Show OUR WATER WORKS r What the Superintendent Says about Waste A HERALD reporter yesterday was airing himself about the City Hall when his attention was attracted tractEd by some loud words in the office of the superintendent of waterworks water-works Yn S on the ground floor and hastening thither he was confronted con-fronted by an irate and loudtalking female who was making some hasty remarks in regard to the use of city water for sprinkling purpo ea It seems that a notice was published ill all the city papers about the latter lat-ter part of Tune diieeting the attention at-tention of water takers to tha ordinance ordin-ance relating to he use of pipe water which provides that sprmk lers for lawns sidewalks and ironts shall not be op rated except at night between 0 oclock pm and and 8 oclock am during July August and September of each year Several men were then commissioned com-missioned in connection with other duties to watch Jor violations and were instructed if they found anyone sprinkling in the daytime day-time to report to headquarters voytferous and angry lady in question ques-tion had beeu caugh in the act of sloshing water all around the lawn and the garden and tho sidewalk and out into the street in the broad day and bad wasted more than enough to found an enterprising enterpris-ing colony on the Jordan sand ridge She had been notiHed to stop it remonstrated with threatenedbut all to no purpose she had paid for the water she said aud was going to get her moneys worth So one of the superintendents men quietly walked to the ladys premises prem-ises and in a firm but gentlemanly manner turned off t o water It was now wash d ly and there was no water in the huuse but with nil her storming the Superintendent sat composedly in his chair and smiled After this Hale difficulty was satisfactorily adjusted and the mal damsel had df par ed the superintendent super-intendent turned around to the HERALD man and Inquired if he was a fignting editor Upon receiving re-ceiving answer to tho effect that he had been placed in ugly predicaments many times in his long and useful career but that the scene he had just witnessed was entitled to the confectionery wagon the superintendent superin-tendent smiled again and running his pen behind his ear and laying himself back loran extended conversation conver-sation beg m rite people have many erroneous ideas in regard to our water works Now when a person applies for water service he is required to stale definitely the purposes jor which the water is to be used aud further agrees to be governed by the existing laws controlling con-trolling the water suppiy Notwithstanding Not-withstanding this there are many who apply fur water only for household house-hold use and these are found spriuk hug their lawns irrigating their gardens etc Again many parties have HU idea that they are ch irged for the use of the water This is an error The water belongs to the people They are simply charged for the conveyance which the pipEs afford and the city furnishes an ample and sufficient supply for the purposes asked But ventured our reporter if the water belongs to them and you charge only for conveying it to them why are they not privileged to use all they want so long as they dont use more than their share In reply to that I would call to your mind that the drayman will charge you probably fifty cents to haul one box up from the depot but if he hauls you two boxes he will charge you a dollar He brings both boxes on the same trip carrying the two costs him no more than to carry the one On the same principle princi-ple our pipes supply a water hiker with water for house use at so much per room and for sprinkling at so much per yard If the consumer doesnt want to pay for an addi tional purpose as the rates prescribe pre-scribe he neednt He has this al ternative Let him go to City Creek and haul the water down In a wheelbarrow There are a great many other violations of the ordinances ordin-ances the superintenkent continued contin-ued but they are committed more in ignorance than defiance You see it would not be necessary to en force these restrictions to the ube of water were it not for the great scarcity in the summer months and if people would be economical there would perhaps be plenty for every body It is this everlasting waste that compels summary measures Let me give you a few figures During the month of June last the consumption of water from the water works was over 040010 gtl Ions in twentyfour hours We have ten public spIlls which discharge dis-charge about 30000 gallons in the twentyfour hours and five drinking drink-ing fountains which discharge about lu000 gallons during the same period This jou observe leaves a daily consumption by water takers of 5000000 gallons This as I stated in was June before my notice calling attention to the ordinance I ordin-ance restricting sprinklers to the night time was published However How-ever it was during the operation of motors Now the consumption averages abont 3500000 gallons in the twentyfour hours We have I about 800 I ervices Allowing seven persons to eash service here would be 5000 consumers making a daily consumption of over GOO gallons per capita Now you will admit that no person is going to use that amount of water in a day The eXCI then is used on lawns and by waste Let me give you a general idea of bow lawn i sprinklers aro operated The gen tleman of the house arises with the sun and sprinkle until breakfast time When called to his repast he sticks the nozzle between the rounds of a chair and lets the water fire away at some favorite tree The laly of the houne along about 10 oclock ladies by the way are extremely fond of sprinkling concluding that the tree has had its share waters her flower garden washes off the front porch irrayates the fence drowns the side of the house and then retires to prepare the midday meal leaving the nozzle meanwhile turned heavenward to cool off the air During the afternoon the little girls of the family squirt all over the sidewalk and bathe pedestrians in coJd water and astonishment till school lets out when the little boys come home and immediately organ or-gan z themselves into a fire brigade and seek to extinguish an imaginary conflagration on the roof of the house They then proceed pro-ceed to wash off the dog and the cat aud finally themselves and by that time supper is announced and the old man returns from his toil and takes up the cross and after sprinkling the lawn until bed time takes off the nozzle its dark now and irrigates a row of choice cabbages cab-bages Here the water flows until morning when the programme is resumed But laughed our reporter all water takers are not lawn sprinklers sprink-lers How do you account for the vast in such instances V Well i ejoined the superintendent superintend-ent take a family of seven fifty galons each or 350 gallons would be an ample daily supply The master of the house wants a cool drink in the morning ordiuarily a pint of water would satisfy him if he isnt particularly dry To procure pro-cure this pint of water he empties the contents of the service pipesay ten gallons and if the water is not then sufli cJently cool he 5 lets it out indefinitely A similar perform auce is repeated by each member of the family who wants a drink But this J3 only a portion of the waste Why not keep the sink sweet and the water cool And so it is allowed to run in many instances from morning till night and instead of 350 gallons which Is more than the family really needs the actual consumption over lCOO gallons If heads of families would b3 more careful themselves and instruct their children and dependents depend-ents to be also a vast quantity of water might be saved All licenses distinctly state for what purpose water may bo used When people use it for other purposes it is simply theft At this juncture a tall man in his shirt sleeves rushed excitedly in at the door and said there was a bursted service pipe doing acres of damage in the Saventh Ward and till superintendent flew away like ho wind leaving our reporter to his own sad thoughts I |