Cañon City record., 1911-01-12

& ohC SChtl al ulliiNy repair
man ............. $4,000
/ Carbons, globes and repairs
on 62 lamps ..... 372.00
Interest on s2S,o00.O0 at per
cent .,............. 1,4OO. 90
Maintenance and repairs-S
! per cent on pole line cost
and 5 per cent on plant
equipment cost. 10000
Iotal ...... .........-.. $6,412.OO
1t is therefore apparent that the ac-
tI.al operating expense OF such plant,
together with interest and mainten-
ance of the plant, but excluding de-
/ probation, will cost approximately
I S6,412,00, for service for which the
city is now paying approximately
( 100000; this total operating expense
has not been. however, Offset in these
calculations by the small amount of
revenue which might be secured from
/ the additional capacity of the plant,
and which would amount to about 40
horse power during the night and to
about 100 horse power throughout the
day; the revenue from this could not
he expected to b very large.
The assumption that the 9 cubic
feet of water which would be turned
down the hill to the Fruitland Water
Company ditch would be used for
power purposes, is made on the sup
position that il would be so used for
"a hours of the day. whereas the ac-
tual necessity for the use of such
water for irrigation purposes exists
practically only during the daylight
hours, and not at all during the night
time. Looking at it from a broad point
of view this means that the cubic
feet of water which would flow down
the hill during the night time is for
ever lost for irrigation purposes, and
let us stop for moment and consid-
er what that means: one cubic foot
of water per second amounts to 724
acre feet per annum and therefore
the cubic feet of water dropping
down the hills throughout the night,
throughout the year, will amount to
325S acre feet Of water, and your com
mittee contends that the proper use
of this water, looking solely to the
general interest of all the people of
the community, is for irrigation pur-
poses. and that IL should be run
through the high line ditch along with
the or 6 feet hereinbefore referred
to. and stored to be used the next day
or the next eason and to apply on
land. Some statements have been
made that the Fruitland ditch could
be extended and that the water which
would be turned into il during the
night would not be wasted for irri-
cation. but your committee wishes to
/ fiatly contradict such a statement and
II would appear to anyone who is IA
miliar with the topography OF the
country between the Swimming Pool
/ (the present end of the Fruitland
Ditch) and Four-Mile creek. that
! there is not to exceed so acres OF land
which could be irrigated by such ex-
tension: and II seems useless to your
committee to consider any proposition
which would entertain the conveying
OF the city's surplus water east OF
Four-Mfle. because. in the opinion OF
your committee. no purchaser could
be found for water riTS of such an
To return now to the statement that
p second feet OF water flowing I2
hours per day is equivalent to 1858
/ acre feet per annum. we will assume
: that 25 per cent of this water would be
lost through storage. seepage and
evaporation: the net value of this
water then. for irrigation purposes.
: would be 2i40 acre feet. or which. at
s feet per annum per acre for frri-
cation. Is sufficient water to irrIgatp
something like 1900 acres of land
Now then. we ask You to stop for n
moment and consider the comparatiye
benefits which would accrue to this
community out of 1900 acres of land
irrigated. which are now barren,
against the development OF los horse
power; an exceedingly conservative
. statement on the value Of an acre Of
irrigated land TO the business inter-
ests of Canon City is $500 per acre
per annnm: therefore this 1900 acres
which could be irrigated with water
which 1t is proposed to turn down the
hill and waste during the night. is
worth not less than s24 600. 90 per an
mum to this city as a business com
munity: rather high price TO pay
for los horse power
For the reasons which have been
herein advanced and for many others
which have not been herein discussed.
on account Of the length Of time which
would be required. and all of which
reasons your committee consider as
sound. we are strongly Of the opin-
ion that the proposed contract. be-
tween the city and The Fruitland Wa
ter Company Is one that VIII enure
TO the greatest benefit of the city al
! large. and Is a contract into which the
city should enter.
Before closing this discussion. how
ever. your committee cannot refrain
from referring to certain other mat
ters with which II is most familiar,
and touching upon the financial con-
dition Of the city: II feels that possi-
bly, even some of the councilmen do
not rully appreciate the situation and
that many of our citizens are not ia
miiiar with the conditions When the
city decided. few years ago. to go
into the construction Of n water /,
works system, n total of $500. 600. 90 in |
bonds was authorized, a part of which !
to-wit: s350.O0oo0 has been issued, !