The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-10-16
Ry HARVEY E. RHODES.

imnound scourRe, and realizing that
Vator shortage, with attendant dis
comforts and dangers. may rccur
any year, the city OF sapulpn--Tul-
sis sister city on the south--wants a
now supply that will forever clint
nate the use OF muddy and cou-
Hminated ponds and ASSURE pure,
clear water in abundance. And Sa-
nuIpJ is looking hopefully 90 the
srlylnaw to satisfy this desire.
n the plan IS fcaslble-and
engineers are unanimous I'm saying
II .s- Sapulpa would like 20 lay a
vaior line TO Tulsa as soon as this
,Ity obtains Spavinaw water and
purchase It's supply here. Sapulpn
and contaminated supplies from
which water is obtained that cannot
be- used for drinking purposes ana
which when used I'm bathtuhs,
causes bdthers to want gas masks.
Sapulpa Still "On the Bottlc.'
A A lnw days ago those In charge
( OF the Sapulpa water plant began
90 use chlorine as a publication
medium They believe this Chcml.
cal Is an efficient germ killer, bat
10 has been unsuccCssful 30 far iu
removing the offensive odcr or the
sal, content. They are stili reluct-
ant tn recommend the use OF city
water for drinking purposes. In
fact. offices IN Sapulpa's city hall
continue to be supplied with bottled
water. Even the water commission
er himself keeps a water cooler and
a ivc-gallon containcr water In
corner of his room. In another cor
ner rs a lavatory and faucets, but
they are unusual except for washing
jos NJ. Gambil, sapulpa's COM
missioner OF public affairs has cOu-
cmded his city's present source OF
4 .cupply will never furnish the KIND
~o' water a progressive and amhl-
tious city needs. His patience has
been exhausted in trying TO treat the
water and make It pure and palat-
able. even though he and his force
OF men at the watcrwUrks plant
have worked virtually day ana night
trying diligently to overcome the
handicap Of contaminated inn
pounded water Water experts have
been consulted frequently and Nat-
Gus formulaes for water publication
employed, but without achieving the
success that is sought.
would SapuIpa like to have
spavlnaw water?' Gambill was
asked the other day,
"You bet," he replied enthus'-
aaicaIly. Every city official and
every citizen l have talked with
about the water situation wants tho
Spavinaw product. We believe
there is some way that we could
come to Tulsa and get It as soon
as you folks complete your Spavl-
nav project. and we hope to find
that way, providing, OF course, II IL
agreeable with you folks 10 supply
U.s."
"Wct" Years Saved Them.
There have been shortages In the
sapulpa supply. Aud II anyone
wants TO know how Sapulpa feels
about those shortages, let him in
oulre OF them. However, there have
been no shortages In the past three
or four years. according to Gambill,
for these years have been unusually
wet
"The only reason we haven't ex-
perienCed and shortages recently IL
because tho Almighty has been wl.h
US" he remarked.
Sapulpa obtains its water supply
from Euchee creek and Rock creek
two small sluggish streams mat low
through the edge of The city. BON
creeks are lined with trees and
small vegetation that grows in pro-
fusion. The creek beds are muddy
during all seasons, and no small
amount OF this slimy mud Is an
sOrbCd 10y the water as 1t flows SLOW
ly into the reservoirs.
For a short distance these two
streams follow parallel courses,
finally converging at a point near
the waterworks pump station lie
low the dam the stream continues as
Euchee creek, Rock creek los!n
ITS Identity
The dam forms the second largest
reservoir. Its capacity Is APPROX
mutvlv $50 100000 gallons. There
are two other reservoirs, both OF
them above the main dam on Euchte
creek. one holds 5O0,OoOOOO ga.
ions and the other l50,0OO,OO0 gal
Ions, giving total storage cape. ny
IN the three reservoirs or nearly
lO00,000,000 gallons.
According TO missioner Gam
bill, he maximum consumption u.
water in his city Is 100000 gal ohs
day cf twenty-tour hours. The
average consumption Is one ana
Onr-haf million gallons or even
less as shown by the recording dia!s
at the pump station. On n recent
day the indicator fluctuated be
tween 100000 and 100000 gal
Ions
Holds Enough For Year.
IT lhere was MAXIMUM cohaiHlP-
uon-2 100000 gallOns-eyery day
the year around, the three reservoirs
would contain water enough 70 sup
ply the city FOR 500 consecutive days
or more than a year. As thcre has
never been "A period In Oklahoma
history when 500 days elapsed with
our rain or snow, it Is evident that
evaporation. seepage and possibly
other causes played an important
part In reducing Sapulpu's supply
enough 20 cause a shortage, And
Commissioner Gambiu IS authority
Tor the statement that shortages
have occurred.
It was a surprise to find that the
water shed or drainage area for Sa
Pu pas reservoir covers sixty square
miles, The annua! runoff or, to b,
more explicit, the percentage Oi
water that finally finds It's way from
the hillsides into the reservoirs, Is
approximately l6 per cent. The
other "a per cent soaks into The
ground or succumbs to the action oi
evaporation.
To those OF a mathematical turn
lhe Sapulpa wafer system and Shel
creek offer an opportunity for inter
VAtlhg comparison As stated before
the Sapulpa reservoirs are supplied
HYa