The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-03-16
.OUR WATER PROBLEM
Strengthening Of Skunk River May
Be Serious Affair.

cial adjourned session Monday even.
ing to consider the water problem.
Wine awaiting the coming of absen-
tees the remainder of the council
convened as a board of health to dis.
cuss curreAt issues. The Board IA
vorS increasing the quarantine term
on scarlet fever from So days now in
force in the health rules and regula.
tons to forty-twO days, and a gen
eral revision of rules is to be made
to incorporate new rulings estab-
lished by the State Board. A meet
ing for this purpose viii, be called
some time during the week.
J. A. Critchlow appealed to the
Board to raise the quarantine upon
his home as his child appeared well.
No action was taken.
Convened as a council, all members
being present, action on the water
bill was deferred until some future
time.
attorney James A. Dewitt, appear.
ing for the Peoples Water Company,
made an exhibit Of the predicament
,acing not only the water company.
but the city of Oskaloosa in the
.'lans proposed for the STRENGTHENING
1f the course of Skunk river through.
out the northwest half of Mahaska
county.
Motion prevailed in the city coun.
Gil that City Solicitor Fl. b. Mccoy
take Immediately all necessary steps
in court to protect the city's equity
in the case. And the resolution
passed without dissenting voice.
Water Supply Threatened.
Oskaloosa city is threatened with a
! water famine and, according to the re.
ports of engineers it is a real anu no
rancied danger
Plans for the proposed drainage dis.
trict established northwest OF town
incorporate the removal OF the dam
| from the river at the old Whitmore
Mill site. Removal OF this dam, which
makes water storage possible would
De rulnouS to the water supply of Os.
kaloosa. The city faces the possibility
of going dry, in the true sence of the
term.
Neither is the condition q dream,
a fancy or a possibility. According to
special engineers employed by the
water cOmpans, and Horace Hawkins,
City Engineer, the tearing out of the
Whitmore dam will greatly lessen the
source Of the Oskaloosa water supply
and in dry seasons will completely de.
troy the water source.
1t is not generally known but the
fact remains that the city of Oskaloo.
sa has previously been threatened with
shut down of the water pumping sta.
ton. And this occurred when the dam
that creates the water storage was in
tGct. There was time during the dry
simmer. Of 1914 and during a preced.
| ing dry season when the level of the
water in the wells was so low that
! the pumps took the entire supply
away faster than it could be supplied
And this condition obtained when the
level of water in the river was far
above what it would be If the dam
were removed.
While the water supply is not pump
Ell from the river direct, being taken
from a series of wells located in
drift Of gravel ben on the north side
of the stream. it is known that the
level of the water in the river effects
the level Of the water supply in the
wells and this supply becomes great
er or less as the stage OF water in the
river is greater or less.
Storage of Water.
Storage of waters above the dam
permits the penetration or saturatiOn
of this bed of gravel wherein the wells
are located. With the dam removed
no water COLL be pumped in dry sea
sons. And that is the condition that
now confronts the city of Oskaloosa.
Carrying out Of the plans of the
drainage district as now proposed
would amount to cOnfiSCatiOn of the
Water Company property and yet the
operating company has no avenue of
defense open to them in the new law,
other than the filing a claim and proofs
Of damage to property on account OF
proposed changes. This damage to be
reviewed and assessed by the county
Board of Supervisors. The company
has resource to an appeal to the dis.
trict court but only in the direction of
the amount of damage allowed. Jury
can only assess or grant DAMAGES.
Hence the water company is not
able to put up ii fight against acrru.
ing act Of the proposed plans. not ev-
en- 10 protect its own property. 1t is
said that thu MahasEa County Board
of Supervisors have regarded the am
omit Of damages claimed bv the water
company as ridiculous, absurd non
sensical, devoid of all reason, even lu-
dicoro"s and without foundation in
fact. The Board, so the statement is
made, is inclined toward the belief
hat possibly a little damage might
be sustained by the water company.
but such damage would be only in the
removal OF thu dam. the actual value
of the dam itself
oskaloosa Has Equity.
That Oskaloosa, however, has an
equity in the matter that appears to
have been overlooked by the board
Or disregarded il ever considered. Os.
kaloosa can do more than the Water
company.
Now the primary object of the
drainage project is to do away with
the flood waters that come down nm
On Mahaska lands through the straigh.
tening of the course of Skunk river
thorugh Jasper County which dumps
all its water onto Mahaska in lump
sum" as it were. This water retarded |
and held back in slow drainage by a !
devious course becomes a flood that
spreads out over lands, creates vast