The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-09-29

| haustible. In fact, it is decreasing day
by day through the careless and crimi-
nal waste that marks the operations
of the residents of the islands, and
| unless some radical steps are taken,
the day will come when the supply will
| become salty and fail and disaster will
result, There is limit of draft upon
the artesian supplies and if the wanton
! and reckless waste continues. the level
of the various basins will gradually re-
| Guce until the salt content viii increase
! to such i degree that ii will be detrl-
mental not alone to the agricultural in
| terests. but also to the domestic supply.
/ IN such startling terms does Marston
| Campbell, in his report to the Governor,
write OF the artesian water conditions.
/ Mr.. Campbell fully bears out IN his
report the story published by The Ad-
/ yertiser some time since in which was
! conveyed a warning against the UNI
necessary waste Of artesian water Mr..
| Campbell, in regard to artesian water,
writes as follows:
Artesian Supply.
The most important investigation
which has been carried on by the de-
partment during he last year has been
| the securing OF data in regard to the
| artesian water supply of the island of
/ Oahu. The present agricultural de-
yplopment has been mainly due to the
underlying artesian or ground water
! supply Contrary to the general idea.
/ the underground water supply Of the
I ISLAND Of Oahu Is not ineXhaustlble and
! is not one large basin, but is made mp
of numerous basins. sharply and clearly
defined. Each basin has well-marked
| waterShed from which it derives ITS
/ supply varying in area and rainfall.
The watershed of the island of Oahu
IS definitely defined hy two mountain
ranges: one, the koOlau. the backbone.
running the entire length of the island
practically from north to south: and
! The other. the Waianae range. which
snarallels the main range and which has
created the large mesa lying between
Pearl Harbor and Waialua The rain
fall { heavier in the Koolau range
than the Waianae and : mainly caused
by the northwest trades sweeping
across the Pacific. gathering moisture,
| then imp nging against the eastern side
If the Koolau range and forced into
the cooler atmosphere Of the mountains,
resulting i'm heavy precipitation. TINS
mountain range is extremely rugged
and steep and extremely sensitive to
run-of'. with the consequent result that
only small proportion of the entire
rainfall is absorbed and reaches the
artcsiap belts. The draft on the arte-
sion systems or basins is only replen-
iishad by small proportion of the en-
fu1 I'm Crar
male in an attempt to determine total
precipitation. run-off and absorption.
The Artesian System
The first artcsian well was bored in
1879. The success of the original we'll
had its immediate effect on the agrl-
cultural possibilities of the island and
from that date to this. 430 artesian
wells have been bored; some are dead,
MANY of which were flowing wells;
while Others are delivering from a mini
mum of 10000 gallons per day to
maximum of 8 100000 gallons. the maxi
mum rate being taken from the result
Of measurements of the last two wells
bored for the Territory at Beretama
avenue and Alapai street. The arteslan
level in Honolulu was. as shown by
the first wells bored, at ~ feet above
sea level This is the Honolulu section;
in other basins the water stood at 81
and 80 feet Where there has been a
fall. it is about y feet. Up TO 1889.
100 wells had been bored on Oahu. The
artesian level at one time in that sea
son in Honolulu regained the level OF
10 feet. This was due to extraordinary
precipitation followed by drouth Be
tween that date and June 1910, $50
hn
height of the artesian water above sea-
level now being 297 feet or an average
for the year Of 80 feet,
Artesian Supply Failing.
It is evident from the invests cations
that the draft on the artesian supply is
gradually reducing its height above sea
, level. Appended hereto will be found
a complete tabulation of the wells so
far investigated with the elevation of
the tap of casing and the elevation to
which the water rises above sea-level.
, \ careful investigation has revealed IN
one Of orr basins. upon which the draft
is at present exceedingly heavy, that
| only once has the artesian level risen
close to its original height this being
| in 1SS9-90 p years ago, and at that
time there being only 100 wells in exist
= ence The results of the investigation
: have. TO my mind, shown that there is
p a limit Of draft upon the artesian sup.
: plies and if the present wanton and
. reckless waste continues. the level OF
= the various basins viii gradually re
: duce until the salt content will increase
10 such a degree that it viii be detri
mental not alone 10 the agricultural
interests of the Island, but also to do
mestic supply That there is sufficien
4 water for all Of the present agricul
Y tural, industrial and domestic uses, an,
;, for an enlargement and increase of sucl
uses. is true. but it is also the fac
that tho pcrmanencv of the supply !
absolutely dependent upon the benefi
cial use of this, the greatest natura
resource of the Islands of the Territory
Rainfall and Artesian Level.
lie It has been shown that there IS
S fixed relation between rainfall an
4 artesian level After heavy rainfall
n there generally follows a rise which
a designated as the seasonal increas
,e VARYING from IA TO IS inches. Not
hE~