Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-10-31

In actual distance the Stanislaus
project would appear to have a slight
advantage over the Hetch Hetchy. The
Stanislaus river heads in a granite
country similar in its characteristics to
the Tuolumne, and is protected by a
forest reservoir. A former supervisor
of San Francisco. who favors the
Hetch Hetchy scheme, when asked
what he thought of the Stanislaus
source said: We never investigated
it and never will
why do the proponents of this in
vasion of the Yosemite National park
persistently ignore other sources?
MIR. Marsden Manson, city engineer
of San Francisco, in recent article
said of the Stanislaus that it is 'ade-
quate in area, with pure water, sub
ject to slight contamination and his
only stated objection is that it is con-
trolled by a company engaged in the
development of hydro electric power as
above noted. I am informed by one
Of the company's representatives that
there is a sufficient surplus of power
to satisfy all of San Francisco's needs,
and that this power could be obtained
for little more than cost. When we
consider the saving in cost of con-
struction. of dams and installation of
power plants, we can readily see that
this system is entirely feasible. More
over, unquestionably there will be
more contamination in the Tuolumne
watershed, above the Hetch Hetchy
valley, than in the Stanislaus system.
The Eel River Supply
"Another possible source for San
Francisco that never has. received a
complete and exhaustive investigation,
but which the data now available
tend strongly to indicate, will cost
much less $han the Hetch Hetchy
project, is the south fork of the Eel
river The Snow Mountain Power and
Water company already has diverted
the flow of this river through tunnel
which is of sufficient capacity to con-
vey 150,000,000 gallons daily and al
lows the water to escape into the Rus
sian river after generating power
Three hundred and twenty-eight
square miles of water shed, subject to
a very heavy precipitation, are tribu-
tary to the projected Gravelly valley
reservoir. With a dam only $50 feet
in height, this reservoir will store
1857 100000 cubic feet, or about TO-
000, 1000, 900 gallons, being a greater stor-
age capacity than the Hetch Hetchy
site with a 250-foot dam. One thou
sand four hundred feet of drifts have
already been run in testing the bed
rock foundation for this dam. A hun
dred-foot dam will be erected suff1-
cient to impound water for $50, 00C
gallons daily flow and probably COM
pleted by the fall of 1910.
There is only one house of perma-
nent habitation on this entire water
shed above the reservoir, together with
half a dozen shanties used by hunters
in the shooting season. The site OF
present dwellings at Hul1ville will be
flooded and the buildings removed
The entire watershed is protected by
the national forest reserve.
Water Running to Waste
Eat present the water conducted
through the above mentioned tunnel
escapes into the Russian river, flows
down the natural channel, and is run
ming to waste in the ocean. 1t can be
diverted near Cloverdale after being
filtered through extensive natural
gravel beds that exist in that vicinity.
The water can then be taken in a pipe
line and run by gravity along near
the Northwestern Pacific railroad
grade to tide water on San Pablo bay,
The distance would be less than two
thirds of the length Of the proposed
Hetch Hetchy line, and being grav-
ity system running close to a railroad
would mean an enormous saving in
cost of pipe line and transportation OF
materials necessary for construction
The crossing of San Pablo bay by a
knuckle joint pipe like that used by
Spring valley at Dunbartdn Point
crossing would be a simple matter and
small expense compared with the
crossing of the San Joaquin valley
and the pumping over the coast range
at Altamont, as would have to be done
in the case of the Hetch Hetchy sys-
tenn. This knuckle joint pipe, as de-
vised by Mr.. Schussler, has been in
use twenty years. 1t has been dragged
by ships anchors and withstood earth
quakes, and it is still in good condition.
"a. M. Hunt, an eminent engineer,
has estimated that 60,00O,000 gallons
a day can be brought to San Francisco
from this source for approximately
$12, 200, 00O or a little more than third
of what the city engineer has est1-
mated it would cost to bring in the
same amount from the Hetch Hetchy
system. The amount of water can be
increased to $4,000, 900 gallons per day
when the Gravelly valley dam is COM
pleted and to 200, 100000 gallons per day
when required by raising this dam.
All danger of contamination is effec-
tually eliminated by the filtering above
mentioned. This is an ideal and cheap
source for Berkeley, Oakland and Ala
media, since the pipe line could be
brought through these cities on its
way to the San Francisco peninsula
reservoirs.
Another Possible Source
There are other projects that have
been favorably mentioned by eminent
engineers. For example, the waters OF
the San Joaquin river could be pumped
from the proposed crossing of the river
by the Hetch Hetchy system and all
the expense of head works and dam
construction and length of pipe line
from head works to the San Joaquin
river eliminated. This would result in
the saving of more than $100O0,000.
There would have to be offset against
this the cost of power for pumping
over the coast range and the cost OF
filtration, but there would result d
much less expensive source of supply.
1t should be remembered that water
properly filtered is the safest for a
municipality to use, and the day is not
far distant when all self-respecting
communities will recognize this fact.
For the filtration of a supply so OBJ
tanned there is available in the eity's
present system a great reservoir, the
base of which is an enormous gravel
bed, through which as natural filter
100000 gallons daily could be
passed.
Many Water Sources
1.-THE Spring Valley Waterworks'
supplies are Lake MERGED, Pilarcitas,
San Andreas and Crystal springs, Por-
tola, San Gregorio and west slope
drainage, Alameda creek, Pleasanto
wells, Sunol gravels, Calaveras creek,
etc, and to these it is possible to add
Purissima, Pescadero, etc. Others are: