Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-10-06
Governor Submits Opinions Of
Experts to Appointees on
Loan Fund Commission


Several letters which pertain direct
nv. to the water supply Of Oahu. Is
viewed BY government men who have
made study Of the water situation
were enclosed with the letter sent By
Governor Pinkham to the members soi
the loan fund conmission One Of
the letters, which Is from @. 8. Judd.
superintendent Of forestry reads Is
follows
IN response to your verbal request
OF September 9 that submit my ideas
on the probable effect on our native
forests Of the draining Of underground
waters, / beg to submit the toll0Wing.
|" As q general proposition, the depth
OF the water table Tor the surface Of
the saturated zone or Of the ground
Water) below the surface Of the ground
varies ii q striking manner from place
70 nlace IN given region because OF
topographic, soil and other variations.
the natural motion Of b yiscous sub
stance, but is not generally In the ma
ture OF an underground stream, IS Is
ordinarily supposed. The level Of the
ground water Is invariably lower In q
forested tract, for the forest consumes
water in exceptional quantities from
the subsoil.
Feeding Roots on Surface.
"A slow concentration OF plant food
goes on in the surface soil and II is
therefore In the surface soil that the
feeding roots OF plants are chiefly dis
posed. But IL is in the slib-soil that
the deeper lying roots Of trees are
mainly located for supplies Of water.
at Is noteworthy that the root sys.
TENS Of trees are very responsive TO
the ground water. Serious disturb
ance In the life of the tree Is occa-
stoned by sudden and unusually large
changes In the level Of the ground
water, and when there is q too tho
rough undertakings 1t may pern1a-
nently depress the water table and
move Il out Of reach OF the deep.lying
roots adapted to q certain normal apo-
sition.
MY authority for these general
principles OF the relation Of the roots
Iof forest trees to ground water Is
Professor Isaiah Bowman, the author
of Forest Pllysiosraphys
As q matter OF principle. the tho
rough drainage of the subsoil or pro-
found lowering OF the water in our
mountains would, In my mind, very
likely lessen the amount of water
available for the root systems of for
est trees in the region where It il
essential.
Effect 81 Artesian Wells.
whether the continued and moder.
ate tapping Of underground waters by
artesian wells In the region OF Homo
lulu would affect the native forests
back on the mountains by the lower
ing Of the water table Is doubtful So
far there has apparently been no de.
leterious result and ! am inclined TO
believe that the wells are SO remotely
located from the forests as not APP
preeiably TO affect the water table on
the mountains In It's relation TO the
roots Of forest trees.
ION the other hand 1t Ia problemat.
ical whether the tHnneli4g into the
mountains for water would not cause
such thorough undertakings as TO
lower the water table to such an ex-
tent that there would be q result Diet,
rimental to the root systems of our
forest trees. t.y$ -,
Situation az Waiat1oIe. = IT "
@As understand the situation in
the region of the Waiahole tunnel, the
water is found In pockets of the po,
rous rock between dykes of hard i'm.
peryions rock. The area Of these wa.
ter bearing sections on the surface
cannot be very extensive. Fer this
reason 1t would appear to me that
should the effect Of thorough and rap,
i'd drainage by this tunnel be felt at
or near the surface Of the ground the
resulting influence on the roots OF
forest trees would generally be local
During inspection OF the forest In
the region Of the Waiahole tunnel, nc
effect of the drainage of underground
water on the health Of the forest trees