The San Francisco call., 1906-05-25
PUMPING LEAVES
! = THE COUNTY DRY
Merchants of Oakland
Again Make a
Protest.
Declare San Francisco
Must Go Elsewhere
for Water.

OAKLAND, May 24.-The sMer-
chants Exchange has adopted the fol-
lowing report submitted by a special
committee:
+ Whereas, In the report of the COM
mittee of twenty of the National Board
of Fire Underwriters. rendered upon the
fire lighting facilities and stfucturas con-
ditions and hazards of the city of San
| Francisco in October, 1905, 1t is, recon-
mended (page 5S):
! That immediate measures be taken to
! increase the capacity of Alameda conduit
| by duplication or otherwise. with such
/ Crystal Springs reservoir may be utilized
to store waters from Alameda Creek;
and
Whereas, It is assumed that the recon-
mendation of the National Board of Fire
Underwriters will be given weighty II
not paramount consideration In the re-
habilitation Of the system Of the Spring
valley Water Company; and
Whereas, This Merchants Exchange of
Oakland did, on December last, by a
unanimous vote, adopt the report OF its
gate the alleged encroachments of the
Spring Valley Water Company upon the
welfare of Alameda County through the
denuding of lands therein and the ex-
gest a means to bring about a cessation
of the evil should it be found to exist,
said report being the result Of long and
painstaking investigations made by this
committee, and the specific recommenda-
tionS made therein having been ordered
executed by this Merchants Exchange;
and
Whereas, 1t is admitted by the Spring
Valley Water Company that it is extract
ing from the gravels which underlie cul-
tivable lands in the eastern part of
amount of $4,000, 900 gallons per day. or
;, 5,475,o00, 900 gallons per year, and that
the injury which has been caused 10
these cultivable and formerly productive
lands by the removal of such enormous
quantities of water by the Spring Valley
Water Company has been estimated at
from two million to four million dollars
yearly, which. capitalized at per cent,
constitutes permanent. loss of from
forty TO eighty millions of dollars;< and
Whereas. In view of the .thoroughness
nlittee aforesaid, number of actions at
law have been brought against the Spring
Valley Water Company to restrain 1t from
such unlawful extraction of water many
other suits in equity and for damages
are about to be brought, judgment in the
amount of approximately one-quarter of
million dollars has already been given
by the Superior Court, and the Board Of
Supervisors is now considering the Pc
titions it has received from the Mer
chants Exchange of Oakland demanding
restrain the Spring Valley Water Com
pany from such diversion of water as
Illegal and destructive of property values
and praying for. relief and damages there
for; now, therefore. be it
Resolved, That, if no other practicable
source for water supply for San Fran
cisco were available, or If there were no
other source from which water for San
Francisco could be had, unless there was
thereby visited upon other people and
upon other lands and injury equal to that
Alameda County then, the Spring Valley
Water Company being here, this Mer-
chants Exchange of Oakland should not
be, heard in protest against the continu-
haps claim reimbursement on the part
of individuals for the several specific in
Jurles. In so far as restitution might pos
sibly be made. But such is not the case.
San Francisco can procure an abundance
OF the purest and most wholesome water,
taken from watersheds which are wholly
uninhabited and uninhabitabie, where in
jury is done to no one by the transport
ing away of such waters, and it can pro-
cure such waters at no greater cost than
1t is now paying to the Spring Valley Wa
ter Company, for the waters taken from
/ beneath the lands of Alameda County to
! their utter devastation: and be it further
Resolved, That in respectfully submit
fing this urgent protest against the
/ ley Water Company upon the welfare and
prosperity of the people of sister county,
we petition your honorable body to adopt
with promptness such measures as will
make Unnecessary the taking of waters
by San Francisco from our lands, so that
such waters may be permitted to remain
beneath our lands for the fertiliza ton
! thereof, in order that the depleted gravel
upon which the soil rests may be
permitted to refill. and that prosperity
! may thereby again dawn upon the COM
munity.
In connection herewith we beg to pre-
sent copy Of the report Of its special
committee aforesaid, which report was
prepared after most careful investi-
cation of the conditions had been made.
! We beg you to read the statement con-
/ tanned therein, and, above urged to
take such action as will enable San Fran
cisco to get her water elsewhere and
as will permit the waters of Alameda
County to remain beneath it's land, where
| they are SO greatly needed.
Respectfully submitted
THEO. GIER,
s&aaA II. G. WILLIAMS.