The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-10-21
SPECIAL INVESTIGATING
COMMITTEE CONDEMNS
Finds Water Mains Laid After
Haphazard Fashion, and Poor
Conditions Generally
Special Daily Leader.


Oklahoma City. Okla, Oct, I'll
Criticlsing the management Of the
water department for gross negligence
in supplying muddy water to the con-
sumers, charging unwarranted cxtray-
agance In the system Of laying wa.
ter mains without first securing the
street grades from the engineers's Of
flee and charging that costly and val
uabe laboratory INSTRUMENTS were
being permitted to go to ruin for want
OF proper care and recommending
that control OF the department be
taken from the council water commit
tee and the superintendent the spec
ial committee that has been probing
conditions in the water department for
several weeks has made its final re-
port to the council.
The report was received and plac
ed on file. A motion by Vance that
1t be Grad at the next two meetings
of council was lost for lack Of a sec
ond. A motion to adopt the report
was voted down.
The report says IN part.
I'VE regret to say that conditions
we found at the new plant were far
from satisfactory. In the laboratory
we found numerous scales for weigh
ing, some of which were very deli
cate and costly just simply going to
waste, being eaten up by by rust, glass
strewn around, and cobwebs irhablt-
ing a place which of all places, should
be clean and in perfect order.
I'VE found that the department was
entirely out of sulphate or iron and
have what we consider too small a
storage for this important article.
No Survey for Mains.
I'VE find that water mains are laid
without any survey whatever, and
that the present superintendent of
the water department has never called
upon the engeering department for
any assistance of this kind The men
in charge of laying these mains are
not furnished with grades and the
rule is to take the grade by the eye,
using their own judgment in the mat
ter. BY reason of the system of lay
ing mains in vogue In this department
we find numerous instances of the
relaying or lowering of mains which
has cost the city large sums, which
is, in our opinion a very unwarranted
and extravagant piece of business.
I'VE have also found that water
pipes have been run through storm
sewers which in most cases could
have been prevented had the city en-
gineer been called upon for the prop
er grades.
we find on the east and west
sides of the city dead ends from which
pure water can not be obtained, and
suggest that as soon as possible these
mains be so connected as to give free
circulation of water We are salts
fled after a thorough investigation
that with the proper use of coagu-
lants there is no excuse whatever for
muddy water ever being furnished to
consumers in this city and when mud
dy water is furnished il is simply on
account of gross negligence on the
part OF the management.
Would Change System.
We point out that the purchasing
power and other powers are too great
20 be delegated 10 the board of water
commissioners together with the wa
ter superintendent. A case in point
is the recent purchase OF about ten
thousand dollars worth OF meters with
out the knowledge of the council.
we recommend that a daily test Of
the water be required, aud that a
proper use Of coagulates be enforced
and that the practice OF pumping wa.
ter direct from the river into the small
er sedimentary basin be Immediate
~ discontinued"
The report concludes with the state
ment that a new source of water sup
ply must be secured in a short time
and recommends that the councIf give
this question its serious consideration