The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-24
Expert Tells Commissioners
How TO~Relieve Shortage.
He Suggests Expenditure Of
100000 on Plant.
ORDERED TO DRAW UP PLANS
Adequate Supply Can't Be Got
ten on South Side.
Special Bond Issue May Be
Decided Upon.

This afternoon the city commits
sion agreed to employ Wyncoop
kiersted to go ahead with pre-
1im1nary work necessary to build
, ing a tunnel under the river and
opening new water well fields as
| recommended by the expert. Kier-
sted. was instructed to submit his
recommendations in writing to be
| officially adopted by the commits
| sion. Kiersted is to take all re-
| sponsibility for the proper and ex-
| pedient beginning and completion
| of the work intended to give To-
| peka an adequate water supply.
Steps for permanent relief of the
city's water crisis were practically
| agreed upon at the city hall today
when Wyncoop Kiersted, water plant
expert, who has been called upon sew
eral times in the past to submit rec
| concentrations for improvement of the
department, recommended that a tun-
mel be bored under the Kaw river and
water forced thru from new wells to
| be sunk on the North side.
| kiersted, after inspecting the pres
ent pumping plant and wells in com
| pany with F. NJ. NewIand, water and
lights commissioner, asserted that ad-
| ditional water could not be obtained
| on the ground now owned by the city
on the south side of the river He
asserted that construction of the tun-
mel and the drilling of new wells on
| new territory are the only steps that
can be taken that will insure a per-
| manent water supply that will be ade-
quate for all emergencies.
The water expert made his recon-
mendauons before the cits- commits
sioEers at a special session this morn
ing. After the session had beer
recessed until this afternoon. Mayor
}. e. House declared that Kiersted's
plan seemed to be The only way to gel
permanent relief. and further stated
tnat unless the unforeseen happened
the recommendations would probably
be carried out. Kiersted may be in
structed to draw up plans and speci-
fications and handle the preliminary
work comprised of boring tests for the
| location of the tunnel.
Take Action Soon
This may not be done this after
| noon, but it will be done in the near
future" said the mayor.
| construction of the tunnel and af-
| 1llated improvements recommended
Will cost about 100000, it is unof-
ficially estimated. The commission
| is undecided as to Just how the money
would be raised. Commissioner w. a.
| randy favors an increase in water
rates Mayor House said he thought
the money might be raised by bond
issue, which would necessitate a
| special election.
| Rersted, in opening his statement
to the commission, declared that the
poor water pressure as it exists at
present is caused by the low stage of
the underflow along the Kaw. He
advised strongly against the use of
raw river water, no matter how thoro-
ly 1t be treated and purified, until
all other means of Improvement are
exhausted
i "A larger flow of water cannbt he
obtained with new wells on the. terri
tory now owned at the pumping plant
by the city, he said. New territory
! must be opened up.
| Il would advise going across the
river and sinking new wells.
| The boring of tunnel under the
an economic and efficiency standpoint
than the erection of a new power
house on the other side of the river
bridge"
| Kierstead said that tunnel similar
| to the one he proposes had been built
in Kansas City at a cost of 100000.
! A tunnel under the Kaw at Topeka,
he thought, would not cost quite that
much.
100000 Conservative Figure
Mayor House thought 100000 a
! conservative estimate for the work
| After we buy new land and do all
preliminary work and build the tun-
nel l think the figure would about
| take care of all expenditures" he
asserted.
Kiersted,. in addition to developing
wells on new territory would COM
! bine the water and electric light plant
! A combination of the two municipal
: power plants would be a great eco
nomic move, he believes
The expert came down hard on any
( idea that the water supply can be
made safe with present resources. He
wells are so close together at the
plant that some of them take water
from others.
Kiersted was questioned by al
members of the commission The ques-
ton of taking immediate steps to al
leviate conditions in a temporary way
was broached by Commissioner w. l.
Porter. Kiersted advised against any
such efforts as, by the time such steps
are taken, the underflow will be swol-
len by thawing snow and ice and pres
sure. for the time being, would be ade-
! quate.
Kiersted declared that with the
tunnel a small generating station
should be placed on the North side te
run the pumps. There should be
| enough wells at the Pumping station
so that one or two would always be
idle so as to provide for any emerg-
ency," he said