The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-04-25
PRESENT PLAN coNTEMPLATES
EXPENDITURE OF SEVENTY TO
NINETY THOUSAND.
Some Say Mountain Water Syste N
Cannot be Had Because too
costly--Council has
Changed Limit of
Franchise to
twenty-five
Years,

the theme discussed at a special
meeting of the Corvallis city coun-
Gil Tuesday evening The electric
lights also came in for a share oi
consideration. Various phases OF
both matters were talked about
Concerning water. two important
changes were made in the lately
adopted plans. One of these is the
addition of a section asking for bids
for gravity system, with Rock
Creek as the source of supply, the
bid to be upon basis of fifty year S
franchise. The other change is the
limiting of franchise for any other
than mountain water system to a
period of rs years Among the
minor changes made in the plan
was the reduction of the require
ments for pressure for fire tests to
that section of the town comprised
between First and Eight streets
and between Adams and Van Buren.
Within these limits, a pressure suf-
hcient to throw three streams. from
one main IS feet high. is required.
Outside of these limits such a pres
sure is required only for one stream.
The council also considered the
advisability of asking for bids in the
present advertisement for an cleo
trio light franchise. An amend
ment to the water plans was read
before the council. 1t provided
that bids for a light franchise,
eitherin connection with orseperate
from the water system, and based
upon a contract for supplying street
lighting, would be received with the
water bids For time members
discussed the amendment, and its
verbiage, and seemed inclined for
while to adopt it. After some con-
however, the proposed /
amendment was dropped, and the
plan of asking for light bids aban-
doned. A motion was however
adopted. authorizing the mayor to
two persons, either mem
bers or not members of the council
to investigate the needs of the city
with reference to lighting. The
mayor did not announce theappoin
tees during the session. tits sup
posed that this committee will report
a plan to the council.
Deep well systems, and VILLAIN
cite river systems, as well as noun
tain water systems played part in
the water discussion. The con-
census of opinion seemed to be that
a deep well system would not be
desirable. It was agreed that all
such water would be found to be
hard, and ill-suited for domestic
use The statement was made that
The well originally put in to supply
water to the boiler at the Benton
Mills turned out to, be such hard
water that it could not be used and
other arrangements had to be made.
The bottom of this well is but a
ew yards distant from and some
What lower than the bed of the
Willamette. Another statement
made was that a well I35 feet deep
near town yields water so hard that
t is unsuited for domestic purposes
Another councilman said the water
rom every well in town is hard. !
The talk resulted in the incorpora-
ion into the plan of the word soft"
s one of the requirements for water
o be supplied, !
Willamette water was talked
lbout considerably as likely to be
he ultimate source of supply, The
opinion seemed present that nobody /
would bid on mountain water
ystem, because it would be found /,
o be too expensive. Councilman
,rees said he wanted no other kind
# system. The fire chief said a
mountain water system was impos-
ible because it was too costly. "The
present p1an' he said, ''is estimated
o involve an outlay of $40, 900 to
300, ooo." If it is to cost that much +
We might as well quit right now,"
-ernarked one member in an under.