Arizona republican., 1919-05-15
C|TY PREPARES FOR NEW SOF I
 WATER SUPPLY
Undertake Project To Pipe In Verde River Water Present Supply made quate

With instructions to City Attorney Sloan to take the necessary legal steps and with the dispatch of a report upon the project to the chamber of com merce the city commission yesterday resolved to undertake the installation of a gravity water system, with a sup ply from the Verde river of a maximum volume of 15,090,O0O gallons daily. or supply sufficient for a city of 75,000. The water is to be delivered to a con- nection with the present distributing system at Ninth and Van Buren streets at pressure of 65 pounds. The water 1 is to be obtained by means of infiltra- l ton galleries, located adjacent to thte ! Verde river near Fort McSoweu. con- 1 veyed by a pipe forty two inches in di- ameter to a 25,o00 900 gallon reinforced concrete covered reservoir. located east Of the city. and thence to the city by a l forty two inch pressure line.
 The estimated cost of the system given by City Engineer Hitchcock will be s1,S15. .242.50.
 The following are the items of cost:
 Cost Over Million
 The reservoir, s25O,OOO 157,700 feet 42-inch wood stave pipe at s4 per foot, laid, $630, 800; II miles extra strength pipe, additional cost, s5S,0O0; 15.0OO feet 42-inch concrete pipe, SIP foot, $780, 900; hauling S25 tons cement $S250; hauling 5,125 tons of wood pipe, s25
 625; valves and gates, $1G000; air vents, 5000; arrOya crossings, S30,000; engineering. legal services and incl
 dentals, $119,567.
 The city engineer says: q have
 been aided and assisted in making this
 report by MT. Hiram Phillips, of St
 Louis, who in October, 1913, made al
 examination of various sources for z
 new water works system and favor
 ably recommended the Verde river a: the most feasible. His original repor
 recommended the use of the water
 direct from the river and Altering
 Since his report extensive tests anC
 examinations have demonstrated tha
 an abundance of water can be secured
 by an infiltration system, affordin; clear water without filter:ng, and thii
 method has been adopted as estimated
 in this report"
 The necessity of action is the bette understood when it is learned that tn
 present plant is working to capacity
 The city has grown so rapidly tha there is now nothing to spare and be fore tthe proposed gravity system coul
 be installed, provided it should be au
 thorized by the pople, other pumpin
 facilities would have to be put in.
 Present Supply Not Satisfactory
 City Manager Thompson in present , ing the report to the commission said } That the present water supply Ina cost Phoenix many industries is a fac ;, generally conceded in that it keep
 thousands of tourists from spendin their winters in Phoenix-that it is un ] satisfactory for household use are als , facts well known to all. There are number of other reasons that could b l given to show the need of a bette water supply. but I am sure that yo know as well as I do that what thi city needs most is an adequate suppl 3 of pure soft, clear water, and what 9 want to do is to convince you tha } such a supply is available and now 7 the time to secure it. Dual . ity is the first requisite for a domesti , water supply. As to the quality of tn ] water of the Verde river we have 2 , hand certificates of analyses by Joh r G. Sparks, of New York city, and b : the University of Arizona, as well g 1 the findings submitted by the Phoeni :. pathological laboratory Engine, e Church has the following to say
 part:
 " The Verde river is not only supp Q rior to both the others mentioned (tl e Hassayampa and the Agua Fria) as Q potable water and vastly superior 2 your present supply, but it is especia s ly notable for it's freedom from su /. plates, which form a permanent boil . scale. The carbonates forming a SC I scale are present but in small qua e tity and are easily precipitated if ne - essary. Of chlorides there is neg ,l gible trace. In all these respects I
 not recall that the Verde river is m l. terially surpassed by any supply wit
 in my knowledge throughout the who
 country
 d Proposed Supply Would Be Ample IF The city manager showed by repor T that and from observations made ~ the river since 1888 and the minimu ,o flow registered during the last twent