The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-07-27
NUUANU DAM
AUTHORIZED

Over his own signature Representa-.
tive Mahelona has made the charge
that Superintendent of Public Works
Holloway has been guilty Of bad faith
in undertaking the construction of tho
Nuuanu dam and reservoir at all. AS
Mr.. Mahelona was a member Of the
House in the last Legislature, and was
moreover chairman of the Committee
on Public Land and Internal Improve
ments, this charge at once assumes very
grave proportions.
In the last session of the Legisla-
9ure, Superintendent Holloway asked
for an appropriation of $4,000 to con
struct the big reservoir in Nuuanu val.
ley. This request went to the commit
tee of which Mahelona was chairman,
and in long report signed by Mahe-
Iona, Andrade, Pail, Fernandez, Quinn,
Holstein and Mahikoa, it was denied.
1t did not, therefore pass the House.
The statement of Mr.. Mahelona con-
cerning this committee and its works
is as follows:
Honolulu. July Is. 1905.
While there is so much talk with
reference to the insecurity of the Nuu-
anu dam creating an impression in the
community that there has been official
corruption and graft, there Is one very
important matter of which the public
should be reminded and which makes
the building of the dam by the Super
intendent of Public Works, If not al
together illegal at least a fragrant
breach of faith on the part Of that off,
,cial. During the session of the last
Legislature when an attempt was be-
ing made to secure government control
of the waters OF the valleys of Manoa,
Pauoa, and Kalihi, a resolution was in
vtroduced at the instance of Mr.. Hollo-
way through Lilikalani to insert in the
appropriation or loan bill the sum of
-eighty-fve thousand dollars (sS5, ,000)
for increasing the storage capacity of
water in Nuuanu Valley. This resolu-
tion was referred to the Committee on
Public Lands and Internal Improve
ments which consisted of Mahelona,
Andrade, Pail, Fernandez, Quinn, Hol-
stein and Mahikoa. The committee re-
ported saying:
There are now in Nuuanu Valley
three (S) large reservoirs in which are
collected the storm surface water from
the upper end of the valley, which, in
the course of its progress to the reser-
voirs passes through the upper lands
and runs over and amongst decaying
organisms of numerous characters -
where it with the effect of the direct
rays of the sun. evaporates and be-
comes impregnated with the germs
generated in the basins rendering 1t
absolutely unsafe and dangerous for
use for domestic and drinking pur-
poses. The plan, as your commit
tee believes. is to build another large
storage reservoir or dam, and there
collect and keep a much greater supply
of water of the same character as now
conserved, and which is open to the
same objections and dangers to the
users as the water now supplied. ."
1t is practically inviting an epidemic in
the City of Honolulu, by making 1t the
main and practically, If all the money
for the bettering of our water supply
is spent thereon, the only water for
household use. That this danger of
sickness is not an idle dream Is shown
by the recent occurrences on the Is
land of Molokai and in Kona, where the
death rate was exceptionally large,
considering the number of inhabitants
what it would be in so thickiy a
populated center as Honolulu is terri
bile to contemplate. The storage of a
larger body of similar water under the
same conditions, would. without fail
greatly increase the dangers of an
epidemic of typhoid, and diseases of
similar nature. ''*
"We believe that the health of the
community at large is to US our great
est care and In order to preserve the
same measures should be taken and
available public moneys spent for the
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