The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-05-29
THE BAYOU WATER SUPPLY
1T is NOT MATERIALLY AFFECTED
BY THE BERlNG RICE FARM.
The Water They Draw from the Stream,
Creates No Perceptible Diminuton
Of the Supply.

Mr.. Charles l.. Bcring representing the
9. II. g. G. l.. Boring rice farm In IIar-
RS county, takes exception TO the state.
ment made In the petition Of Mr.. u. r.
shepherd. which was submitted to the
city council on Monday, in regard to the
consumption OF the water supply Of Buffalo
bayou, by pumping water from it for
purposes cf irrigatthg rice farms
while Mr.. Shepherd In his petition does
not specify our plant" said MIR. Boring,
ne evidently refers 10 us. as We are the
ohiy rice producers at present taking water
from Buffalo bayou for rrigitlug pnr-
poses"
Mr.. Shepherds complaint upon this score
as submitted In the council Is Substantially
as follows:
certain parties. some seven or eight miles
above the city Of Houston. are engaged
N pumping water from Buffalo bayou TO
the extent Of from 900 to 1900 gallons
per minutc-that IS. they used last year
about 100 gallons per minute and It is
understood they have largely increased
their rice farm and propose to use this
tnil double or treble that quantity. It is
also learned that othcr parties expect in
another year to follow suit When II is
considered that during the latter months
or summer the flow of water that is, the
Hctnal running stream-amounts 10 only
ABOUT 900 or 1900 gallons per minute. and
IN tines of drouth much less II VIII he
FOUND mat only one or two such draughts
VIII make Buffalo bayou a ravine with mere
aud thcr stagnant pool of standing water.
n're " movement on foot among
rlparlah owners above the city to inter
tcre IN the wholesale diversion OF this
wafer and the city viii he asked to Join
WIN them to prevent such selfish appro-
priation of public prnpcrtv by one or Two
parties. The law forbids more than O rea.
sonahle use OF such streams, and for ordi.
nary purposes, even to the extreme limit OF
no, allowing the owner Of n sprhg to eN-
hnnst the water for irrigation purposes.
while those below him need 1t for ordinary
uses. rice farm goes far beyond the
meaning of irrigation and means lnunda-
ton; Three or four fair sized rice farms
would not only exhaust Buffalo bayou. bu,
" would he death struggle between
them MS TO which should have the water
as against the other, while it seems quite
practlcable for farms TO produce their own
water by wells.
The object of this memorial, MS above
Indicated, Is to have the city take part
IN me protection of the common interest
IN this already scant water supply, and
u need he to Join in an Invocation of tine
law, which Is no doubt quite sufficient
70 counteryail this threatened catastrophe
There Is no threatened catastrophe
We are pumping only about one fifteenth
OF what is running from above our plant
and Just below us Spring branch flows Mt
least twice ms much water into the bayou
Rs we are pumping out. We know of many
other springs az far down as Sabine
bridge and the chance of any citizen or
this city ever seeiug the bayou only stag.
nant pools is beyond the reach Of pos,
Slbllty.
There Is not much chance Of others
following our methods. as the bayou on
one Side Is very thckly wooded and on
the side that we are planting the land
suitable for rice growing is very limited
indeed. practically none being suitable.
Last wear we grew and made n splendid
success Of some eighty acres of rice. the
first successful rice farm In this county
Our farm was visited nv over 200 or more
Northern planters. looking into the culture
OF rice with n view of engaging In same
In this section We have positive infm
nation and know that It has been tho
means of raising the values Of land In
this section very nearly 30 per cent cspe
clally land whore drainage was good and
land level enough far flooding We dld
not hurt the bayou then. nor are We doing
so now. as we have been pumping some
four weeks already and no decrease in
the depth Of the bayou has been reported
by the many land owners below us
Where We are pumping the bayou s
twelve feet wide and one and half feet
average depth, running an estimated vol-
ume Of 10000 gallons per minute arhe'
probability Of our pumping the stream
dry is absolutely absurd as VIC pump our
only about 1000 gallons per minute"