The Wilmington morning star., 1940-10-24
CITY FAILS TO
REACH PERMANENT
WATER SOLUTION
Continued From Page One)

Continued From Page One)
lief measure came after Wade had
made an exhaustive report review
ing the history of the current short.
age of drinkable water in the
mains and of the water situation
in Wilmington since 1921.
It concluded with three recon-
mendations:
l. That the department of pub
lie works be authorized to 20 for
ward with its temporary plans to
supply fresh water to the public
through the city mains by pump
ing fresh well water into t h e
mains at al estimated cost of S.
632. 20.
Most Feasible
2. That findings in his report,
which indicate that placing the
city's water intake above Lock
and Dam No. l is the most feast
BILE means of getting a permanent
and continuous supply of fresh
water be given serious and intel.
ligent consideration, that a tender
Of assistance from the WPA be
accepted, and that an election be
called to provide necessary funds
8. That pending final considera.
ton by the board of city commits
sioners and the public, that the
public works department be au-
thorized to prepare, for the con.
sideration of the board, with the
assistance Of the WPA, a project
providing for the extension of the
present intake to a point above
Federal Lock and Dam No. l..
After the adoption of the first
recommendation over his protest,
Commissioner Fisher moved that
'.inasmuch as the survey made
by Mr.. q. L. Becton engineer
who surveyed water supply posi-.
bilities here in 1892 was not com.
plete as he stated that he had no,
been over the grounds but merely
completed his survey as far as
Strawberry Bluff, I therefore
move that a competent engineer
be employed to make a detail sur.
vey of Kings Bluff and Lake Wac
camaw waters and report his find
ings to the board"
Possibility
Fisher pointed out that if a pulp
mill should be erected on the
banks of the Cape Fear river above
Lock and Dam No. l., it is possible
it would pollute the stream and
make the city's investment in ex-
tending its water supply line there
of no value. Commissioner Wade
pointed out that the state board
of health would not allow such a
thing to happen as it has the pow
er to prevent the pollution of
streams.
The matter of whether further
study should be made or whether
the commissioners should adopt
Wade's second and third recon-
mendations followed. There was
no second to Fishers motion,
which he refused to withdraw, and
no substitute motion was made.
At 1:15 p. m. the commissioners,
with the matter still open, recessed
until Friday morning at II o'clock,
at which time the matter will be
discussed again.
tanned this summary:
''EIiminated'
1. An underground water supply
of water for Wilmington sis elimi-
nated' because, he said, evidence
from the past indicates it is not
feasible.
2. That there is no guarantee
that salt will not reach Castle
Haynes at some future date and that
elimination of color from water if
were taken there will be costly.
8. That all other sources of sup
ply, including Greenfield Lake, re-
ported on by all engineers, either
contain salt or the supply is in
4. That no city can survive or
progress industrially or otherwise
without an adequate water supply
at all times. The damage being Gone
to pipes, boilers and other equip
ment cannot be estimated. Out of
all the surveys made and all the
facts in hand there remains but one
of supply guaranteeing to the
community fresh water, in both
quantity and quality necessary for
domestic and industrial use.
At Kings Bluff
THAT source of supply is the ex-
tension of the present intake to a
point above Federal Lock No. 1 at
Kings Bluff on the Cape Fear river.
This would prepare us for any fu-
ture expansion no matter how