The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-01-22
use LESS WATER
Topeka's Annual Report Shows
Decrease in Production.
City Pumped 6,241,411 Gallons
Less Than One Year Ago.
MORE CONSUMERS on LIST
Population Is Greater, but They
Are Not Using the Water.
Still Commissioner Would En-
large Plants Capacity.

Topekans are using less water thaI
formerly. according to the RECORDS OF
the city water department anyway,
they are not buying as much wafer
from the city. In 1913 the municlpai
plant pumped 1,034,OO2,S65 gallons.
In 1914 the quantity pumped was oniy
1,027,761,551, slump OF b'z4 -
gallons. Taking the population OF 10
peka as $4,000, then each man, WON
an and child in the city used one nun
dred and twenty-five gallons OF water
less last year than the year before.
Shocking,
Are Topekans becoming less clean
ly? Are they drinking less water
And this falling off in the quantity
of water pumped into the city MAINS
has occurred since the new tnirty
thousand dollar pump was Installed.
The new pump was working ohiy
few months in 1913. But with the
new pump installed, and with reduc-
ton in water rates amounting to 22 II
per cent for consumers of small guam
titles, and with special rates for
sprinkling purposes. still the people
used less water than In the previous
year.
Wants More Improvements.
Frank Newland, city commissioner
of water and lighting, has been insist
ing that the demands upon the pump
ing plant have been increasing-that
they have increased to such a point
that $4,000 must be expended to in
crease the capacity of the pumping
plant He also insists that there has
never been a shortage of water-that
the plant has always met all demands
made upon it.
More Consumers.
Although there was a decrease in
the quantity of water consumed, there
was an increase in the number of per-
sons patronizing the municipal plant.
There is nothing to indicate that per-
sons are abandoning the city service
and using well water instead. There
were 1921 taps connected with the city
plant in 1913. During 1914 the num-
Der increased to 7,493, an increase of
272 patrons.
why go to an expense to increase
the capacity of the plant-why worry
about the future when the indications
are that the demands, already less
than the capacity of the plant. will be
even smaller in the future" Frank
Newland, city commissioner of water
and lighting. was asked. But the COM
missioner of water did not answer.
Mayor Cofran came to his relief by in
terpOsing.
Don't ask Frank any more embar-
RAISING questions. He has troubles
enough as It is: be easy on the poor
fellow" said the mayor
Jesse Shaw, superintendent of the
water plant, offered a partial explana-
quantity of water pumped.
I'm 1913" he said, the big new pump
was not in use most of the time. 1t
was being installed. We were using
two old pumps The demand was
greater than one pump could supply,
and yet much of the time it was less
than the minimum amount pumped
when both pumps were working, so
more water was pumped than was
used. A part of it simply ran through
the pumps and then back to the flow
line"
So 1T seems that the two old pumps,
running as slow as they could be OPP
grated. were pumping more water than
the city could use.
Decrease in Receipts.
COincident with the falling off in the
amount of water which the city water
plant retailed was also a decrease in
the receipts for water sold not entirely
accounted for in the reduction in rates.
In 1914 the receipts for water rentals
totaled s100.244.2S In addition to this,