The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-11-29
HOW Los ANGELES BUILT THE
GREATEST ACUEDUCT IN THE
WORLD.
lContinued from last week. }

tCOutiuueu from last WICK.
Last week we published part of the
story how Los Angeles solved the
problem of establishing an adequate,
permanent municipal water supply.
1t had worked along with a pumping
plant at great expense, but the city
grew faster than the water system,
and finally they went across two
mountain ranges and two stretches of
desert to acquire water that had to
be conducted as. far as from Black
foot to Boise, and over succession
of rugged mountains and dryest des-
erts.
Rather than take possession of
streams already appropriated for irri-
cation of tillable lands they went in
to the Businesses of the desert re-
CARELESS of expense, and paid the
price to cause their engineers to find
ways to get the water to the city.
The story oughNto be an inspira-
ton to those who read it, and it ap-
pears that people at Blackfoot are
especially need of inspiration at this
this time will lead them to cast the
eyes of conquerors in the direction
of mountain streams roaring down a
hundred canyons within our reach.
The second section of the story
follows. IA a
BY exercising it's right of eminent
domain, Los Angeles might have
made available some neighboring
water courses. This measure, how
ever, would have been no more than
a temporary postponement of the diff
ficulty. But, what was of more con-
sequence, extensive fruit lands ow-
ed their productivity to the streams
in question. Rather than destroy
these high-priced properties, the city
decided to solve the problem once
and for all by seeking water at dis
lance where it could be obtained in
practically unlimited quantity, and
secured without injury to existent or
prospective developments.
Extensive surveys were made and
revealed desirable source in the
Owens Valley, lying at an elevation of
nearly four thousand feet, On the
slope of the Sierra Nevada. This
river, fed by the melted mountain
SHOWS of summer, flows into a dead
lake. more than one hundred miles
in area, from which the annual eva
poration is equivalent to seven feet
of depth. BY intercepting the
stream above the lake and diverting
it to reservoirs, vast amount of
water, which would otherwise have
been wasted, was conserved and
turned to beneficial account.
From the point of view of supply
this source was satisfactory, but it
could only be reached by crossing
two hundred miles of lifeless desert
and penetrating to the heart of rug
ged and forbidding mountains, invol-
wing the most difficult engineering
work. The project would cost over
twenty-four million dollars, sum
which the city could secure only by
straining it's bonding resources to
the utmost. Despite these lettering
the people of Los Angeles
voted nine to one in favor of under
taking the great work. The ground
for their confidence is given in the
story that is well worth
recital.
In eighteen hundred and sixty
eight, the city of Los Angles granted
a thirty years franchise to water
In eighteen hundred and
eight, the water system of
Los Angeles was about as bad as the
worst in the country. Some parts of
the city had no water and could not
get. any. The rate was high, the
plant in poor condition, and the com
pany losing money.
In nineteen hundred, the munich
pality secured the corporations prop
erty at a purchase price of two mil
lion dollars At. that time the per
capita consumption was three hun
dred gallons daily. A meter system
was installed, with the result Of dim
~. k,y knJ