The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-06-01
lola will Draw her Water
Supply Directly From the
Stream as Wells Prove
Insufficient
ABUNDANT SUPPLY INSURED
The Dam and Water Rights
for Nine Miles Held at
the Option Of the City

The first step in securing water for
the city of lola has been tax EN- and
enginser Mcdonnell went TO Kan
sas City with pocket full of notes and
the Office work Iof drawing up the
plans and specifications will next be
attended to.
Test wells were sunk in the low
lands this side of the river Hand the
water thus found while very excellent
in quality was unquestionably insult
ficient in quantity. Five feet Of gravel
was the greatest thickness aud the
water could not be pumped 100 feet
through it. A we'll twenty-five feet
from the river bank showed water
three feet below the surface of the
river, indicating very impervious
soil. Tests made heretofore indicated
that in many ways the river water
was purer than the we'll water. The
pumping test revealed that one acre
of the underflow would supply the
city about one day
Readers Of the REGISTER will recal
the proposition made some time ago
by w. T. Davis d Co., the millers,
who own the dam and the water
rights along the river. They offered
to sell their entire holdings, iuclud-
ing the mill for $4,000, but the city
was loath to accept this at the figure,
90 a. Ixr Ntrh
getting water from wells, or failing
this from the deep holes below the
dam.
All the time the committee has,been
negotiating with the Davis company,
and the company has shown dis |
position to he fair aud give the city |
the preference, Several propositions /.
were submitted and al last .oue that |
seems likely to be 90 has been offer
ed. BY its terms the city buys the .
dam and water rights and the land of |
w. +. Davis ~ Co., the latter retain
ing the mill and machinery A year
is given in which the company may
remove its property from the ground.
In view of all Of which, ii has
practically been decided to take the
river. Settling tanks will be CON
structed and the river water pumped
into them, where by the iniuctiDn of
alum water additional purity will be
secured. This is the system used at
Kansas City aud has been found high
ly satisfactory. The question of an
abundant supply is thus settled as
the dam backs water for nine miles
up the river and never will the de.
of the town have perceptible
effect on this reservoir.
This is certainly well for the city.
If the Davis company sells its mill ,
within year the city may be able to
draw revenue from the use of the /
land and water. The city buys only g..
what it wants, and it gets the absolute .
unqualified right to the water and all l
ofi it. No other buyer can step in aud {
take away the only sufficient water
supply in this part of the county, thus /,
the city, or giving the ad- {
thus secured to some other 4
own. The sewerage can be dunn ed {
below the dam and the municipal +
cleansing system thus perfected, pure c
water being pumped through the [
'lty's arteries from above the dam, l.
md the impure sewerage emptied in.
o the stream again below the dam
The contract is not yet drawn up
'ut it is in the hands of the judicial
committee and the deal will have ,
'een completed before tomorrow. h
ola will then have secured for her n
ole benefit and use the largest body t.
f water in A lien county.
Beebe Busily Building. 81