The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1911-09-15
PURE WATER FOR LEAVENWORTH|
Proposed $5OOOO Bond Issue to Pay for the Municipal
Water Plant
TO Be SUBMITTED TO VOTERS AT AN EARLY DATE
At the Present Valuation Five Mil Tax Levy Will Pay for The Plant in
Twenty Yeay---fifE Cents Per Month Per Family
Will Pay for Upkeep

tV SFhSSf'
use, for sprinkling purposes in the
summer and for fire protection at all
times, the town council took up the
matter of acquiring a municipal water
system. The question first came up in
this form about two years ago, when
the council employed Engineer Zahren
to estimate the cost of bringing water
from the Icicle river, which he estimat-
ed to be approximately $25, 900. This,
however, did not cover the cost of a
distribution system. Some time after
this the Tumwater Light & Water Co.
! submitted a proposition to the town to
sell that portion OF its water distribution
system which lay within the corporate
limits of the town, with the exception
OF the pipe line from Tenth street to
the Lamb-Davis Lumber Company's
dam, for consideration of $18, 368. 90.
Conditioned, however, upon the coun-
Gil granting the Tumwater Light &
Water Company forty-three year
franchise overth streets and alleys OF the
town for the purpose of stringing its
light and telephone wires. This prop
osition failed to receive favorable con-
sideration at the hands of the council
for several reasons, among which was
the unconditional franchise before men
toned, which the council declined to
grant. 1t also considered the price
asked out of all proportion to its value
to the town as we'll as out OF proportion
to the price set upon it by the manag-
er Of the company, as he rendered all
the property of the Tumwater Light &
Water Co. under sworn statement
made this year to the assessor Of Chelan
county, placing the value of all the
property of the company located within
the corporate limits of the town of
Leavenworth at SO, 3,648.00. The best
reason for refusing to pay $18,648.00
for the distribution system of the Tum-
water Light & Water Co. lay in the
fact that it would have practically no
value so far as the town is concerned
as it is wholly inadequate and will have
to be replaced almost entirely by lay
ing larger pipes in place of the small
ones which now convey an insufficient
supply for domestic purposes, not
to mention the larger quantity which
will be required for supplying the fire
hydrants which the council contemplate
extending to the residence districts.
The plan proposed under a former
council. known as the Zahren plan, re-
fered to by Mr.. Woldenberg in COM
munication printed in the Echo OF
September 8, was abandoned because
the council could not see its way clear,
with the revenue at its command to
build the supply plant and the distribu-
| ton system which it has under consid-
Grafton, holding that supply plant
with an inadequate distribution system
would not be satisfactory to the tax
payers. For this reason the present
council entered into negotiations with
the Icicle Canal Co. and the Snow
Creek Water Co., to supply the town
with water from Snow creek and de-
liver it to a municipality owned reser-
voir located at an elevation Of one hun
dred and seventy feet above the town
on the south side of the Wenatchee
river, from which point it is to be dis
triouted thruout the town.
At a meeting of the council held
August 9th last, propositions were sub
mitted by the two companies referred
to. The Icicle Canal Co. proposed to
enter into a contract to supply the
town with 800, 900 gallons Of water every
twenty-four hours from Snow Creek,
thru closed pipe, for twenty years.
Delivery to be made to a reservoir
south OF town for an annual payment OF