La Junta tribune., 1910-05-28
NUMBER 22
PROPOSED SOFT WATER SUPPLY.
Not an underfIow Proposition, But
Pure Spring Water Even Better
Than Fovslsr's Supply.

Than Fo~lsr's Supply.
I. Editor Tribune: The article In the
last number OF the Tribune, by Mr..
O. G. Hess, brings up questions in
regard to the proposed soft water
supply for La Junta which We are
glad to get before the water consum-
er.
Mr.. Hess seems to be OF the opin-
ion that the plan is to get water
from the bed OF Horse creek and that
We would soon exhaust the supply In
the creek bed, and then the water
would percolate through the soil from
the adjacent territory and would
likely be badly alkalied. Mr.. Hess
evidently thinks we are working on
an underflow proposition and so
the water might not continue as good
as the analysis shows. 1t has al
ready cost US over $4,000 to learn
that this might be true.
| About two years ago, when . new
water supply was first talked about.
1t was the opinion that there was an
unlimited supply OF good water in
the bed OF Horse creek. eight miles
north Of Sugar City,-in fact. 1t seem
ed all that was necessary was to get
the water brought to La Junta and
for this purpose company was Or
ganized and went to work. After
more than year OF investigation
and the expenditure OF $4,000 1t was
discovered that not only was the sup
ply insufficient but that the quality
also was not what We expected.
Numerous analysis were made and
these showed that the quality varied.
Water taken from near the surface
4oOntained twenty-five per cent to
forty per cent more solids than that
taken at bed rock. There also seem
\ ed to be q doubt ~ to whether We
would 9et the same qualify right
along should we undertake to get our
supply at that point. The United
States Government has been testing
underflow waters In various parts OF
the west for several years past, the
tests being made to determine the
quantity OF water that might be Sc
cured. and also the speed at which
the water moves through the sand
and gravel. These tests have invari-
ably shown that the movement OF un-
derflow water u very slow. usually
about one'half mile per year, and in
some cases much less. These tests
have also shown that by continually
drawing from the underflow the sup
ply decreases and the results obtain
I'd have been extremely disappoint-
ing. with all these doubts before
us. We were convinced We were work
U w Nh' Wiohk Pia'' w
cality was dropped.
| Some time later investigations were
made at the head waters OF Steel
Forks and Little Horse creek. On
both these streams are large num-
Der OF living springs. varying In
size from a small stream To one large
spring that flows 400 900 gallons every
twenty.four hours. Many Of the early
settlers have known these springs for
more than forty years and their
unanimous testimony In that they have
not changed In quality or quantity OF
water during all these years. They
flow the same winter and summer.
and In dry seasons and wet seasons.
! Little Horse creek. from where W.
proposed to take our supply. Is =
narrow deep gully. and the springs
com. out along the slope on both
sidcs and some distance above the
creek bottom. The plan proposed by
one OF tn. leading engineers OF Col.
Orado. " to run a pipe line directly
from each spring. connecting all In
\ main line lower down. In this way
the water would be taken directly
from the spring and no, allowed To
pcrcoiase down through the soil and
become filled with slkali.
4 The conditions on Little Horse
creek are similar to those nj Fowler
with the exception that the flow Of
water Ii ten to twenty times greater
and the quality Of the water mucA
} better. since tho source il forty muss
nearer tho mountains, The Fowler
water contains 2s to 30 grains Of
solids. while two tests from Little