El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-08-11
LAWSON SAYS CITY SHOULD Get
WATER BY GRAVITY. NOT PUMPS

IF FL Paso wants an adequate and
satisfactory water supply for a
city OF 10000 inhabitants. that
supply should probably come TO the
city by means OF gravity instead OF
pumps. in the opinion OF L. II. Law
soE, Rio Grande project engineer,
expressed Wednesday noon in a talk
before the KiWanis club at its week
" luncheon at the Elks' club
Mr. Lawson was not dogmatic
about this. He said that other large
cities OF the world had found It feas-
ibie 10 get their water supplies by
means Of gravity This could be done
n FL Paso, the engineer said, by di-
verting water from the dam at Ne
silla Park to the Mesa
Pleads for Best Method.
Water could even be pumped from
the river at FL Paso and purified by
chlorinaticn, he said Some cities
render even their sewerage water lit
for drinking by chemical purifica-
ton, the speaker declared
What Mr.. Lawson was positive
about was the method FL Paso
should use for getting water
EunnIr. Individual Investigations
squirting here and there, the rec
IamnffOn chief asserted, awaited
nothing. aWhnt should be done.n
Mr.. lawson averreds" Is to CO.
nrsinIte ali Of the interests here
behind the proposition that the
city must have a water supply.
Then, BY a process Of elimination
the method OF getting the supply
could be determined On. An eE-
pert, some nationally famous en-
Efneer, should be brought on to
the ground and after we have de
fermfned we want water we could
-ef his opinion on the method and
having determined on the method
we could place the work OF bring
tor 70 he cit in
This would satisfy 2 majority Of
the thinking people and assure
united and successful effort"
The three sources Of water. Mr.
Lawson explained, are as follows;
the Sacramentos, Mesa wells and the
Rio Grande project. The mistake |
the city is in danger Of making the
Kfwanians' guest said, was that OF Z
putting all Of our eggs into one bas-
lret- We should not decide in advance I
what is the best way TO get water ne /
warned
s1Of COURSE said Mr. Lawson,
ssvvater al comes originally from
the same sources rainfall But
cities generally have aEreed that
gravity IS the best means Of get
ting II to a munlcipallty-7
sam GIllett, president OF the c-lD
asked Mr. lawson where ne Ihougnt /
the water should come from ana the I
speaker replied that provision was
made in the reclamation act by hoose-
velt and other far sighted men for
furnishing water from reclamation
protects. The needs OF a municipal
ity in a project are paramount As
to how 70 get this water 1lr. Gil
lett asked lIr- Lawson categorically
IL IL could ho diverted from the Ne
siua dam and Alr. Lawson said it
could be. The engineer said that
many folks interested in getting va
ter to FL Paso could not see the
forest for the trees. 1t was limited
that even II It cost $50 per capita TO
get a permanent and adequate sup
ply OF water the expenditure would
be justified
r. e. Thomson Speaks.
Another speaker at the luncheon
was r E. Thomson, one OF the can
lidates for the Democratic nomlna-
ton for governor. He said he had
no sore spots and was glad to. be
back home among his friends Mr.
Thomason said he had kissed more
babies and listened TO more liars
during his campaign than he dreamed
were IN Texas East Texans, Mr..