The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-10
COST OF PUMP ING
is EXCESSIVE
Trafford Offers to Supply Power
for $4,000 Now Costing
City $4,000.

\ meeting OF the Council Committee
on Water will be called in the next
few days to act on the request of the
Committee on Electricity for the APP
pointment of d subcommittee to confer
with a similar subcommittee in regard
TO the operating of the municipal cleo
trio plant and pumping station. A re-
port shows that on the occasion of n
recent visit of an inspection committee
to the electric plant coal was being
used to generate power TO pump water.
while the water-driven pumps at the
New Pumphouse We're standing idle.
Consulting Engineer Trafford has
stated that the electric plant was de-
signed both to light the city and to
furnish cheap power for pumping
water. and he protests that the plant
should not be undermined by having
part OF its business taken from IL. If
operated only for street lighting its
proportionate showing OF cost Will NOT
be as good as X operated to its fun
capacity.
Pumping Cost Excessive.
The object OF the proposed confer
ence VIII lie to ascertain where the
waste lies. For several years mast
the annual appropriation for pay roll
and expenses at the pumphouse has
been $4,000. Now thct the electric
plant is furnishing power for the
greater part OF the pumping. Council
men fail TO see why this cost has not
been decreased. 1t is stated that the
same number of men are employed rs
when the pumphouse did all the busi-
ness, and that when no machinery is
running save that at the electric plant
the men in 10
gardening" The report to a large ex
tent puts the burden on the Water
Committee to account for the manner
III wnicn II eXpends $4,000 a year a
the Pumphouse. and many Councilmen.
some of them on the Water Committee
confess ignorance as to what does be-
come of the money.
Last year an effort was made by
Special Accountant Crenshaw to have
all pay roll and expense items in the
annual appropriation ordinance sep
arated. and in nearly every case save
the Water Department he carried his
point. The Water Department appro.
priations are still of the blanket type,
$4,000 for pumphouses i and .. the
item covering both expenses and pay
roll. pumphouse No. . supplying Wash
ington Ward at an estimated annual
cost of $4,000. which Is held TO be
unnecessary were a main laid across
the river when that entire ward could
be served from the New Reservoir
What Water Works Cost.
Similarly. Nat appropriation Of
$4,000 went to the settling basin the
appropriation not showing what is
spent for alum coagulants what goes
for expenses and what is the payroll
charge of maintaining the basins. The
general Office of the Water Department
received for its pay roll $40, 207.50. and
the total appropriations IN the budget
to the Water Department amounted TO
S140,30150 which does not include a
fund of sl43.572.3i made available
from n bond issue for laying water
mains as sewers are constructed
Engineer Trafford states that IL all
the water used by the city is pumped
to the reservoirs by electric power the
annual cost of pumping will not eN-
coed $1,000. as against the present
charge of $4,000 for maintaining two
pumphouses. al one of which the men
! are idle much of their time.