The Bottineau courant., 1907-03-29
Hundred and Twenty Citizens in Attendance
Meeting Held Tuesday Evening"
WATER WORKS & SEWER SYSTEM DISCUSSED
Annually, Works this Amount could be Re-
duced so per cent Enough pay Annual
$685. Loan.

city. The city treasurer says
that at this time there are out
standing unpaid warrants re-
gistered in his office amounting
in all to $40, 292. O6 but So, 500 of
this amount is debt incurred
for sidewalks laid last fall and
as this is to be paid by the pro-
perty owners it should be de-
Quoted from the total debt and
this would leave the present
Indebtedness of the city at
81. 792.O6 so that the city could
now raise by bonding the sum
of $27, 735. These bonds could
be sold to the State School Fund
and would draw interest at the
rate of four per cent.
! We believe the general SEN
timent of the people to be that
the city could if possible own
any water works and sewer
system operating in the city.
To secure the necessary supply
of water two methods are avail
able. One would be to erect a
sufficient number of tanks and
furnish power to pump the
water when needed, another
would be to build reservoir
on the mountain side near some
of the numerous springs or
dam up the creek where it
comes out of the mountains
and make a supply lake and
have the water piped in from
there in sufficient amounts for
all purposes: The questionpf
cost is the most vital one and
owing to the limited time at
our command we can not Sc
cure reliable estimates and
rough estimates of the total
cost range from twenty to forty
thousand dollars. We recon-
mend that the city council en-
ploy a competent engineer to
make a thorough investigation
of the water supply, the dis
tances and other facts relating
to the entire system to bring
the water to the city. In the
event that the cost is beyond
the power of the city to raise
the amount then franchise
could be granted to private
parties to secure a sufficient
supply of water but in case a
franchise was granted provis-
ions should be made reserving
to the city the right to fix rates
and giving the city the right
to purchase the entire system
on stipulated conditions secur-
ing to the city water and fire
protection and such other
rights as the public may de-
mand.
The provisions of the law
quoted so far as water works
are concerned have reference
only to cases where cities own
their own water works system.
We call attention to the fact
that today it costs more to go
without such improvements
than the entire cost would be.
The premium for fire insurance
paid in Bottineau amounts an
nuaIly o$7, 500. With adequate
fire protection this amount
could be reduced fifty per
cent, saving an amount suf-
fcient for that item alone to
pay an annual interest at six
per cent. on a loan of $62, 500
and in addition to this we must
consider the cost of buying and
pumping water. the cost of
boring wells, the damage to
cellars and Easements and the
danger of the consequent un-
sanitary conditions and no sup
ply of water for lawns, gardens,
bath rooms and many other
putrpopes.
The future of this city re-
quires i m m d ia tie attention.
Other cities far smaller than
Bottineau have already put in
water works and sewers. Citi-
zens will not be attracted to
a place where no conveniences
can be secured. The advant-
ages arising from the School of