Arizona republican., 1912-09-12
.|S SEEKING
 SOFT WATER
Superintendent Thompson Endeavors to Give Phoe- nix Better Supply and In
 cidentally Furnish Rail road With Needed Quality

l If City Water Superintendent V. A | Thompson is successful in his quest | for a better water supply for the ? city or Phoenix, it will mean that not alone will purer water be intro duced into the mains, but that the Southern Pacific will abandon its plans to construct a water plant some miles outside the city. and that che of the largest breweries in the southwest will find place in this city. And that he will secure the re- ouired grade of water, Superintend- cnt Thompson is quite confident.
 To the end that the new supply of water may be obtained. there is new in the course of drilling, six teen inch well. located at the city water pumping plant. This well has already been driven to a depth of about two hundred and seventy feet and Thompson intends to go down a, least five hundred feet and even further before abandoning his search at that point
 When the work of sinking the new well was undertaken, it was not very long before flow of water was encountered. This water seemed to differ but little from that now in use by the city Alkali was present in large quantities. as were also organic salts to an unusual extent. The driving of the casing was con- tinued and later another flow of Wa ter was struck. This water seemed trifle better, but was still unsuited for the purposes Thompson had in mind.
 The city is now supplied from a series of wells located at the pump ing plant but none of these were sunk 10 any very great depth. The water. being laden with alkai has ever been the bane of the housewife, who could do no washing without the use of large quantities of soap or washing powders. In the teakettles it was found that heavy deposits of the alkali were to be found and there are many people who find that they are unable to drink the water, all though hundreds of others claim that it is excellent drinking water.
 It is known that but a few miles outside of Phoenix excellent, soft Wa ter can be struck without going to any very great depth Superintendent Thompson believes that he can en- counter this flow if he goes deep enough.
 Should he succeed ir finding the kind of water in which he is of search he will cause two other wells to be drilled and these, he says, should be sufficient to supply the en- tire needs of the city, as well as those of the Southern Pacific.
 At present the Southern Pacific uses the city water, but is obliged to employ large quantities of boiler compound Even then, it is found that there is decidedly corrosive action upon the pipes of the boilers With the coming of the big shops and the bringing here of a larger number of locomotives, the company will require a different quality of water. even if it had to construc, it's own plant in order to obtain It But Thompson believes he will be in position to serve the company al the proper time and thereby increase the city's water revenues just that much
 While he declines just at this time to state whether the capital will come locally or from an es- tablished brewing concern, lOca wholesale liquor dealer has an nOunced that Phoenix will have big ! brewery just as soon as proper supply of water can be obtained. The present water would not be suitable for the making of beer and that is the reason a brewery has not beer erected here previously.
 But Thompson is going to get thai water even if he has to go outside 1 the limits of the city to find 1t. Ane he expects to know within shor' time whether the water is to be found at the site of the well now befns drilled. The work is in charge of r W. Bingham, who has his own drill ing machine on the ground and Wh-