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

II 4
Several letters which pertain direct
Nv to the water supply OF Oahn, as
viewed BY government men who have
made q study of the water situation
we're enclosed with the letter sent by
Governor Pinkham to the members OF
the loan fund commission. One OF
the letters, which is from G. s, Judd,
superintendent OF forestry. reads as
|f0llows.
In response to your verbal request
of September that 4 submit my ideas
on the probable effect on our native
forests OF the draining Of underground
waters, Ibeg to submit the following:
AS q general proposition, the depth
|of the water table Tor the surface Of
the saturated zone or or the ground
waterl below the surface Of the ground
varies IN striking manner from place
to place in given region because Of
topographic, soil and other variations,
the natural motion Of d VISIONS sub.
stance, but is not, generally in the ma
ture of an UNDERGROUND stream, as 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. s.
Feeding Roots on Surface. 4
sA slow concentration of plant food
goes on in the surface soil and is
therefore in the surface soil that the
feeding roots of plants are chiefly dis
posed. But 1t is In the sub-soil that
the deeper lying roots of trees are
mainly located for supplies Of water.
1T is noteworthy that the root sys.
TENS Of trees are very responsive TO
the ground water Serious disturb
anee in the life Of atlle 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 underdrainage II may perma-
nently depress the water table and
move II out of reach OF the deep-lying
roots adapted to a certain normal po-
sition e..
,'My authority for these general
principles Of the relation Of the roots
OF forest trees to ground water ID
Professor Isaiah Bowman, the author
OF Forest Photography. n
ta6 q 00tICIt VI BllnCltlCgSs tAlO nv
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 or for
est trees in the. region where II is
essential. AaE.SE p. -. -"
Erect Of Artesian Wells a., -
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
preciably to affect the water table On
the mountains in it's relation to the
roots of forest trees e, 49, -
"On the other hand it is problemat-
ical whether the tunneling into the
mountains for water would not cause
such thorough undertakings rs to
lower the water table to such an ex-
tent that there would be a result det-
rimental to the root systems of our
forest trees. - & a:sssal
Situation at Waiatole. - &
"As L 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.
pervious rock. The area OF these wa
ter bearing sections on the surface
cannot be very extensive. For this
reason it 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, no
effect of the drainage Of underground
water on the health of the forest trees