The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-13
DENIES PERMISSION
TO DIVERT WATER TO
DRAINAGE CANAL
Secretary StimsOn Refuses
to Allow Increased
Drainage From Lake
PROVISION WOULD
INJURE NAVIGATION
Would Substantially Injure American
and Canadian Harbors on the
Great Lakes-Other Ways of
Purifying City

J
Purifying City
| Washington, January Fin an elabo-
rate opinion, dealing with the principal
points advanced in the long series of
arguments which were held last year at
the war department, Secretary Stimson
has denied the application of the sanitary
district of Chicago for permission to di-
vert from Lake Michigan 10000 cubic
feet of water per second. instead OF the
4167 feet. at present authorized.
The Secretary finds that the increased
provision would injure navigation; that
there is no necessity therefor; that the
application could not be allowed without
congressional authorization and that
Canada has just right to protest against
1t except upon approval by the joint
waterways commission.
History of Question
Beginning with a resume of the history
of the drainage canal and pointing out
that President Taft, when Secretary of
War, refused similar application, on
tht EiOhli1 lidl tnS QucstioH SuOulu bt
submitted to Congress, Secretary Slim
son points out that, as a matter OF fact.
the sanitary canal never has received ccn-
gressional sanction He dismisses as in
applicable the acts providing for a canal
between Lake Michigan and the Illinois
river because they deal entirely with
questions of navigation and declares that
when they were enacted 80 years ago
the purpose to sanitate the city of Chicago
by means of a canal, could not have
been dreamed of. He sums UP the for
midable opposition to the application of
the sanitary district by representatives
of % cities and six states the great
navigation interests of the lakes, and Ca
madam government and private interests,
as marking distinct change in the situ-
alton from the time the canal was pro-
jected Voluminous reports of commits
sions and engineer boards are cited as
basis for the conviction on the part of
the Secretary that the withdrawal of
10000 cubic feet per second would SUBJ
stantially interfere with the navigation
of the lakes and connecting rivers.
Would Reduce Lake Levels
Observations during the last 4s years
show that such a drain would reduce the
lake levels from as inches on the ST
Lawrence river to So inches in Lakes
Huron and Michigan, at mean lake lev
els, the lowering effect being much
greater at low water periods, when the
additional shortage would be most keen
ly felt. This reduction. 1t is said. would
substantially injure all the American and
Canadian larDOrg thn l nlxaS
and at Montreal the river level probably
would be lowered IL inches. The United
States has spent over s90.00O,OG0 on these
harbors and the Canadian government
has improved over 30 of its harbors which
would suffer. Reconstruction of the
American and Canadian canals might
even be necessary owing to the reduction
OF the depth of water over the sills. The
lowest estimate by the chief of engineers
of the injury to American vessels by
reduction of their tonnage capacity is
81 100000 per year while the international
waterways commission places the loss at
the interest on capital of $a7.5oc00o.
Might Hurt improvements
The argument that the reduction in
depth caused by the canal would be of no
consequence in view of the fact that
greater natural changes occur through
winds and other conditions, is declared
TO be falacious, for the oscillations would
remain as before. but low water would
fall lower and high water would rise less
high. and the average draft of vessels
would have to be diminished to that ex-
tent. Every drop of water taken out of
the lake at Chicago, according to the
Secretary, tends to nullify the costly i'm
provements as well as to inflict even
greater loss upon the navigation inter-
ests.
rests solely upon the alleged sanitary
needs of Chicago; that even the prof.
ected deep waterway from the Great
Lakes to the Mississippi would re-
quire not over 1000 cubic feet of wa
ter per second, and that a greater flow
would be dangerous to navigation and
threaten overflow. With the claim of
the vital interests of the city on one
side and the broad interests in the
nations commerce on the other, Sec
retary Stimson expresses grave doubt
as to his authority to grant such a
permit without the direct sanction of
Congress. But he Is not persuaded
that the amount of water applied for
is at all necessary TO the proper san
tation of Chicago.
An Issue of Cost
The evidence indicates to him that
at bottom, the issue comes down to one
of cost and that Chicago's problem of
sewage disposal, though larger, is the
same as that which confronts all the
rapidly growing lake cities. He is sat
isfied that 1t would be possible in one
of several ways to at least so purify
the sewage of Chicago as to require
very much less water for it's dilution
than is now required in its /unpurified
condition.. 1t is manifest that so long
as the city is permitted to increase the
flow of water there will be strong
temptation to postpone the adoption OF
a more scientific though expensive
method of sewage disposal, particu-
| larly in view of the fact that the city
is diminishing its expenses by utilizing
| the water flow for electric power al
Loc!Sport. where for every unit real
| ized, four horsepower would be pro-
duced at Niagara. All of which con
virces the secretary that no such case
of necessity In the interests OF san
| itation has been presented as would
|! Justify the proposed injury to the other
Take interests. The proposition to ereci
compensating works to maintain the
lake levels is declared to be entirely
1 within the puryieW of Cons grass and