OCR Text |
Show THE WATER PROPOSITION. What has become of the Parley's Park resarvolr proposition, for which the qlty made such considerable preparations Inst year, In order to make sure an ample am-ple water supply for the city? Surveys were made, the site for the reservoir was selected", trenches wercj dug, estimates esti-mates of cost were carefully worked out, and there was a fierce struggle to let part of the contract, whether the city then had the money to pay for It or not. But now, though the water proposition proposi-tion is brought prominently to the front ngnln, no one says anything about the .Parley's Canyon reservoir, though at the time Avhen the preparations to put it in were being made, there seemed to be a universal concession, that this rcs-orvolr rcs-orvolr would answer the purposes of the city for a number of years. Now, however, all that goes for nothing, noth-ing, and we are treated) to new propositions proposi-tions entirely, two of them, the advocates advo-cates of each of which respectively assuring as-suring the public that the other scheme Is objectionable, uncertain, and little likely to solve tho water problem. We believe that the city "will have to be shown" In each case before it will consent con-sent to either proposition. A committee was appointed by the Council some months ago, which, in connection with the Mayor and' the City i Engineer, was to Investigate the water question with a view to increasing the x city's supply, and' making such advances ad-vances in the general situation as would be to the advantage of the city and itB people. This committee has reported1, and the reyult of two schemes presented is to add about three hundred per cent to the city's water supply; the minority offers as much Increase, at much smaller small-er cost, and from entirely different rourccs. Both plans contemplate the putting In of sewers for the south and west portions of tho city that are not yet sewered. The majority plan contemplates the swapping of waters of the big canal (or perhaps of Spring creel: as an alterna live) to the farmers for their Big Cottonwood Cot-tonwood water rights-, and) for a portion of Mill Creek. Of course, such swaps are cut-throat contracts the city guaranteeing everything and being sure of nothing. Tho Spring Creek water, which the committee at first thought of as a reinforcement to the pipe supply, was objected to because, though it is chemically pure now and would probably prob-ably ho so at this season- of the year, la subject to doubt during the irrigating season; therefore, it Is probable that this water could not be relied upon as a proposition for tho pipes. ' But the Big Cottonwood1 water Is always al-ways pure, and is ample if It could all be secured. The committee has secured a number of options for trades for this water in consideration of the canal water; wa-ter; and it is proposed to take this water over in a conduit to Parley's canyon, to reinforce that supply in the do season, and at such an elevation as would) afford af-ford a desirable and valuable water power. This would) be a gratifying proposition altogether. On the other hand, the Spring Creek water would have to be pumped But as to that, there would1 not necessarily be any question of exchange; the proposition propo-sition is to buy it outright. The proposition of the majority, including in-cluding tho sewers, as stated, for the unsewered portions of the city. Involves the consent of the taxpayers; to an issue of bonds to the extent of a million dollars, dol-lars, the special election, for the purpose to be held on the 20th day of next month; about a month's notice to the voters. If the election is to be held then, there should certainly be extraordinary extraor-dinary pains taken o Inform the people as to the merits of the proposition. It should be explained In full in pamphlets for free distribution, and discussion should "boll down" the main features into such simple form that there would be no opportunity for misapprehension or lack of exact information as to what Is In fact proposed and! involved. The minority plan is altogether different, differ-ent, and while offering as great Increase as the other in the water supply, It involves in-volves no pumping, but a system of gravity handling exclusively, the supply to be derived from the lakes In the hills and from the canyons, the whole at a cost materially less than that called for by the proposition of the majority. The great uncertainly attaching to the trading propositions, and the disastrous disas-trous results that may come from them, as illustrated two years ago in the 'Parley's canyon water diversion, make the people doubtful as to such trades. They would like to be as free from them as possible, and the public mind turns longingly to the lakes and canyons as the preferable plan if the supply can be had, either by natural flow or lake reservoirs or else by artificial arti-ficial reservoirs such as the one that was uppermost In the public mind last year. A great many plans for a permanent water supply for the city, commensurate commensu-rate with its needs now and in Its prospective pros-pective growth, have been devised. Two years ago, the Commercial club gave, through the diligent efforts of fifty of the leading taxpayers and business men of the city, a comprehensive study of the whole question, and the needs and possibilities of supply were exhaustively exhaust-ively tone Into. A' report of exceedingly exceed-ingly high value was made, covering the whole subject, and Col. E. F. Holmes, president of the club, worked out a, comprehensive and perfectly, practicable financial scheme for carrying carry-ing into effect the conoensus of opinion as crystallzed at that time. But all this Is thrown aside now, ns useless rubbish, and an entirely new plan is devised, in fact, two of them in part. And that is the groat trouble here. What ono sot of officials or experts ex-perts does, counts for nothing with those who come after, and time and money are wasted, without any progress being made. It seems unjust to tho public to thus make a new departure every time, nnd lose whatever of value is included in former projects. Why not have the whole matter, all the previous pre-vious reports that are worth anything, compiled, refer the general question to a commission composed of experts and of level-headed business men, and let tho public have the benefit of all the knowledge and possibilities Involved In tho question, before, for an entirely new and little understood scheme, the public Is a3kcd to vote a million dollars? dol-lars? There can surely be no such urgency In this matter as requires the public to act without a full comprehension, not only of this scheme, but of other schemes that have been fairly and Intelligently In-telligently presented by competent persons, per-sons, so that it may have the opportunity opportu-nity to do the best possible thing- for itself. Or, if anybody is In such a hurry hur-ry about this, would it be unfair to say that he fears comparisons of his scheme with others that have been or could be offered? |