The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1899-07-04
THE ALDERBRooK WATER PRoPo-
sTTIoN.
An Outline Of Its Cost and Comparison
WITH That Of UnIontown.

Some Of the people Of Alderbrook are
lagitatIng the question OF securing city
water for that part OF Astoria. 50 far
the proposition has not got beyond the
talking stage. for no formal application
or estimate Of the number Of water users
commission, together with guarantee
or estimate OF the number IL water users
there would be to the service II extended
TO that place. The residents II Alder
brook claim that. as taxpayers II Astoria,
they are entitled TO the same water SER
vice and fire protection that the other
sections OF the city have. and contend
that an injustice is being done them In
depriving them OF these necessities. They
make special plea for their school,
which Is without FIRE protection and with-
out drinking water, except as 1t is car.
ried from neighbOring brook. which
they claim becomes warm, insipid and
filthy during summer months.
This apparent negligence Of the water
commission is given different meaning
when their side Of the proposition is
considered. The commissloners' expert
ence in supplying suburbs with water has
been so very Improbable that 1t makes
them chary Of taking up new venture
in this line. In 1895 the commission. IN
response to the request Of the residents
OF Unionown, laid an eight-Inch main
to the foot of Bond street. During that
and the succeeding year sohe half
dozen service pipes were connected with
this main. The people OF Uniontown com-
planning that to most OF them the Bond
street main was too far away for them
to tap. the commission in the spring Of
1S9S laid two mains up through the resi-
dence part Of the town. on the promise
that water sufficient to make the service
self-sustaining would be taken. In COM
plianee with this promise the water SER
vice was placed in 4S houses. But this
revenue was OF short duration for at
the end of the first quarter most Of the
users discontinued the service and now
there are but 10 families taking water,
which does not make the pipe line to the
residence section of Uniontown paying
investment 10 the taxpayers OF Astoria.
To supply city water to Alderbrook
would require the laying Of nearly a
mile OF pipe to extend the water main
from the present terminus at Hanthorn's
place, which, with the laternal piping
required, would entail cost Of nearly
$1,000. AS there are only about 40 fam.
ilies residing in Alderbrook II would be
question. even though they would all
become patrons. whether the commission
WOulu De JuStlleu III luCuIiiNS bhiS au-
ditional expense. 1t is not likely that a
larger percentage OF the Alderbrook FAM
HES would take the city water than does
those of Uniontown, for each house is
now supplied with either well or spring
water and the houses being quite a dis
tance apart, there is no serious danger at
the present of the water becoming I'm
pure from seeppage. In extending the
city water service the commission has
to take into consideration the present IN.
debtedness Of the board Of water commits
sloners and the present revenue TO be
had and the certainty Of its income by
the increase of population of the district
asking for water, before a decision can
be given as to whether the water sys-
tenn can be extended to Alderbrook or
any other outlying section.