The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-15
PotWin Sewer Is a Menace to
Health.
Outlet Is on a Sand Bar and Not
Into River.
WILL COST ABOUT $500
City Engineer Instructed to
Prepare Plans.
Now a Menace to Health Of the
City.

It will cost about $500 each to ex-
tend to the river channel the exist
ing Potwin and North Topeka sewers.
and the committee on sewers, which
investigated the Potwin situation
Wednesday afternoon, has a plan un-
der consideration for the creating OF
a couple Of new sewer districts to
pay for these extensions.
When they were first laid. both the
Potwin sewer and the North Topeka
sewer emptied directly into the chan
mel Of the river. Since then, the
course of the river has changed. and
huge sandbars have formed, throwing
the course Of the river clear to the
other shore. The result is that for
several years the Potwin sewer and
the North Topeka sewer have made
trouble by discharginE their contents
into the sand instead of into the river.
With summer coming on, this condi-
ton is likely to produce serious sani-
fary conditions.
Already the sandbars where the
sewers discharge are reelIing with
pollution. All the solid matter COM
ing through the sewers is caught and
held IN the sand, where it gradually
decomposes. The stencil IS becoming
very bad and some sort of malignant
cortagion is likely to be produced
among the inhabitants of the city IN
less conditions are changed.
People in Potwin are very much in
earnest in their demands for relief,
and threaten to bring mandamus suit
to compel the city TO extend the sewer
to the river channel They have con-
suited the county attorney about such
proceedings, and have only delayed
taking action because OF the prospect
that the sewer would be Immediately
extended.
Meantime the council has been
playing battledore and shuttleoock
with the proposition, and il has gone
from one committee to another with
out anything being done
Wednesday the sewer committee in
structed the city engineer to prepare
an estimate of the cost OF extending
It would necessitate laying $50 feet OF
15-inch vitrified pipe. at q cost Of from
$3.50 to $500. The city engineer plans
to lay this pipe on q series Of Cross
ties, something as a railroad track is
constructed, for the purpose of keep
ing the pipe from sinking into the
quicksand- He viii also make an es-
innate on the cost OF constructing a
sort of ffume of oak blanks. which
would probably be less expensive, but
mot so effective as vitrified pipe.
While the condition of the North To-
peka sewer has not yet been officially
taken into consideration, it is likely
that the plan adopted for one sewer
will be used for both. as the conditions
The mouth of the Potwin sewer is
about 4 feet under the sand BY TAX
ing the level of the sandbar, the cty
engineer. has determined that It viii be
possible to get the necessary fall from
this level to the river channel. by
building $50 feet of new sewer across
It has been held by some that the
big bar formed at Potwin during the
hood could be removed by taking out
The span of the brick plant bridge
which was washed out by the Hood ana
lodged by the west END OF tne De-
some believe that this great tangle Of
tfnbers and steel caused the bar 10
This is not the opinion held by the
city engineer, however ne says l5
would do no good to remove the old
bridge span, but says that II might Dc
possible, by cutting a canal through
the bar for the distance OF haI q
mile or so. to start the current Dack
toward the south side of the stream
This. however. would be very e1-
pensive piece of work
OF course these proposed extensions
of the sewer across the sand bars
would be of a sort of temporary ma
ture. It Is almost certain that at Lne
next high water the river viii cut out
the big bar and return to its old cham
mel. But the people whose health IS
I in jeopardy do not want TO wait ZOE
such an uncertain change in the
I course Of nature
mat QdAL u -AA- blH.-- H------ -
meet with the most serious opposition
/ is the proposed creation OF new sewer
I districts to pay for the work PotWin
and North Topeka will no doubt con-
tend that they have already paid for
! their sewer. and that the city has no
/ right to tax them for the purpose Of
/ extending it That is a legal prOpo-
sition which has not been settled It
I is a question whether the city has the
! right to create a sewer district for the
! purpose of extending a sewer. If il
/ has the right. it will probably do the
/ work this way. for by so doing II viii
save $1,000 from the city's general
funds.
z The sewer committee adjourned to
meet again at the same time the
streets and walks committee hold its
/ next meeting.