La Junta tribune., 1905-07-05

water lHcs nave even gone W inc
extremity of requesting the water
commissioner 10 resign. some people
entertaining the suspicion that the
water commissioner is holding out
on them. We did not learn the
exact nature of the trouble, but the
dear people are making all kinds of
trouble for the city officials. who Of
course are held responsible.
In Montrose they also have a
reservoir and pumping system The
water rates are 81 per month. ex-
cept during the irrigation season.
Commencing April LIST and con-
tinuing for six months. the rate is
81 D additional. or 81. . per month.
The monthly receipts average 500.
and the expense of operation is
$3.50. This does not include interest
on 81. 900 bond issue. and conse-
quently the plant Is not seif-support-
ing. At the present time Aontrose
is putting in a $4,000 gravity sys-
TEN. water being secured from the
Cimarron river sixteen miles distant.
In Ouray there is an abundance Of
water, both hot and cold. bubbling
out of the ground. Water hot
enough 10 boil an egg will be found
sizzling out from the surface Of the
hills from some spot near the in
fernal regions. while not over one
hundred feet distant you can drink
from spring ID species of nectar
fit for the gods clear. sparkling.
ice-cold water. such as you Will
probably run across but once in
lifetime. Where the gifts of nature
are most lavish. however. they do
not lose any sleep over the water
question. There are forty saloons
in Ouray, with a population Of
1900 saloon fo- every fifty
inhabitants.
On the train we had a talk with
Joe I-awless. of the Sparks. about
the water question in Lamar. Joe
has been mayor Of the town or
member Of the city council from
time immemorial. He says they
have solved the water problem in
Lamar. They use meters. Every
body pays for the water they use.
the minimum rate being 81 per
month. The charge is 81 per ZOO
feet. There are seven and one-half
gallons in a cubic foot of water.
50 the charge is 81 for 1900
gallons. II the city of La Junta
had been paid by meter rates
during the month Of June this year
the revenue derived would have
amounted to S2.O75. Water Com
missioner Brown informs Us that if
every one in the city paid their wa
ter rent each month the revenue de-
rived would amount to Sl.O50. La
Junta would gain over 81. 900 per
month under the meter system. ac-
cording to these figures. or else the
dear people would use less water.
In Lamar they use the Buffalo met
ers. which are paid for and installed
by the city. They cost 81 each. Mr..
Lawless says that some of the water
hogs paid as high as S. per month
when the meters were first installed
in Lamar. but that the dear people
adjusted themselves to the new con-
ditions with great alacrity when they
found out where they were at. In
a very short time everybody was sat
isfied and kicks were few and far be-
tween. They would not under any
circumstances go back to the old sys-
TEN in Lamar. The water supply is
derived by pumping from artesian
wells into a reservoir. and Mr.. Law
less thinks that La Junta will have
to adopt this system before many
years. The receipts average about
$3.50 per month. which pays the
operating expenses. but not the in
terest on the bond issue.
The meter system is the only
practical solution Of the water
problem in La Junta or any other
community. From a booklet on
Water Meters; Their Value.
written by an expert engineer. we
clip the following statistics and in
formation. which will be of interest
to our readers at the present stage
of the water game:
From q paper on An Additional