The San Francisco call., 1908-07-31
MANSON DESCRIBES
| HETCH HETCHY PLAN
City Engineer Explains Project
for Water Supply to Citi-
zenS of Oakland
Declares Communities About the
Bay Could Be Supplied From
Valley Watersheds

ALAMEDA, July 30.-City Engineer
Marsden Manson of San Francisco ad-
dressed meeting held in the Oakland
city hall tonight under the auspices OF
the chamber of commerce, his subject
being the proposed Hetch Hetchy wall
ley water supply for San Francisco.
Manson was introduced by DR.. F. w.
d'Evelyn, vice president OF the chamber
or commerce, who said that the time
was at hand when the growing COM
munities about the bay Of San Fran
cisco should take up the problem Of
securing an adequate and pure supply
of water
Manson. in the course of his talk.
said:
THE subject of a water supply for
San Francisco and for the other grow
ing cities about the bay is one Of
vital Importance. There is an increas-
ing demand for water and an increas-
ing danger of contamination of the
present sources of water supply by
reason of the settling up OF the water
shed areas.
san Francisco is looking forward to
bringing a supply from a distant
source. The problem is vast one and
one that will require able men to carry
out 1t is something that should be
above politics and above stocks and
bonds.
GOOD FOR BAY CITIES
THE plan of a joint water supply
| for the communities about the bay has
| been under study for some years. The
plan would be applicable for towns
near San Francisco and for Oakland,
Alameda and Berkeley and possibly
Stockton and San Jose, if the Hetch
Hetchy project is carried out.
by law passed in 1903 and signed
hv
may join in such a project. BY the con-
struction of two dams in the valley
ninety million thousand gallons can be
impounded. The great Croton dam,
which supplies the city of New York,
holds about thirty million thousand
gallons. The Hetch Hetchy water shed
is of clean granite formation, free from
from entanglements and is now avail
able.
The distance in an air line to the
Hetch Hetchy valley from San Fran
cisco is less than 125 miles. 1t would
require about 140 miles of canals, tun-
nels and pipe line to bring the water to
San Francisco. and it has been esti-
mated that 60.O00,000 gallons a day
could easily be brought down.
1T would take engineers about two
years to figure the cost of the project.
but it has been roughly calculated that
| JHe system would cost somewhere in
the neighborhood of $20,000,0 200.
FACES SERIOUS SITUATION
! l.. NJ. King, secretary of the mer-
| chants association of San Francisco
| in brief talk said that San Francisco
was face to face with a serious water
\ situation.
I'VE must not only have more water
| for the future, but we must have more
| water Immediately" asserted King.
we are now using 100000 gallons
daily and that is all that the water
! company is prepared to furnish at pres
ent. 1t has become apparent to all
thinking persons that San Francisco
must go to the Sierras for a sufficient
| supply of pure water.
The cost is going to be great and
this feature brings out the advantage
| is would be for other cities about the
bay to join in the project. AS San
Francisco must dicide within two years
whether it is to accept the Hetch
Hetchy plan, it seems timely for Oak
land, Alameda and Berkeley to take
the matter up, so that we will know
where we are, before the time is up. i"
Assemblyman Frank Otis said that
he had inspected the Hetch- Hetchy val
ley and considered 1T a magnificent site
for a great reservoir, but he believed
with John Muir that the valley should
be retained as part of the national
reservation.
Judge James A. Waymire favored
Lake Tahoe as source of future water
| supply for the bay cities.