La Junta tribune., 1907-09-21
WATER pRoslEM DISCUSSED.
EDITOR TRIBUNE:

d
spired few ideas on that subject
which would like to submit. your
article in last weeks TRIBUNE seems
to me rather gloomy for it shows
the difficulty If not impossibility OF
getting water from the Box Springs
country Colonel Faw's project for
our city.
In the first place you state that a
pipe line Of sufficient dimensions To
carry the water from Box Springs 10
La Junta, a distance of % nile,
would cost in the neighborhood Of
/ $500 100. Well, | say then let US
not build it. but rather lei US dig a
ditch similar to a small irrigating
ditch from that country to La Junta.
and such ditch Of sufficient capacity
could be constructed at cost not
exceeding 10000 cents. That is
how Iwould overcome that difficulty.
4 Then there must be fall in the
altitude of two or three hundred
4 feet between the Box Springs
country and La Junta. and there is
nothing in the topography of the in
tervening country to make the
scheme impracticable or impossible.
The only real objection to a ditch is
the waste of water by evaporation
seepage. but if these springs can be
developed as stated by Mr.. Archer.
the Santa Fe water expert, so as to
produce 1000. 900 gallons of water
every twenty-four hours. or even a
quarter of that amount. the waste
of a little water would be inmaterial.
A reservoir or lake covering two or
three acres of ground could be con-
structed in some suitable place on
the bluff north of La Junta and the
water conveyed through a pipe line
from this lake to our present city
water plant.
am not in favor of paving Mr..
Faw or anybody else ten cents per
! 900 gallons or even five cents per
thousand gallons. for | believe we
can get water from that country at
much less figure.
am now convinced that the water
at the Box Springs is the same in
quality, or nearly so. as the water in
the springs at Fowler. this county;
that both flow from the same strata,
or geological formation. and that
this same formation extends from
Fowler to the Box Springs cou3esy.
and perhaps many miles farther
east.
If Mr.. Faw will not sell his spring
water at reasonable figure. we
should search that section of the
country for other soft water springs
and develop our own water supply.
The state geologist might be induced
to come here at nominal fee and
go over that country and give US the
benefit of his observations and
knowledge on the subject 1t might
be worth thousands of dollars to the
city of La Junta at this particular
time. when We are laying the most
important foundation of our city-a
foundation that will largely deter
mine its future growth and pros
perity. Our city council should not
allow the howl" for better water
to cause them to act hastily in a
matter of such great importance.
good scheme was evolved sew
eral years ago to secure good water
viz, TO construct an artificial lake
on the bluff south of town near our
city reservoir. fill it with mountain
water from the Otero canal, then
filtrate it from this lake to the city
reservoir. This plan was a good
one and should never have been in
terfered with. The city conncil
took steps to carry it into .executioeH
by purchasing water rights in the
mountains. but the dear people"
wanted . change of administration
and they got it. Mayor Corbin and
his administration came into power
and knocked the whole scheme in
the head. and it went glimmerine,
and our present water system was
the result.
The city has made one big mis-
take in this water business. and ii
should not be followed by another.
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