Tacoma’s Water War: A City Divided Over Private Utility Buyout
A heated municipal battle erupts as citizens protest the proposed purchase of a private water plant, fearing corruption and an exorbitant price tag.
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Water and sewers continue to constitute the absorbing topic in Tacoma. Two meetings were held to discuss the proposition of buying the water plant. At the Commercial Club, Mr. Metiers, chief engineer for the water company, argued for the purchase, citing potential debt relief if the payment were kept within the city. However, a mass meeting at Germania Hall saw 500 citizens adopt resolutions opposing the purchase at the allegedly excessive price of $1.75 million. Opponents, including Robert Wingate and Engineer Talbot, argued the plant was worth only a fraction of that and that the proposed spring water supply was inferior to a potential gravity system from the mountains. Amidst the chaos, accusations of political influence and worries about 'hobo' voters being imported to sway the result added to the fervor.
“The decision of the supreme court, declaring registration unnecessary, would permit a train load of hobos being run into Tacoma to vote for the purchase.”
Tacoma’s struggle to assert public control over its water infrastructure in 1893 mirrors the modern-day tension between private utility management and public ownership. The debate over whether to pay a premium for existing systems versus building new, cleaner infrastructure remains a recurring theme in Pacific Northwest civic planning.
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