The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1905-07-11
PUMPING VERSUS
GRAVITY SYSTEM
A TAX PAYER Discusses ARTE-
SIAN AND SURFACE WATER
SUPPLIES.

EDITOR STAR: In Saturdays Bull
letin is an article on the danger Of the
reservoir dam proposed to be built in
Nuuanu valley.
1 think the public need not be dis
turbed on account of this danger.
There are thousands of reservoir dams
in existence ana i'm places where the
bursting of the dam would be much
more disastrous than it possibly can
be in Nuuanu valley. 1 am sure that
local engineers are competent to take
care of this part of the program of
the water supply for Honolulu
In Sundays Advertiser, Bystander
takes a side step into the water ques-
ton and has a dig at the pump man.
Perhaps he was inspired by Saturdays
freshet which flooded some of the
streets of Honolulu and gave them a
good cleaning.
The tax and water rate payers care
very little whether the supply for do
nestle, irrigating or fire purposes
comes from reservoirs supplied by sur
face water or through pumps drawing
water from an artesian basin. The
thing that the tax and water rate
payer does care for is the assurance
that he will have an abundance OF
portable water at all times.
1t would seem to the man up a tree
! that the reservoir system with it's
surface supply (Which, as Bystander
observes, is God-given,- 1 ask who
! put in rotten vegetable matter, polly
wogs and fishes) Is receiving the bulk
of the attention.
! 1 would like to know which is the
better thing 6or Honolulu, artesian
or surface supply; and would like to
ask the following questions and have
! them answered by those who should
know:
! l. Is there now a stream of water
running in Nuuanu Valley of sufficient
abundance to supply constantly that
part of town for which the reservoir is
to be built?
?. Is there an authentic record of,
say for five yers, showing the amount
of water passing the entrance of the
! proposed reservoir?
3. Have any experts Oocal or i'm
ported made comparisons between the
cost of the reservoir system Gncluding
the price of water rights to be con-
demned, building of reservoirs, etc)
against the erection and installation of
additional pumping and drilling Of
artesan wells, interest on money in
vested and running expenses?
If these Investigations have been
made and if they have shown which
system Dumping water from the ar
tesian basin or collecting water i'm re-
servoirs) is the better and safer in
vestment of the tax payers money
then the taxpayer ought to be given
to know these results, and the chances
are that he will be satisfied.
for one do object to paying for things
which have not been proved to be the
most advantageous. What pumps can
do should be by this time well estab-
lished in Honolulu. We have reliable
pumps which have worked for a num-
Der of years. Beretania street pump
has been in operation for 10 years and
is in excellent condition today. Kali
hi pump is giving satisfaction and is
none the worse for wear, and there is
nothing the matter with the Kaimuki
pump as far as I know, And with
these pumps running, the Water Works
Department has paid well, as | under
stand.
am sure that if a private party was
to receive the franchise for supplying
Honolulu with water (and they would
have to guarantee a constant supply
they would use Pumps. And they
would not make an investment of
money IN the chances of freshets or
cloudblrsts
/ have known Nuuanu valley for
over 30 years, but have never seen there
a constant stream of water to warrant
an outlay of money as win be spent
i'm the near future on the proposed re-
servoir dam.
If there is a sufficient and reliable
water supply in Nuuanu valley or for
that matter i'm any valley, that will
come into tie Honolulu water supply
system. let the taxpayer know it, He
wants to SEQ the water and not have
it calculated by perhaps the millionth
part of the total watershed, as is often
done by the use of rain guages. The
only data worth considering are tn
measurements, recorded for a number
of years.
Cities depending for their whole wa
ter supply on surface streams and re-
servoirs have no choice in the matter
I, Honolulu has an artesian reservoir
which eXcels in quantity and quality
all the suface reservoirs that can be
built anywhere In the vicinity of HO-
nolulu. Why not make use of it? II
, the surface water faction has reliable
data and figures for their system, let
us have them.
Thanking you for the space consum-
ed, l beg to remain.
TAXPAYER AND NOT AK GRINDER
Honolulu, 4. H.. July H. 1905.