Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-07-30
COUNCIL DLUFFs MAKES PROFIT
FROM wATER eLAhr DUR.
lNo FIRST YEAR.
PROFIT or $4,000 ABOVE
ExPENsEs AND sETTERMENTs
One Hundred Forty thousand Dollars
Expended for improvements and
Reduced Ratss 70 Consumers Ar
Promised soon-Exesllsnt Showing
Made BY Municipality Managed Plant
special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times-Republican.
Council Bluffs July 30.-Council
Bluffs has owned its waterworks plant
just one year and is now able to strike
a balance and ascertain the answer.
It has been paying investment and
municipal ownership Of this greatest
OF, all public utilities has whetted the
peoples appetites for more Of the same
kind Of investment.
Z In the one year under municipal
ownership the water plant has been
made to earn $4,000, in addition to
paying for improvements and extern
sions that have cost approximately
$4,000. all Of which has been paid out
Of the revenues of the plant ana none
Of which have been ordered until the
money was in the hands of the city
treasurer with which to pay for same.
These things have been accomplished
without any extra cost to the taxpay-
ers or water consumers, and represent
. net profit Of about $500, 600 from the
plant in the one year. AZ the city
only paid about 100000 for the plant.
anybody can see wherein the people
have MADE q gain and can q. the same
time understand why the private own
ers Of the plant. eastern capitalists,
for more than ave years. with money
and personal effort desperately fought
the acquisition Of the plant by the city.
Had Been Mismanassd.
The water plant, when the city took
It over. was in bad condition and had
been grossly miMnanaged. Not the
slightest effort had been made in the
thirty years Of It's existence to keep
pace with the city and not an i'm
provement was made to it in that time.
1t was sadly out Of date and in bad
repair, and scores Of additions to the
city W. clamoring for water which
the old owners would not give them.
The city has extended the mains to
these districts, has bought new pumps,
has built settling basins, which the
old plant did not have, erected new
pumping house and engine room, built
a sidetrack to the pumping station
(the old company hauled all Its coaD.
and IL now not only prepared to give
the city proper service, but better
water.
The water plant is managed by a
UOdIO VI tuISC lIuSIOOoS OAS-ASSS AASAA
who give 1t much Of their time and at
tention. In addition. civil engineer
acts as manager of the plant and gives
all Of his time to the work.
The plant now Is capable OF provid-
ing city Of three times the size Of
Council Bluffs with water for fire and
domestic use, and during the present
summer has pumped as much as 400.-
900 gallons Of water a day. A meter
service has been established and
everybody put upon an equal basis.
In adopting the meter system Of meas
uring the water the city either put in
the meter at it's expense OF sold the
meter to the consumer. Some pre-
ferred to own their meters, in which
case q minimum of so cents is charged
for their use each month, and where
the city owns the meters the minimum
is IS cents per month.
A statement Of the years receipts
and expenditures is given. as follows: