Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-24
OUR SURPLUS WATER
SUPPLY

any community that may secure the
water for agricultural use to prepare
for it's proper distribution, it is none
too early to begin forming plans for
the disposition of the water.
OF course there is one thing that the
city officials will adopt as basis for
any plans that are made, and that is
THAT THE CITY SHALL NOT PART
WITH THE TITLE TO ONE INCH
OF THE WATER. The only way
to/secure the title to any Of the water
owned by the city of Los Angeles
should be to come within the corporate
limits of the city. No thought should
be given the idea of PARTING WITH
THE TITLE to any part of this water
to land outside of our corporate limits.
The disposing of the surplus of the
water is another matter entirely. A
city has the right, under the law, to
sell the surplus Of any property that
1t may possess for which it has no
use. According to Mr.. Mulholland's
estimate there will be $4,000 inches of
water owned by the city for which the
city has no present use. Contracts
can be made for disposing of this sur
plus at the best price obtainable to
outside parties so long as it is a sur
plus. The contracts, however, should
plainly and distinctly specify beyond
any possibility of misunderstanding or
nisconstruction, that this water is
sold only so LONG AS 1T IS A SUR
PLUS, AND THAT AT ANY MO-
LENT THE CITY NEEDS IT FOR
USE INSIDE ITS CORPORATE LIN
ITS, THE CONTRACTS FOR ITS
USE OUTSIDE SHALL TERMINATE.
entered into by the city.
Furthermore, The Herald believes
that no water should be supplied
municipalities whose ABSORPTION by the
city Of Los Angeles may be necessary
to carry out the plans of city and
able that the present extravagant dual
government by which the city of Los
Angeles pays two-thirds of the expense
of the county government, an entirely
expenditure, shall be con-
tinued In order that this waste of
money may be ended it will be neces-
sary that certain territory now lying
outside of the city of Los Angeles
shall be incorporated with it, This in
cludes Pasadena, Long Beach, the
ocean front from San Pedro to the
hills west of Santa Monica, and all
s,,f io
waterfront and the city of Los An
geles, with probably other territory as
well.
Our sister city of Pasadena will
probably want some of Los Angeles
superabundance of water. In order
to carry out the scheme for consolida-
tion of the city and county govern
ments, In which Pasadena is equally
as much interested as Los Angeles,
the city of Los Angeles will want
Pasadena in its corporate limits. We
have no objection to our sister city
some OF it's identity by COM
ing in as a borough, which can be done
under our present city charter. In
fact, considering the sentiment of
Pasadena on the liquor traffic, we be-
lieve it would be better should it do
So But in order to carry out the
scheme of consolidating the city and
county government, in which both
communities are vitally interested,
they should be one community. We
should say to Pasac--s: You are well
come to all the water that you want,
If you will take it, as part of the
city Of Los Angeles, and by obtaining
it in this way, you obtain 1t without
any extra cost whatever" The same
thing should be said to the city of
Long Beach, which at the present time
has a fair water supply, but which
will at sometime want part of Los
Angeles water The same thing
should be said to other municipalities
that must join us in order to consoli-
date the city and county governments
and form an economical and efficient
government.
BY disposing of the surplus water as
above suggested without parting with
the title to any part of 1t, and by US
ing it also as an attraction for neigh
boring municipalities that we may de-
sire to incorporate with us, it should
be possible for the city of Los Angeles
to reap double good out of the great
water supply which she is developing
with so much expenditure Of money and
energy.
1t should be easy to devise some
plan by which the surplus water of the
city shall be sold by the city to the
highest and best bidders to be used
by those obtaining it ONLY so LONG
AS IT SHALL BE SURPLUS WA
TER, and such use to terminate upon
need arising for the water inside the
corporate limits of the city. We have
no doubt that our city council and
the other city officials can work out
such a scheme as this in form that
viii bring into the treasury of the
city a very large revenue from the
sale Of this surplus water, and will
not in any way jeopardize the title of
the city to any part Of it.