Gunnison news-champion., 1916-07-28
sTUDNnG sEEPAGE
DRAINAGE md Sewerage
A Shot Discussion Of Some
Interesting Points IN Con
necion With These Press
ing Problems in Town.
Welfare.

The seepsge problem still occupies the
center Of the stage with Gunnison pro-
perty owners. for it 10 20 plainly evident
that something must be done. that the
question Of how to do It is becoming
acute. It is no theory. but a dangerous
and insistent condition which confronts
Us. When every cesspool in town, no
matter how deeply dug, is flooded to
within three or four feet of the surface
and this sewage is steadily moving und-
er the town in the sheet of water
which flows south along the prin-
cipal streets, the foul smelling mixture
entering every cellar and basement in
its path. the situation is enough to
arouse every householder.
OF course the matter of cost is the
first obstacle which confronts US. What
will it cost Us to drain the town? We
are in debt approximately $4,000 ~ .
municipality. How much will it raise
taxes? Again. what is the best plan to
adopt in this drainage? How can it be
done most effectively and economically?
Taking first the second question, the
engineer who is asked to solve the prob
lem. naturally wants to know where
this water is coming from, in what d.
rection it il moving. what IL the nature
Of the subsoil, otc.
It happen that there = very 'IittIs
controversy - to where tie ssepage
starts. Ths riss Of ground water -
~ almos& sinultaneous With hsevy
01i6fn r ~ luuloD directly oerth
fcf toWn6ao upon higher GTodhd whi1b
slopes south. Until few year, ago
this was ell sagebrush desert. There
are now nearly 200 acres Of alfalfa,
grain and pasture land in this section.
all Of which are heavily irrigated. Some
figure the town bitches may have
have something to do with it. but when
we remember that these town bitches
ran just as full and with just IS many
Of them thirty years ago as today, there
is no reason to believe it has the slight
est effect on the seepage. Then con-
slider that seepsge 10 proportionate to
the area irrigated and that the cross
section Of all town bitches, II laid side by
side. would hardly be three acres -
against 200 acres Of ranch land. Others
think the increase in lawns and gardens
is partly responsible. Here again one
has only to recollect that the total acre
age in lawns and gardens above the
central line Of town, would probably
not reach ten acres. and that most Of
the lawns are sprinkled, = method BY
which water barely penetrates six inches
below the surface. Water pipe trenches
dug underneath town bitches show no
seepage.
What 10 the nature of the suhsoili
Numberless Easements and cesspools
have been dug all over town. some Of
the latter 26 feet deep. A great many
wells were dug in the early days. some
to . depth Of 80 feet or more. An
showed an identical condition Of one to
two feet Of loan, one or two feet Of .
natural lime cement or hardpan, then
river gravel, boulders and sand - far
as gone. Whether any well was ever
dug to bed rock wehave not heard. I'm
questionably the entire valley bottom b
part Of the Gunnison river bed, and
formed Of the same material. From the
rise of land two blocks west Of upper
Main street. the slope is slightly east
ward toward the Tomichi, indicating
that once the river flowed between The
town and the Normal. As . matter
Of fact large part Of the Gunnison
river is here invisible. flowing steadily
through the gravel under all of the val
ley. In early days the water level was
20 to 30 feet down, rising with the
spring floods to the level Of the main
river. The seepage from irrigation y
probably superimposed upon this, rsis-
ing the ground water almost to the sur-
face in summer and dropping baek -
the original lsvel in winter.
Which way, now, dos IL so6pago
water howl Il probably spessds b ~
dirsetioos, hut the main dow 4 soItker.
y. A litt1s incident Of last wo1k b
eonnsc&ion With ths sxcavaticn q -
ODD FslIows' Hall illnstratss this. d.
night H. uatsr saddsaly satse1a -
CELLAR of H. Msstin- roGfd1nee - -
psd evsr en- eontaintne ~ e1lI1s6G
coal ~. Nest ~ wsgl1Dsa So -
let ~ - tlnn1nant - eaf11ik
sss'sF 0DD4 - - ~