Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-07-27
WHITEHOUSE IS
AT ISSUE WITH
EXPERTLARRISON
CONTINUED from page one)

presently served from the Nuuanu
! system and such water as could be
taken from the already medically con,
I demned surface waters in Manoa and
Pauoa, that the district engineer would
have the citizens depend upon for
their present wants and growing
=. That Honolulu has escaped an epi-
i demic due to water conditions is due
: solely to the eternal yigilence OF its
! board Of health and the wary caution
the people of Honolulu have acquired
/ by experience in steering clear of cpl
( demic and sickness. III .=......
TWO Grave Objections.
No one disputes that there are sur
t face waters flowing in Palolo, Hanoa,
Pauoa, Kalihi and the Punaluu valleys.
| The regular flow OF the first four nam
/ ed valleys is, however, owned and
controlled by rice and taro growers
/ and kuleana holders who take water
| from the streams alongside of which
/ they plant or divert the water On TO
their lands. To condemn such water
would cost the city prohibitiye sum
| OF money and at the same time take
| hundreds, yes, believe thousands of
acres CT the most valuable agricultur-
al lands away from the present own
ers and holders and in many instances
net only rob the owner or holder Of
livelihood, bat would place the lands
in position where they would probab-
lay fallcw for want of irrigation. Such
course would mean destructive, not
constructive, progress. l. for one, can
ho1 hot hn hnO int af
Honolulu will be served by the con-
domination of the surface waters sur
rounding the city, even allowing that
an unpolluted supply of potable water
might be obtained from such sources
without the additional expense of fill
tratiGn plants such as are employed
in all modern water systems where
surface water such as that which could
be obtained in Honolulu is employed;
land while on that subject you will
probably remember that ever since
the building CT the big Nuuanu dam
there has been agitation on foot for
filtration plant for the water there
conserved, ard that it is only because
CT lack of funds necessary to put in
such plant that we are drinking, and
at times I,might say, eating the Nh
uanu water.
To quote the district engineer:
I'VE know that already the arte-
sian wells are drawn on for more than
the amount by which they are replen-
ished-that the artesian water level
is being reduced all the time"
: Letus assume that what the district
engineer says we all know is true. 1t
would then appear to me that it would
be a very impractical engineer who
would advocate further tapping of the
artesian system for a city supply; and
an extremely practical one who would
advocate obtaining a supply from
some other source.
Artesian Supply Not Menaced.
Knowing the district engineer as
we'll as | do and having considerable
respect for his opinion as a water ex-
pert (as distinguished from an en-.
gineer looking to the supplying of
water for domestic or commercial pur
pcses) / cannot understand why he
advocates pumping water from an ar
tesian basin which, as he says, is be-
ing reduced all the time, when equally
as good or better water can be OBJ
tanned at much less cost to the city by
boring into the mountains at point
which will not interfere with the
rights of others and to suppose that a
rin-hole in a range of mountains of
ever 40 miles will injuriously affect
the artesian supply, requires keen
of imagination or a mind
that can see but one side of the shield
II is admittedly true that there are
vast quantities of underground water
daily finding its way into the sea at
Or about sea level. Unfortunately the
artesian system is not great porce-
lain bowl that retains all the water
that seeps into it, but. on the contrary
t has the faculty of allowing much
10 sep out
Wen as to the Punaluu waters: Tn
esess am very much mistaken. in or
iert1 divert any considerable portion
81 tfe Punaluu water into the Waia-
lole, tunnel, it would have to be pump
ID to an elevation sufficient to get
o the Waiahole tunnel level Under |
he contract between the government
md the Waiahole Water Company no
,ity water can be carried through it s
or 80 years. At the expiration Of l
hat time 100000 gallons each "a {
Iours can be carried and the total of
o, 100000 gallons can be carried after
% years. Imagine waiting for 80
ears to obtain 100000 gallons from !
'unaluu which would require a ditch !
nd tunnel of approximately three I
niles in order 10 get it in the vicinity '
4 the Waiahole Water tunnel, the out '
ct Of which is above Pearl City, so {
hat 1t would require another pipeline I
rom Pearl City to Honolulu. We. want
gater for the present generation in
rider that there may be future gen
ration, We are entitled to water fiji
cred through thousands CT feet OF
oil, volcanic ash, rock and the other
Ingredients that help make up our
fountains; not to water that has the
of filth and offal through
ihich it must run fer miles before
eng impounded for drinking pur-
oSes. 49,. ..5 49,.
las Confidence in Commission.