Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-22
NO DOUBT AS To
OWENS PROJECT
EXPERT ENGINEER PRAISES
BIG PROPOSITION
THE CITY MUST HAVE WATER
J. II. pocl<weiler Says Only Two
Sources Of Supply Are Avail
able and Los Angeles Has
Chosen Well
THE CITY MUST HAVE WATER

"Under the present conditions as Los
Angeles and its suburbs continue to
grow the supply of water to the ranch
ing interests contiguous to these CEN
ters of population must become less in
a direct ratio until they are wiped out
Of existence.
LOS Angeles is today using every
drop of water available. There are only
two future places of supply-the Colo
rado river and the owens river. To
obtain a supply from the first named is
entirely impracticable. The second Is
practicable and the cost is compara-
lively small"
This is the opinion of j. H. Dock
weller, formerly city engineer of Los
Angeles, now consulting engineer to the
city and county attorney of San Fran
cisco, with the responsibility of deter
mining the value of the holdings of the
Spring Valley Water company.
"I came to the opinion years ago."
said Mr.. Dockweiler last night, that
in the end Los Angeles would some day
be forced to look to Mount Whitney
and the eastern slope of the Sierras for
its future water supply. The city can
make no failure in following up the
plan outlined by the city engineer and
the water board.
Three Important Factors
There are three factors to be taken
into nsideration-quality, quantity
and constancy of flow. The water of
the owens river district is of the purest
quality. 1t falls on the high granite
hills and is undefiled. BY the conditions
under which the purchase is possible
1t will remain so. AS the city would
own the ground in the vicinity of the
streams, Los Angeles would never have
hanging over it the fear of the pollu-
ton of it's water supply by human
habitation.
1.-THE quantity is amply sufficient and
would be on hand in the largest guam
titles when it is most needed in the
summer months. The SHOWS of the
mountains do not commence to melt
until late in the spring, giving to the
valleys a large supply of the purest
water God ever made. In addition the
city has the legal right to impound the
water by building reservoirs.
"Unless nature should forget to cap
the mountains with snow and let down
I,os NI,a -ir
beyond the memory of man, the con-
stancy of the supply is an assured fact.
"The construction of the some 240 odd
miles of conduits will be greatly cheap
terial is already on the ground. The
rock, gravel and sand which line the
way in unlimited quantities will be dug
out of the trench to be returned in the
form of masonry. There are no great
engineering difficulties in the way
Future Measured by Water
"Of course the proposition is a large
one but it is simply a question of the
city's future. If the people wish to see
Los Angeles when its maximum size is
not much larger than at present they
will refuse to favor the project. If they
wish to see Los Angeles a city of limit
less possibilities there will be no hesi-
tation on their part in the furtherance
of the plan."
Mr.. Dockweiler, during his incum-
bency as city engineer, made the first
water supply report of the city. This
was in 1891. Six years later he followed
it up with more exhaustive discussion
of the same subject.