The San Francisco call., 1906-05-29
Spring VALLEY WATER SUPPLY IS REPORTED
To HAVE ALWAYS Been INSUFFICIENT.
Experts Say That Its Best Was Not Equal the Requirements Ex
listing Before the Great Fire That Devastated the City
Men Prominent the Engineering World Declare imperative That the
Municipality Own and Operate Its Own System.

The conclusion has been reached
by the subcommittee on water sup
ply and fire protection, which re-
ported yesterday to the reconstruction
committee of forty, that the system
of the Spring Valley Water Company
was not only inadequate to meet the
extraordinary demands upon it dur
ing the conf1agration, but was made
quate for less severe requirements
than were then considered efficient.
1t is the further opinion of this COM
mittee that the system is in much
less efficient state now than before
the fire, and it asserts that San Fran
cisco can only be deemed safe from
another conf1agration after it has es-
| tablished its own water system or
some means can be devised to put
between the people and Spring VAL
ley, controversy that has resulted
SO disastrously to the city. -
The committee that made this re-
port is composed of men distinguished
in the engineering world and is nom
partisan. 1t is a report based upon
unbiased judgment and one that will
with certain profit, by those now
struggling to regenerate the de-
stroyed metropolis.
The report was read by the chair
man of the subcommittee, c. H. Nc
Kinstry, major, Corps of Engineers,
U. S. A, and member of the Ameri-
can Society of Civil Engineers. and in
addition to himself is signed by J..
DalZen Brown, vice president and
manager of the California Safety De-
posit and Trust Company; Thomas P.
Woodward, City Engineer; V. G..
Bogue, member of the American So
ciety of Civil Engineers; Charles d.
Marx, member of the American So
ciety of Civil Engineers; A. NJ. Hunt
Civil Engineers, and Edwin Duryea
Jr., member of the American Society
of Civil Engineers. The report fol-
lows:
The work assigned to this SUBJ COM
mittee was twofold. In the matter of
the present water supply and fire pro-
lection system we were asked to make
recommendations suggested by the recent
catastrophe and in the matter of future
supply we were asked to report which of
our opinion the most feasible and ad-
visable. AS to the latter, we desire to
express our unwillingness to handle this
subject otherwise than in the manner in
nitude should be handled, viz. by making
such an investigation will enable at
least a comparative estimate to be made
of the merits and costs of the various
months of field and office work done un-
der the direction of able hydraulic en-
gineers. assisted by competent legal adj
vice in matters relating to water rights
titles, etc. 1t must be remembered that
the tenders which the Supervisors have
recently received are in most cases totally
deficient in the kind of informa ton on
which a selection should be based and
that the various elemerts affecting the
cost and desirability. of each of perhaps
a dozen projects will have to be worked
out in detail The general committee
could have this investigation made If suf-
ficient time and money were available
We advise, however, that the matter be
dealt with through a commission of en-
gineers. has been done by Boston New
York and other large cities throughout
the world that have solved the water sup
ply problem satisfactorily.
PRESENT SYSTEM.
We think it due to the general commit
tee to explain why in our report and
recommendations as to the existing sys-
TEN of water supply and fire protection
we have not gone more into detail; why.
number, capacity and exact location of
the city distributing reservoirs which we
would advise, nor presented a map show
ing the sizes and locations of the dis
tributing pipes with the gates, hydrants,
etc, which we think necessary for ade-
quate fire protection. This again is
problem the details of which can be
worked out only by long and painstaking
study. We have tried to avoid suggesting
anything that would hamper the engineers
to whom this work should be entrusted
than the general principles on which any
satisfactory plan must be founded
This report is based upon personal
inspection OF the existing water system,
observers, on interviews with various per
sons. including officials of the Spring Val
ley Water Company, and on the report OF
the National Board of Fire Underwriters
on the water supply and fire-fighting IA
ciiities of San Francisco. The under
writers report two copies of which are
herewith, is dated October, 1905, and is
the result of careful examination and
study on the part of competent engineers.
Under the heads of 'city in general /" fire
fighting facilities" and structural con-
whole subject of fire risk in San Fran
cisco. Under fire fighting facilities it
deals with the water supply and the or
ganization, equipment and operations of
the fire department the fire alarm system
and the various fire department auxiliar-
les. 1t describes the water system in de-
tail and Is accompanied by maps showing
the locations of the Spring Valley reser.
voirs and conduits and the layout of the
distributing system, and specifies the de-
fciencies in the various parts of the svs-
tenn which should be supplied to furnish
adequate fire protection.
In view of the full account of the Spring
Valley system contained in the under
writer's report an outline description will
suffice for our purposes herein, The
sources of the present systems are certain
drainage areas on this peninsula and in
Alameda County. The water obtained
from the peninsular sources is stored in
three reservoirs in San Mateo County.
namely, Pilarcitos, San Andreas and Crys
tai Springs. The water from Alameda
County is obtained from sub-s,1rfacf7 col
lecting works. The water from the stor
age reservoirs and from Alameda County
was conducted into Lake Honda r(,olleras
Hill and University Mound distributine
reservoirs by three conduits. The Pilar9
citos conduit, which delivered water into
Lake Honda by gravity. was wrecked hv
the earthquake and Pilarcitos water IS
now brought to the city through the San
Andreas conduit and raised into IaLa.
Honda by the Lake Merced punnns n
addition to the distributing reservoirs
there are three smaller onas
Francisco street, Lombard straef
and Potrero reservoirs, and three fanEs
Clay street. Pacific Heights and
Clarendon Heights tanks. These tenrs
are supplied from pumps. - &
The distributing mains leading From tbs
city reservoirs and tanks to the yartons
sections of the city are in general Of = M
pie size, but many laterals and cross-co,,
meeting pipes are too small to furnisb
adequate fire protection. We make iii.
statement as to the insufficient size Of la r