Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-14
GREAT PROBLEM
Of BIG CITY SOLVED
Southern California Mountain.
Water Company Expends
Millions for Dams
THE WORK Is STUPEND0US
Engineering Feats Safeguard,
PopuIace Against Chance
of Water Shortage

The water problem is the greatest
problem which every city must face.
San Diego has had her water problem
solved by the Southern California
Mountain Water company. San Diego
today has not only the best water sys-
tenn in the state of California, but
has the best, purest and cheapest wa
ter in the state
Not until San Francisco completes
her Hetchy hetchy and Los Angeles
her S23, ,O00, 900 owens river project will
either of the two great metropolis of
the state begin to compare with the
water supply San Diego affords her
residents.
SUPPLY FOR HALF MILLION
San Diego's water supply today is
sufficient for a city of half a mill
lion population and still the Southern
California Mountain Water company
is working in the back mountains of
the county building reservoirs for wa
ter conservation that will impound a
supply for a city of more than a mil
lion souls.
Early in the year the Dulzura con-
duit was completed by the company,
giving to the city an available daily
supply of so, 600 900 gallons. AS the de-
mand of the city is only 100000 gal
Ions a day it can be conceived that
back in the mountains is a reserve
storage that would serve the city for
six or seven years if not a drop of
rain fell on the watersheds in that
time.
BUILDERS ANTICIPATE GROWTH
1t is conclusively evident that the
men furnishing the capital for the
water system and who are furnishing
a water supply far in excess of that
needed by San Diego at the present
time are a. ticipating the city's fu-
ture.
The Dulzura conduit, completed the
last year, and which is capable of
bringing a supply far in excess of the
city's demand, IS but one link Of a
chain in a water system which will
rival any system in the west and which
will cost at the least sum s., 900, 900.
The conduit itself cost in excess of
$375,000.
Despite this expenditure, the work
now being done and the contemplated
plans San Diego consumers are getting
water at a rate which is remarkably
low in comparison with the water rates
of other cities. Whereas San Diego
consumers receive their water supply
at rates from to 10 cents, other cities
of California pay from 20 to so cents.
The water company, under the terms
of it's contract with the city, supplies
wholesale rate of 4 cents per 1000 gal
Ions, which allows the city to sell it
to individual consumers at a cost of
from to 10 cents per 1000 gallons, the
sliding scale depending on the amount
consumed The city owns its own dis
tributing system within the city limits,
and distributes the water to the users,
the company delivering the water to
the city only.
Prior to the time the Southern Cali
forna Mountain Water company en-
tered the field to furnish the city with
water the supply was received from
the San Diego river in Mission valley.
At times the supply was exceedingly
low, and it became 40 question of
moment how to meet the requirements
of the growing city. Several propO-
sitions were advanced, but all were
more or less doubtful, both in the mat
ter Of purity of water and in sufficient
quantity. 1t was then that John D.
Spreckels made an offer to the city
that has given San Diego one of the
finest water systems possessed by any
municipality in the country.
dvaH0 81 H9LvM
Mr.. Spreckels, as head of the South
ern California Mountain Water com
pany. agreed to furnish to the city of
San Diego a supply of water upward of
necessary, for a period of ten years.
1t was agreed by the company that
the water was to be delivered to the
city at the nominal price of cents per
one thousand gallons, a figure con-
siderably less than that which most
communities are required to pay for
the mere cost of pumping and without
the attendant expenses.
From the day the offer was made
to the city it was r ceived with favor
by the people Some, it is true, die
not lend their immediate assent to the
proposition, but they soon came into
line and became among the most en-
thusiastic supporters of the plan
Within a short time the offer was ac-
copied by the common council and 2
contract was entered into and signed
by the mayor of the city.
BIG CONTRACTS LET
With the signing OF the contract
came the preparations by the com
pany for the delivering of water tc
the city. Contracts were immediate
ly awarded for the constructing OF
an immense pipe line from the Otay
reservoirs, owned by the company, tC
the University Heights reservoir, al
an expense of $l50,O00. Other con
tracts aggregating close to half a mil,
sion. Since that time further i'm
provements to the system have beer
made, at large expense, including the
present work on the MOrena dam
which will be one of the largest ir
California.
Despite the fact that the supply
furnished the city is of the pure
mountain variety, the company has
gone even further in its effort to give
the people the very best To this
end one of the most expensive anG
most modern filuering and aeratinp
plants known TO science was con-
structed. This plane represents ar
outlay of several hundred thousand
dollars and is the largest of its kline
in the state of California. The sys.
tenn of mechanical filtration in use
insures the removal of 81 per cent
of the bacteria and all microscopic
organisms, odOr, color and offensive
matter is held in suspension. IT is
one of the most modern purificatior
systems known to science, combining
sedimentation, filtration and aera-
ton. BY it's use pure clear, sparklin1
and transparent water is always as.
sured. Even were not the water treat.
ed in this manner it would I'm any Other
sty be considered plenty good enough
for all purposes.
MODERN FILTERING PLANT
The filtration plant is located at Chol.
las Heights, about six miles from the
city of san Diego. 1t comprises a bat.
cry of ten filters, the system being
xnown as the New York horizOnta
pressure system. Each filter IS eight