The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-09-22


creek valley.
If such a supply existed it was my
duty to secure it for the city.
therefore, spent a considerable amount
of time in specifically examining the
Mill creek valley between the limits
of Walla Walla and the mouth of Blue
creek. I found no surface indications
to suggest that there was any filtered
underflow in the valley. There was
every indication however that the
underlying soil between the surface
and bedrock was probably boulder
clay, and it is a common thing to find
bodies of water, sometimes of consid
cradle size flowing in rapidly moving
streams through the channels or cavi-
ties in this class of clay. If there was
twenty-five million gallons of water
daily disappearing from the surface
of Mill creek flowing through such
channels as these, above the bed rock,
through the valley of Mill creek it
seemed as though it might be posi-
to tap some of these channels and to
use them for several years at much
less expense than that which would
other means. 1 therefore, laid out a
plan of exploration for your water SUI
perintendent to follow for the purpose
of discovering the character of the
underlying strata, depth to bed rock,
and the possibility of securing water
by the means heretofore suggested.
In pushing these explorations six
wells were sunk on the Harbert prem
Uses, about five miles east of the city
limits. These wells reached bed rock
at the following depths; we'll No. 1,
10 feet; we'll No. 2, 161a feet; we'll No.
8, 20 feet; we'll No. 4, 43 feet, we'll No.
5, "a feet; we'll No. 6, was abandoned
at a depth of 40 feet, it's character
being similar to that of the other
wells. The flow developed in these
wells was so small that the cost of
the tunnel necessary to intercept
reasonable amount of water for the
city of Walla Walla would be entirely
pronibitive, and in as much as scarce
a drop of water entered any of them
at a depth of more than IL feet below
the surface of the ground it was evil
dent that to attempt to secure water
for this city by such a means would
be folly
We therefore, turned attention again
to the main source of supply,
namely the surface water of Mill
creek, and it is upon a scheme for Sc
curing water from the open stream
of Mill creek that 1 now propose to
give an estimate. Before giving that
few minutes the probable necessities
of the city. At the present time the
records show that the consumption of
water in the city of Walla Walla for
considerable periods of time reaches
about four and one-half million gall
Ions per day. The records also snow
that there is a considerable PARTON Of
the city that is not served with water
at all; that is to say, that there are
many VINO are sill using we'll water,
and who do not use city water. The
records also disclose that there is a
considerable area of the city which is
without sewers. This state of affairs
cannot be long allowed to exist; and
after carefully considering these facts,
and the probability of the extension
of the sewer system, and of the rea
sonable increase of population in the
city, I have become convinced that by
the last day of December, 1907, the
consumption of water for this city
would not be far from six million gal
Ions of water per day In fact unless
all the estimates as to the consump-
ton of water for many years past
have been greatly in excess of the
amount absolutely used, 1 question if
six million gallons is a large enough
amount to cover the consumption at
that date With the prosperity which
has attended this valley in the past
with the educational and climatic ad-
vantages which this city enjoys there
is no one who doubts for one moment
but that there will continue to be a
rapid increase in the population of the
city for a number of years to come II
is therefore, necessary for us in de-
termining the size of the pipe to be
used in conveying water to the city to
have regard to the reasonable and
certain increase of population and use
of water which must occur in this
city Taking the gradient on which