The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-29
THE WATERWORKS.

A communication signed Several
Taxpayers" has been received by the
State Journals Waterworks Question
BOX The questions are evidently
written by some person who has
studled the situation, and they bring
up a number of points of general in
terest- The writer says in his letter
to the State Journal:
Replying to your invitation in your
ISSUE OF October "a to ask questions
that relate to the waterworks PROPOSE
tlon, we herewith submit a few ques-
tons that some of our citizens and
taxpayers would like information
upon.
THE questions submitted have
nothing to do with the question of
buying the waterworks, as that of
course has been settled by the vote
of the people, although at the present
time the transfer is hanging fire.
1.-THE questions are submitted for
the purpose of obtaining information
upon the subject and also to enable
some of us to know what. we have
The questions propounded by ''Sev-
eral Taxpayers" together with the
State Journals answers, are as fol-
lows:
1. Why is it that every time the
waterworks company gives fire pres
sure that the water is so muddy and
dirty that it is unfit for domestic pur-
poses?
Answer-If the water is muddy and
dirty ii doubtless is due to the pres
ence of mud and dirt in the mains.
Whether there is mud and dirt in the
mains, as is claimed by some could
easily be ascertained by the council by
simply having a few sections of pipe
dug up at various points in the city
and examined The expense would
not be over a hundred dollars. The
water company claims that the only
thing which would be found in the
pipes would possibly be magnesium
Qime) and oxidized iron, precipitated
from the water itself. and practically
non-injuriouS to health.
As u matter of fact, the water is
not roiiy except when the fire pressure
has been long continued The iron,
lime, or whatever it is in the pipes, is
then agitated. both by the heavy pres
sure during the fire and by the shock
which the water sustains when the
hydIants are suddenly closed after the
rolls the water Hardly day passes
without a call for fire pressure, but
the water is very seldom rolled
2. Why is the waterworks company
allowed to pump water into the mains
from the Harrison street pumping sta
ton when they know that that water
was condemned as being unfit for do
mestic purposes? See the analysis made
by chemists at the time the waterworksI
company was forced to move their
plant above the asylum sewer.
Answer-At the time repairs were
being made on the main pumping sta
ton after the flood and while the pres
sure was low, the fire department COM
mittee of the city council ordered the
water company to prepare and maintain
the Harrison street station for an ener-
gency reserve plant. Before this was
done, Fire Marshal Wilmarth obtained
from VIM. Archer, chief of the Santa
Fe water service, an opinion that there
would be no danger of communicating
wafer a ODIni0n
which was concurred in by several lead
ing physicians. The water is pumped out
of a well, which was cleaned and roof
ed for the purpose. 1t is not pumped
from the river. The Harrison street
station has at present no river connec-
ton. 1t is held by the water company
officials that the water at Harrison
street was never 'tcondemned'' in any
official manner and that they moved
their pumping station merely in re-
Spouse to a public sentiment, and be-
cause they were about to invest large |
sum of money in improvements, and |
wanted the people to be satisfied. They |
claim to have analyses made at the |
time showing the Harrison street wa |
ter to be perfectly sanitary. Since put |
in readiness for use as an emergency |
the Harrison street station has |
been called on twice by the fire mar
shall; once during the test of May 2, |
and once during the Greenwald fire. The |
water company have used it once or
twice while making some repairs at I
their west pump house.
3. Why were the valuers of the wa
terworks companys plant allowed to in
clude in their valuation the plant at |
Harrison street when it was useless to !
the city a part of the waterworlxs |
system on account of the water at that |
point having been condemned?
Answer-The appraisers were not in /
structed to reject any portion of the |
property in Topeka. The /
Harrison street station was part of the /
and was therefore appraised. |
If Several Taxpayers think the ap-
praiSement was too high, that is anoth
er matter. AS a matter of fact. it was
not a question in which the city coun
ell had any discretion. They allowed"
the appraisers to include the Harrison
street station because the law under (
which the appraisement was made did
not provide for anything else. Several
engineers have suggested that the
pumps and boilers could be moved out
10 the west pumping station for a very
small expense and added to the equip
ment there in order to avoid the ex-
pense of rpaintenance on two separate
plants.