OCR Text |
Show CITY ENGINEER GIVES I EXPLANATION OF. SEWER PROBLEM Following the request of the city commission for a statement concerning concern-ing the construction of the third ward sewer, City Engineer Joseph M. Tracy has submitted the following on the unfeasibillty of attempting the work at this lime: "To the Board of Commissioners of Ogden City. Utah; Gentlemen: Pursuant Pursu-ant to your instructions that the city engineer of Ogden City report at once to the board of city commissioners relative rel-ative to the progress made upon plans, specifications and other details of Sewer Sew-er District No. 134, generally known as the Third ward sewer district, and also as to the possibility oX carrying through this project in tho immediato future, I beg loavo to report as follows: fol-lows: "This department has made all the preliminary surveys and maps for this sewer district, together with a general studv of a sewerage system for all of Ogden City. These plans, reports, investigations, in-vestigations, etc., are now complete and are on file in the office of tho city engineer. "Upon investigation it was found that tho present method of disposing of the sewage collected in the present pres-ent system south of Ogden river was unsatisfactory and in making the design de-sign for tho Third ward sewer it was found advisable to provide an outfall that would take care of this sewage and upon further study an outfall was designed to take caro of all the sewage sew-age of Ogden City when eventually built 'up with a population of 175,000. "In making the preliminary study of a sewer system north of Ogden river surveys have been made of all the present streets and extensions of future fu-ture streets so that the system as now outlined takes into consideration all ihe area north of Ogden river and tho system as now designed will take care of any extensions that may be desired to bo made in the future. As such extensions ex-tensions are made the plans have boon worked out so that no mistakes ned arise in making these extensions as to their depth, grade and location. lilt; sysiuui U ucaieiivu io i fe inky in-ky system throughout with grades on all pipe such as will produce self-, cleansing velocities .thus contributing, to the system a minimum of cost as to maintenance. "In arriving at a suitable outfall and mode of disposing of the sewage from tho present system and the district' in the Third ward, it was found advis-1 able on account or the lay of the land to extend the present outfall from Twenty-first street and Wall avenue north along Wall avenue to the north city limits and thence west to the Weber river. This part of the system is absolutely essential and Is the most economical outfall that we- have found through our investigations. When this ! part of the system has been constructed construct-ed it will be necessary on account of the lay of the land to extend laterals east from Wall aVcnue in order to sewer sew-er Washington avenue nnd the district I east thereof. With the Wall avenue j main and the laterals running cast on the several streets, other parts of the district may be sewered at such times and along such streets, as the people may desire, it being understood, how-j how-j ever, that the necessary main laier-j laier-j als be constructed at the proper grades I and locations as will ultimately fit in i i i gmc; t n-ii with the system when completed over the entire district. "It has been estimated that the cost to the abutting property in front of which there is constructed a sewer will bo 51.25 per lineal front foot for smKle lines of sowers and $1.75 per lineal front foot for double lines of sowers. The cost and expense of building this part of the system, or as wo call It tho lateral system, would bo borne by the abutting property, tho property being assessed back ono hundred feet from tho street line and in accordance with tho state law these abutters would bo given five years in which to make payments pay-ments for tho sewer in front of their property. "The cost and expense of building the outfall sewor along Wall avenue and west to tho Weber river, of course, would be borne by Ogden city at large, tho properly along Wall avenue, however, how-ever, being assessed at the samo rate as the property would be required on streets where the lateral system is built. - This is only fair and Just because be-cause this property would be equally benefited and henco should pay their portion of a lateral sewer system. "In the matter of a possibility of carrying through this project In the immediate future I will state that there is at the presont time a sorlous shortage short-age of labor and material throughout the entire United States and that this is especially apparent in the western states making it almost impossible to carry through largo, public improvements improve-ments of this kind. Manufacturers state that they cannot promise any definite time of delivery on construction construc-tion material. The United States government gov-ernment priority board Is now considering consid-ering the advisability of placing embargoes em-bargoes against the shipment of building build-ing materials necessary for such Improvements Im-provements in order that coal, food supplies, and supplies for tho army and navy may bo successfully handled. There does not appear to be any possibility possi-bility that these conditions will bo altered al-tered for at least two years. The chamber of commerco of tho United States, acting wjth the National council coun-cil of defense, has asked that all public pub-lic Improvements be measured by the question as to whether the money, men j and material used would assist in winning win-ning the war as shown by the follow-i follow-i ing dispatch from Washington, D. C: i " 'The chamber of commerco of the United Stales Is outright in Its warning warn-ing against tho commencement of new undertakings. Public Improvements, dwellings, factories should only be i started, the chamber says, when the j projector is certain that the men, mon-. mon-. ey and materials used will contribute tn lhf snrfdv 5iinrejc nf iho war Tho country has only so much of meii, money and available material. It has a tremendous Job on its hands. The resources re-sources are more than sufficiently coordinated co-ordinated and controlled. The private owners of the resources must therefore there-fore yield their judgment to the exigencies ex-igencies of the times.' "Because of these facts, I respectfully respect-fully recommend that tho matter of calling for bids and letting of contract for the construction of Sewer District No. 134, commonly known as the Third ward sewer, bo deferred until the present pres-ent crisis resulting from the war shall havo passed and further progress on this district made feasible by changed economic conditions." ' nn |