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Tod: Airview of
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Control house; 10,000,000 gallon reservoir; storage
i ing in foreground is overflow chamber.
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Algae Play Important Role
In Starting Agitation Here
Dissatisfaction With Supply Nine Years Ago Seen
as Start of Movement; Municipal Ownership
; First Step Toward Improvement Program
On Saturday, October 30, water from Stayton island
in the North Santiam river will be turned into Salem's water
mains. This will mark the successful conclusion of nine years
of effort lor better water for Salem.
"Algae" in 1928 and a snowstorm m 1929-1930 set in
motion the train of events which brought about municipal
ownership, purchase of the pri-O
vately owned plant in 1935, con-
struction of new reaerrolr and
tank, location of a new source of
supply and building of a gravity
pipeline from 'Stayton.
"Algae Outbreak Gives
Water Bad Name -
Salem's water history Is long.
The Salem Water eompany, owned
by the Wallace and Park inter
ests, had supplied the city for sev
eral decades, drawing water from
Intakes on Minto island, fed by
the Willamette river. In 192? the
Oregon-Washington Water Serv
ice eompany, a subsidiary of Fed
eral Water Service company, ac
quired the local system. ...
Hardly had they gotten estab
lished when In the late summer of
192S Salem water went bad. It
went very, very bad. It was dis
colored and foul. Some blamed
algae from the river In the tail
end of summer. Another theory
was that the foreign matter cam
from incrustation In the pipes.
Others "said the main supply
line running unaer Willamette
slough had sprung a leak, so the
pumps were sucking slough water
which was contaminated by the
logs Roomed there for the paper J
mill and by the waste liquors from
the miller. The latter theory Is
the one which was finally accept
ed In Informed quarters. -
The water company officials
got frantically busy. They made
Improvements in their supply line
and the bad condition was reme
died. The incident gave Salem a
reputation for foul water. Legis
lators demanded special spring
water when they met here. So the
company tried to locate other
sources. They drilled two wells
In north Salem to augment sup
ply. Their final decision was to
continue using the river source
and to install a filter on their
property at Trade and Liberty
streets. ;- " - r -
Froxea Meters ' y :y ;. -vi :';
Caose of Revolt .
Things were placid on the Sa
lem waterfront then until the win-
x of Long-
rr., r.?. ,.. rgyspen.r'Jci r- - !
Stayton island, new source of
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ter In the early months of 1930
when heavy snows fell and meter
boxes were frozen. The company,
unable to read' meters, made out
bills on the average for preceding
months, with the belief that err
ors would be eliminated when the
next readings were made. Con
sumers, seeing their . water bills
higher than they should be in
winter months, raised a protest.
This touched the spark of munici
pal ownership. By initiative peti
tion a charter amendment au
thorizing acquisition of the water
plant and approving a bond issue
of $1,500,000 was submitted at
the election in May, 1930, and it
was approved by a large majority.
P. M. Gregory was elected mayor
on a public ownership platform.
The city council then employed
Baar and 'Cunningham,' Portland
engineers, to make a valuation of
the local plant. The company dis
cussed selling, but resisted pro
ceedings in court. At one time,
in the spring of 1931, negotiations
advanced for purchase of the
plant at $1,100,000, but were lat
er abandoned In favor of con
demnation. Later the court ruled
that the amendment was not val-
ll, and that made further
eeedings under It futile.
p ro
Engineers Report
On Possible Sources
4 Meantime Baar and Cunning
ham, had investigated possible
sources of . supply. In a report to
the city they reviewed three pos
sible sources: the Willamette riv
er, weHs, and the Little North
Fork of the North Santiam. They
rejected wells as being nndepend
able and costly to operate. For
use of the river they recommend
ed an intake above the city and
filter on top of Fairmount bin.
On the gravity line they picked a
source of 35 miles from' Salem,
above Little North Fork.
i ne f city council submitted a
new charter amendment, calling
for a bond issue of $2,500,000,
.7
and allowing voters to express
their preference as to supply
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campaign
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water supply for Salem, showing
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tank in background, on Fairmount hilL Concrete bnild-
.
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Eighteen miles of pipelines, 36 inches In diameter bring North Santiam water by gravity flow to reservoir
and distributing system in Salem. Left, concrete pipe laid out along route of pipeline in eonstruction period. The
pipe was manufactured in Salem. Right, steel pipe laid out southeast of Salem. Steel sections were laid in
ditch, welded, then tested to make sure there were no leaks. (Air photos by Arany, Salem Flying Service.)
source. The plea for the Little
North Fork was made that it
would be "mountain water. Op
position feared the size of the
bond issue and condemned the
proposed source as inadequate in'
quantity and subject to contami
nation. In the election held De
cember 15, 1931, the charter
amendment carried and the vot
ers expressed. preference for the
Little North Fork source:
During the term of Douglas Mc
Kay as mayor, Baar and Cunning
ham made a new, valuation, but
the water eompany rejected the
tender made by the council on the
basis of the valuation. Direct ne
gotiations failed and the city pre
pared to condemn. Finally, with
hop of PWA assistance, arbitra
tors were appointed to evaluate
the plant. This broke down when
the city withdrew, the arbitrators
having failed to complete their
task In the time allotted.
Kaha Bays Plant
By Negotiation
The depression bad made It Im
possible to float municipal bonds
at reasonable rates of interest,
but reviving markets made it pos
sible for the city to negotiate with
assurance its bonds could be sold.
Finally In the summer of 1935, on
the eve of beginning the condem
nation suit. Mayor Xuhn con
cluded an agreement for - direct
Iti OREGON STATESMAN, Silera, Oregon, Sunday -Morning, October 24,. 1937
for
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collection chamber (underground)); surface canal to supplment underground flow; control
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(Statesman stall pnoto.)
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purchase of the plant for $1,000,-
000. This was ratified by the city
council and the city took posses
sion of the property August 1,
1935. Operation of the plant was
put in the hands of the elected
water commission: Edward Ros
tein, chairman, I. M. Dou'ghton,
William Gahlsdorf, E. B. Gabriel,
J. M. Rickman.
The commission elected Cuyler
Yan Patten manager and hired
Stevens and Koon, Portland, as
consulting engineers for planning
the rehabilitation of the property.
Island Is Chosen as
Supply Source ,
The battle over the supply
source continued. To satisfy those
who insisted that wells were the
best source the commission drill
ed holes at various places at
points sonthwest and southeast of
Salem, without satisfactory re
sults. Final decision was made by
the city administration, the may
or, the city council and the water
commission, to go to the main
stream of the North Santiam at
Stayton. A. D. Gardner of Stayton
advised the commission to draw
its water from Stayton island.
Pita dug in the gravel on the 11-
and showed a large flow of good
water. The engineers recommend
ed its use.
In 193 a large portion of the
Island was bought, and right-of-(Continued
on page 5 J
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Gear, pure water; 16,000,000 gallons of it every day; sHown pouring uarough
of flushing out pipeline. A
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fini i mssii - r-- ' unasastrsmft m fi frt - r
Much More Work Needed to Perfect
Water System; Extension of Mains,
Replacement of Small Ones Planned
"Salem will be using a greatly improved but definitely
not a completed water system when Santiam water is turned
into the mains next Saturday,
VanPatten commented yesterday.
"It will take at least five
system up to the standard set
VanPatten explained. :
These plans, worked out by
Steven c Koon, engineers, late
in 1935, provide for extensions of
mains and for replacement of
small old ones with larger pipe to
such an extent that water pres
sure for both ' domestic .use and
tor Ore protection will be ade
quate throughout the : city. .
- The 12th street cross-town
main now being laid will improve
the pressure situation but will not
solve it for all districts. Manager
VanPatten pointed out. There are
numerous dead ends to be elim
inated by laying mains to provide
circulating loops and much small
pipe to be replaced,
To Pay as They Go"
The reason the distribution sys
tem " Improvements will not be
concentrated into a brief space of
Water ;to Be Saturday
-rtvwfiwffififf"
Waterworks Manager Cuyler
years to bring the distribution
by the plans we now have,'
time is that it is the water com
mission's Intention not to sell any
more water-bonds, to keep its
bonded debt to the present 12,
200.000, or $300,000 below th
maximum authorised by the peo
ple. The manager believes the water
department will prod ace at leat
$25,000 annually in surplus rev
enues to be need In purchasing
materials and carrying on the Im
provement program. At that rate,
the system can -be completed In
approximately flrr years, ha be
lieves. :r r Vv ;Y
"Our aim .Is to provide good
water service to all patrons and
to get' a better rating from the
fire underwriters." VanPatten
said in conclusion-
i
gate at "sand trap. (Photo
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Amount Voted
Not all Spent
$300,000 Bonds not Sold;
About Half of Cost in
Original Purchase
The question, "How much .has
Salem's municipal water system
cost"? can not be answered to
the dollar until a final tabulation
and lnter-adjustment of the ac
counts of the city recorder and
the water department are made,
a few weeks from now. but it is
virtually certain that the bonded
debt against the system win De
held to $2,200,000, the amount
of bonds already sold. That
means that $300,000 worth of
the $2,500,000 in bonds author
ised by the people in 193 1 may
never be used.
Additional costs that will pile
un from vear to year for five
Tears at least, as the distribution
system 4s steadily improved, will
be met from earnings of the sys
tem: under the water commis
sion's present plans.
First. cost of the system was
approximately $1,055,000, in
eluding the $1,010,509 paid to
the Oregon-Washington Water
Service company for the system.
excess sunnlies and work done
bv agreement for the city: and
preliminary engineering in
vestigations and legal services.
Work both already completed
and now under way will nse up
the last of the remaining $1,145,-
400 of the $2,200,000 proceeds
from bonds sold.
Reservoir Is Built
Pending the final accounting
for bond funds utilised since the
city bought the water system
August 1, 1935, the city's expen
ditures may be itemized roughly
as follows:
Fairmount reservoir, capacity
10,000.000 gallons, in el a ding
drain line to Willamette slough,
contract and city construction.
tii; nnA
i : Fairmount hill high level tank.
capacity 100,000 gallons, includ
Ing supply line, pumps and drain
line. $12,500.
Elghteen-inch main connecting
new reservoir to end of matn laid
by old company to old reservoir
but never connected to it, and in
cluding miscellaneous early pur
Chases ot valves and fittings,
I1M50.
--Stayton Island source of sup
ply, including purchase . of ? is
land lands, road right of way to
island, and construction of per
manent suspension foot bridge
over North Santiam river, sand
tran-control house, underground
infiltration galleries, above-)
ground extra-aupply canal from
which filters into underground
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by Stanley.)
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durin g period
talesman state pnoio.j
lines; land clearing and laying of
4100 feet of 42-inch wood pipe
on island,, $110,000.
Steel pipeline from Stayton
east city limits to Stayton is-i
land, $40,000.
Chlorinators, cost not mclua-'
ing chlorinator housing and in
stallation. Masonic park, Stay-
ton, $2916.
Pipeline Big " v
Salem-Stayton gravity pipeline,
approximately 19i miles of steel
and 6 miles of concrete, contract
cost. $645,901.
Pipeline Tight of way, approx
imately $17,500.
Engineering, consisting of $,
400 for surveying system, plan
ning how it should be revamped
and designing reservoir; $6000
spent by city council for nource
of supply Investigations, and
$36,500 for pipeline and Stayton
island development engineering,
total $48,900.
Cast iron pipe for 12th street
trunk main. Rural avenue to
north city limits, and other large
sixes along with valves and fire
hydrants for other Improvements
to distribution system... $400,000.
Miscellaneous force account op
erations such as building valves,
pipeline structures and. other ap
purtenances, estimated at $6000."
When the final payment to the .
American Concrete & Steel Pipe
company of Tacoma, Wash, is
made early next month, the wa
ter bond fund will have been ex
hausted. A small deficit, as to
this fund, will be met out of wa
ter department surplus earnings
and future construction .work fi
nanced from this source. .
Two Pioneer Girls Arc .
Engaged to Marshfield
Men, Friends Informed
. PIONEER An Item of Inter
est to the Pioneer folks is the
engagement of two of the girls
to two young men from Marsh
field. The girls are Edna Harris
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ed
Harris, to HappyA Porter and
Leon a Berger to Monty Carter.
Roy Cooper accompanied Ronv
ney Robinson of Dallas on a hunt
ing trip to Gold Beach in Carry
county.
1800 Present at Stayton
Catholic Church Dinner
STAYTON Eight hundred .at
tended the dinner conducted by,
Stayton Catholic church la tbe
gymnasium of the St. Mary's
school. Rev. George Sniderhorn, -general
chairman, reported $1100
as the net revenae for the cele
bration. This is the largest feeli-
I val in history.
The ' proceeds are to be ased
on the new sisters home new
under construction - .