The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1906-11-13
THIS REGION
THE SUFFERER
Solution of Drainage Prob
lem Holds Blow for the
Calumet District.
SITUATION EXPLAINED
Concerted Effort To Limit Flow Into
Big Canal at Expense of
Calumet Waterway.

cago Tribune has an article in this
mornings issue that is Of great in
terest and consequence to the people
of the whole Calumet region in that
effort is being made to limit the flow
of water in the drainage canal to
10000 gallons per second at the expense
of the Calumet auxiliary, which was
intended to drain off the sewage OF the
whole Calumet region in Indiana.
Some time ago THE LAKE COUNTY
TIMES printed story which originated
in the engineering department of the
Chicago drainage board in which it
was stated that the engineers had
definitely decided to build the Calumet
auxiliary, and pointed to the fact that
although the construction would ex-
tend only to the forks of the Calumet
river it would drain the Shiny, foul
smelling stream in Hammond as effect
lively as II the engineers had construct
ed the canal clear to this city.
1t was also SHOWN that the con-
struction of this canal would some day
lead to the building of one of the
greatest systems of lake to river"
harbors that the world has even seen
and would be of incalculable benefit to
East Chicago, Indiana Harbor and Gary
as well as Hammond.
! Mr.. O'Laughlin states that in an in
| terview with a member of the inter
national waterway commission there
were matters of the greatest interest
| expounded and part of this interview
| follows:
The people of Chicago" he said
must not believe for a moment that
the commission has any idea of i'm
| periling their health. The two i'm
| portant points it is considering are the
health of the people living on the
border of the great lakes and naviga-
| ton.
THE government of the United
| States is back of Chicago. 1t never
gave formal approval to the drainage
scheme but it never protested against
it. The lake navigation interests ap-
preciated the necessity of Chicago TAX
| ing measures for the protection of its
health and raised no objection. But
the latter interests have become un-
easy. The abstraction of 10000 cubic
feet of water per second which the
commission in its first report allowed.
| will reduce the level of the lake six
inches If a greater quantity be alb
stracted the level win be lowered still
/ more"
Opposes Calumet Canal.
! The commission is opposed to the
project to connect the Calumet river
with the drainage canal, basing its OBJ
lection not only upon the effect upon
| the great lakes but upon its view that
| the scheme will not prove advantag-
eous to Chicago and will create diff
culties with the state of Indiana. In
| order to have a continuous flow of
water at all seasons of the year it is
| estimated that it is necessary for the
| Chicago river to take out 10000 cubic
| feet of water per second and the Calu-
met river 1880 cubic feet per second.
The dimensions of the Chicago
| drainage canal were fixed by this esti-
mate. The plan for the extension of
the system which has been adopted
contemplates making the Calumet a
| tributary to the drainage canal and
drawing from 1T 1000 cubic feet per
second, this amount being the differ
ence between the flow of the Chicago
river and the capacity of the canal
Attention is called, however, to the
Calumet with its flow of 1880 cubic
feet. will check the flow from the Chi
cago river. This would result it is
claimed, in the failure of the whole
system.
Think Ten Thousand Feet Enough
| The commission says it was not de.
sign but accident which gave tn,
drainage canal a capacity of $4,000 Gu
bic feet per second; that as originall,
planned its capacity was to be onl,
10000 cubic feet 10000 cubic fee
is regarded as sufficient, and there i
, no good reason in the judgment o
r the commission for the proposed ex
tension. This is assuming that ther
is another way to prevent the pollu
tion of the lake. 1t is the opinion o
r expert sanitary engineers, whose ad
vice has been obtained by the commits
sion, that there are other ways an
it is insisted that one Of these mus
be adopted, for Chicago cannot hop
i to obtain the cooperation OF the stat
of Indiana regarding the dispositio
e OF the waters of the Calumet
s So far as concerns the present drain
t age canal Brigadier General Erns
: chairmen OF the American representa-
: tives on the commission will insist tha
e every inch OF water up to 10000 cubi
: feet be allowed. But another questio
I presents itself with respect to the ca
nal extension to the Calumet.