Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-04-30
More About Water

III Wy tlC HAAA4SAI01J WIN 0AAa6E-
ton Water Company:
Fir-t. The water plant at Bridgeton
is favored with natural advantages.
which very few plants in this State en-
joy, they having an abundant supply
of water running right through their
town, which only needs pumping and
possibly filtering and distributing.
Second. Their natural elevation al
lows good pressure for domestic and
fire purposes without The expanding of
large sums of money for the erection of
tall stand-pipes TO produce same.
Third. They a 70 have a standard
all-the-year-around population, which
makes the averase daily pumping and
consumption of water about the same.
This only compels them to maintain a
plant slightly in advance of their daily
output, which plant and system is
earning a standard daily revenue for
every day in the year.
Fourth. It would not be business
like or proper to even think of compar-
ing the Bridgeton plant, with its natu-
raj conditions, against the present
water system and the existing condi-
tions in the City of Wildwood, for the
following reasons:
1.-The water supply in southern
Cape May County, is very LIMITED,
and at the best is hardly sufficient to
supply the wants at the present time.
The quality of the water obtaiuable on
the island is not very satisfactory,
which necessitates going several miles
inland to obtain same. This necessi-
tates the expenditure of large sums of
money and also increases the operating
expenses very much, rs an artesian
well supply is several times more ex-
pensive to operate than what a surface
supply would be. If the City of Wild
wood increases in population in the
coming ten years, as 1t has in the ten
years past, it will be necessary to go
possibly twenty or twenty-five miles
from this city to obtain a sufficient
water supply to meet the demands.
1.-The City of Wildwood, including
the adjoining boroughs, carries a sum-
mer population of possibly $4,000 to
l0O, 900 people, which compels all pub
lie service corporations operating in
this C ty to have plants equipped with
an output capacity large enough to
take care of this large population, for
possibly three months. The other nine
months of the year the population
amounts to possibly 5000 people, which
only necessitates the different public
service company's operating about one-
twentieth OF their plant. This is the
reason that no seashore utilities can be
compared with an inland town having
a steady resident population the year
round. The utilities at seashore resorts,
such as Wildwood, lose more during
The nine months that they have to
carry their plants idle thss tfeyma1m
recover in the three months thatltheir
plants are in full operation.
8.-Can the operators of the Bridge
ton Municipal Water Plant come to
Wildwood and operate the present
plant, or a newly installed plant, and
produce the same results that they do
in Bridpeton?
4.-Have the Commissioners of the
City of Wildwood promised or agreed
to give you anything In the shape of
lower wafer rent or better service for
voting for the purchase OF the present
plant?
5.-Are you aware that it will cost
about $125, 900 additional to equip the
city with additional main water sup
ply lines and the additional fire hy-
drants which they have quoted in their
circular? These improvements will
have to be done within the next year
to make the system complete.
Your Commissioners refer to the
question that they will not be con-
trolled by the Public Utility Commits
sion and can lower, raise or change the
rules, regulations or rates to suit them
selves Do you not think that is a
pretty broad allowance of authority to
confer on the City Commissioners?
With a private corportion you have the
redress of referring it to the Public
Utility Commission for adjustment,
but if the city purchases the plant, and
the commissioners have full say, it ap
pears that the property owner would
have no redress whatsoever.
They claim the water plant is a
paying investment. If you will recall
the meeting held in city hall abouttwo
years ago by the Public Utility Com
mission in reference to the re-adjust-
ment of rates, you will recall that the
report of the water company showed