The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-27
Draining Of Riddle Creek Caus-
ing Controversy.
Engineer Plans to Have City
Pay for 1t.
QUESTION OFLEGALITY
Council VIII Decide if 1t Can
Be Done.
One of Most PerpIexing East
Side Problems.

sewer half a mile long, at a cost OF
! s3,261, for the purpose of draining
Biddle creek in Parkdale, and make
the city at large pay for it under the
name of paving tax?"
This is the entirely unique problem
which is going to come before the city
council on May =.
1t is proposed to build, on East
Eighth avenue, from the Shunganunga
creek to Locust street, a distance of
about eight blocks, a storm water
sewer. 1t would drain practically all
of the east part of town which lies
south of Eighth avenue, and would
doubtless prevent any further trouble
with foods in Parkdale during heavy
rains. The cost of such a sewer would
not be borne by people living in the
vicinity. as is supposed to be the case
with sewers. It would be borne by the
city at large.
Strange as it may seem, the plan
for the construction of this new sewer
system comes under the guise of an
estimate to cover the cost of paving
East Eighth from the Shunganunga
to the cemetery.
For a long time the city has bravely
insisted that the people over in that
storm water drain. The city contend
ed that it could not afford to pay for
such an Improvement, and that the
only thing for the people to do would
be to create a sewer district.
The plan for the construction of this
s3.261 sewer system, at public ex-
penses depends for its execution upon
the approval of City Engineer Nc
Cabe'S estimates for the cOnStru ctiOn
of the East Eighth street pavement
from the Shunganunga creek to the
cemetery, which are to be presented to
the city council on May ?. The cost
of the sewer system is included in the
estimates for the pavement.
It may be a good deal of question
whether the city has the right to build
a sewer under the guise Of building
pavement 1t is doubtful whether
bonds can be diverted in such an in
genious manner to the construction of
a sewer system. That is Il matter for
the city council to settle. If it ap-
proves Mr. McCabe's estimates, it en-
dorses the plan.
The law gives the city the right to
provide necessary drainage for its
pavements, and there is always an
item for vitrifled pipe included in paw
ing estimates But the East Eighth
situation is different from anything
which has heretofore occurred. The
drain" for East Eighth is a veritable-
Will be built~of 1S-inch vitrified pipe
for a distance of half a mile, with Is
catch basins connected to it by $50
feet of 10 and 3 inch pipe. 1t will
empty into Shunganunga creek at the
Eighth avenue bridge, and the opening
viii be provided with a backwater
gate so that the opening can be closed
if the creek gets too high. The pro-
posed sewer will not be laid under
the pavement, but in the parking at
the north side of the street.
AS proposed by the city engineer,
East Eighth street will form a sort
ton of Topeka 1t divides that part
of town into two portions, for drainage
purposes. All the storm water which
falls south of Eighth street will flow
south to Eighth, where it will be
caught by the Is catch basins provided
in the proposed sewer and be carried
directly to the Shunganunga. All the
water which falls north of Eighth VIII
be carried off by Biddle creek, as at
present, and reach the Shunganunga
a good deal further down stream.
The trouble at present is that all the
water goes down Biddle creek. and
Biddle creek can not accommodate IL.
The result is that every severe rain
causes Biddle creek to overflow and DO
a lot of damage. City Engineer Nc
Cabe's plan to divide the water, and
send half of it down the proposed
Eighth avenue sewer to the Shunga-
nunga is a good one. The only ques-
ton is whether or not the city at large
should have to pay for building this
sewer.
In building pavements, the only part
which is taxed UP against the abutting
property is for sand, brick, curbing aud
labor. The city pays for crossing
plates, grading, rolling and putting in
drain pipes whenever necessary 1t
is very doubtful, however. whether the
law contemplates that the city shall
build a whole sewer system under the
name of a drain"
Mr.. McCabe's estimates on the cost
of the proposed sewer, and the neces-
sary catch basins, are as follows
Catch Vitrified
basins pipe.
Bridge to Branner. 54.O0 Us. &C
Branner to Chandler 500 81 @