Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-01-23
A LETRER FROM ALDERMAN
JUSTESEE.

Owing to the fact that the action OF
the city council at our last two meetings
has brought out great deal of discus
sion regarding the action taken by us
on the report of the water commission
ers, feel it my duty to try to explain
to the citizens our reasons for doing as
we did.
The water works question is a serious
question and one that is hard to deal
with. 1t is evident that something has
to be done with our water service, as
the water has gotten so it is hardly fit
to use for domestic purposes. The peo
| pie of our city are complaining about
the quality of water we are furnishing
them and compelling them to pay for.
| 1t is certain that the water consumers
| have kick coming on the quality they
are getting. 1t is also'true that, owing
/ to the gradual closing up of our water
mains by the fungus growth in the pipes
and the increase in the use of water,
our fire pressure is diminishing
along certain mains. Our pumps at the
pumping station are crowded to their
capacity. Something must be done TO
remedy these conditions and we as coun-
cilmen realize the urgent need of do
ing the right thing.
The report of the water commission
submitted to the council was a report to
furnish additional water facilities and
fire protection TO the residents of East
hill and vicinity-at an estimated cost
of S31 ,580." If this report was adopted
it would undoubtedly furnish additional
protection to East hill and vicinity, but
would it furnish any fire protection to
any other part of the city If our
mains are not large enough to take any
more water at a certain pressure from
pumps, would they take any more water
from gravity pressure F?
Furthermore, the commissioners say
that this report has nothing whatever
to do with bettering the quality of our
water but is merely giving US more OF
the same kind we are now getting, Tins
ignoring the very trouble we are trying
so hard to get rid of. Our health Of
ficer, Dr. Sauerhering, states that per-
haps it will be necessary to move our
pumping station to some other locality
in order to get better source of supply.
In that case, would it not be a foolish
thing to spend S31.5S0 in something we
could not move with the station ?
If there is such great need of more
fire pressure, why not add another large
pump at the station, which could fur
nish the required pressure and could
be moved in case we would have to move
to another source of supply?
The report of the water commission
is based upon advice gotten from experts
they got to come here by paying
their travelling expenses. These tex
perts" must have been cheap men, as
experts don't make practice of work
ing for charity. Now, when a majority
of the council authorizes the employing
of a consulting engineer and authorizes
to pay such man, the commissioners
get out of patience with us. They sim
ply wanted us TO adopt their report
without giving it any thought. The
mem bers of the council are elected to
look after the interests of the people
and are held to blame for any neglect
of duty, and while the press now blames
us for not doing what the commissioners
wanted us to do, we would be blamed
still more if we took Easty action and
made costly mistake.
The ann of the council is to get the
very3nse of advice upon this ma tier and
act upon that, to get started right in
giving the citizens of Wausau such a
| quality of water as will be fit to use and
in such quantity as the needs may de-
mand. For that purpose we have
adopted the resolution to engage ex-
pert advice. There would be as much
sense in having the water commission
ers recommend plans for new water
plant without expert advice as there
would be in having the building COM
mittee draw plans for the proposed city
hall without the aid of an architect.
believe the citizens of our city are
patriotic enough to favor the spending
of a large amount of money to better
our water, but [ do not believe they
want us to go to so great an expense as
the commission recommends unless
there is certainty that they will get a
better quality of water and better fire
pressure over the whole city.
j. G. JUSTESEN,
Alderman Sixth Ward.