should be utilized for the present use and
future demands of said city SO far as they
may be needed.
Secondhand, according to the undisput-
ed testimony of our best hydraulic and
civil engineers, there is a considerable vol
ume of water in the underflow of said river
that runs to waste, doing no one any good,
as most of 1t is probably lost in the Pa
cific ocean.
Third--That, as a legal proposition, the
city has not the right to develop the water
and sell it to people residing outside the
city limits, for domestic, irrigation or any
other purpose.
Fourth-That If such surplus waters
could be so used, they would aid materially
in developing the large tracts of dry land
located between the city and the sea, that
would be directly tributary to the city,
and that, when developed, would contrib
ute largely toward supporting the business
interests of the city.
Fifth-That the city of Los Angeles ought
such works should be supplied with water
from the pure underfiow of said stream,
instead of from the surface flow of the
river, which is more or less impure; and
that the pure waters from the underflow
should be conveyed as directly as possible
from the underflow to the consumers, in
order to prevent the same from becoming
impure.
Sixth-That the citys system of domestic
water supply should be so managed that
the water could be delivered to the con-
sumner at the lowest possible price.
Therefore, in view of such premises, and
for consideration hereinafter named I
hereby ask that the city should grant to
me and my associates and assigns the ex-
elusive right to develop water from the
underhow of said stream for a period of
fifty years from date, provided that the
city shall reserve from said developed water
flow equivalent to the full natural flow
of said river and any and all other waters
now being used by said city, either for the
public uses of said city or the uses of it's
inhabitants or for the temporary use of
the land owners outside the city limits, as
nc n, used for domestic and irrigation pur-
poses.
For and in consideration of this grant, ]
hereby agree that. after the waters from
the underflow of said river shall have been
developed to the extent of the present de-
mands of the city and it's inhabitants for
water, on the basis of 200 gallons Of water
per day to each inhabitant, will pump
the waters thus belonging to the city to
that extent, or so much thereof as the city
may require. up to such elevated point or
points as the city may require free of
charge to the city for the said term of fifty
years, the undersigned being allowed to
take water from the Los Angeles river
equivalent to the amount used by the city
from the developed waters if the city elects
to use such developed waters instead of the
surface flow of said river.
The city of Los Angeles at the present
time only uses about 100 gallons of water per
day for each inhabitant, or about $50 inches
of continuous flow under four-inch pres
sure-17 cubic feet per second This is only
one-half the quantity agree to furnish the
city under the terms of this proposition in
case the city should need such increased
amount.