The San Francisco call., 1908-04-14
SAN FRANCISCO, April IS, 1908.

~ AA4C 9PSNAoA NAAN
Board Of Supervisors on Water
Supply:
Gentlemen-At the conclusion of
the interview on the evening of April
:, between your committee and Off
cials of the Spring Vailoy Water Com
psny, it was suggested that certain
propositions which had been made at
that meeting, In behalf of the com
psuy, should be reduced to writing,
and in compliance with this request
we beg to submit the following sum-
mary Of these propositions, and TO
outline 70 you the grounds upon
which we ask you to establish rates
for the coming fiscal year.
The physical conditions of the wa
yer supply may be summarized as fol-
iov1:
The present safe capacity of the
plant for distribution in San Fran
cisco is 3S,ooo,ooo gallons per day.
and the consumption of the city ap-
proxinlstes that quantity. The aver
age consumption is at least $1,000, 900
gallons daily, but during the months
Of September and October of last
year exceptional days reached con-
sumption of 100000.
By the expenditure of approx
snstely 100000 in the erection of a
new pump at Ocean View and an
additional force pipe line from Ocean
View TO Lake Honda the delivery 10
San Francisco can be increased to
100000 gallons per day, including
the supply now taken from Lake
Merced, and this work can be COM
pleted within the next four months
if undertaken Immediately.
BY distributing 100000 gallons
we are trenching to the extent of
100000 gallons a day upon the re-
serve in the company's reservoirs. In
the present condition of these reser-
voirs this IS not serious matter, in
view Of the fact that an additional
expenditure OF from 100000 to $780,
600, which need not necessarily be
undertaken this year, would make the
compzny's daily yield of water &C
tually deliverable in SanN Francisco
fully equal to 100000 gallons a day.
As was explained to your committee,
this additional 100000 gallons per
day will be obtained by the instaIla-
ton OF pumps at Ravenswood, which
will increase the pressure upon the
submarine pipes across the bay.
The city is in immediate and urgent
need Of the additional 100000 gal
bons daily, which can only be had
beginning at the expiration of four
months from date-by the expendi-
ture of $5OooOO spread over the COM
Ing two years.
Having reached this limit of 10000,
300 gallons, however, we are con-
Eronted with the fact that any further
supply calls for the very large ex-
penditure of money involved in one or
the other of the plans for storage
reservoirs in the Calaveras water
shed, and the still greater expendi-
lure involved in the construction of
necessary conduit for conveying this
water to the city limits
1t is impossible under present con-
ditions to predict, with any approx
nation to certainty, the growing ne
cessities of San Francisco, and hence
impossible 10 say when the city will
be confronted by an absolute neces-
sity for a greater supply than 10000.
00o gallons daily. II would take from
three TO four years. depending upon
the seasonal rainfall, 10 provide these
additional storage reservoirs in the
Calaveras watershed and establish the
conduits for bringing that water to
San Francisco.
Under these circumstances is it not
self evident, even under the lowest
calculation of the city,s growth in
consumption, that immediate steps
must be taken for the protection OF
the city against water famine?
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