Tacoma’s Water Crisis: Livestock and Ducks Contaminating the City's Supply
While citizens face water shortages and lawn sprinkling bans, city officials grapple with a public health dilemma where contaminated surface water is routinely mixed with pure well water.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The question of a water supply for Tacoma is becoming a serious one. Since the season of lawn sprinkling commenced, residents in the hill districts have been short of water during the latter part of the day. In some homes, the water supply has been so scant that there has been scarcely enough for domestic purposes, and lawn sprinkling has been out of the question altogether. It was supposed that when the new wells at South Tacoma were ready for use the supply from Clover Creek would be shut off. That is not the case, however. Water from the wells is turned into the Clover Creek flume and when the supply is greater than the pumping stations can take care of, the South Tacoma pumps are shut down and the full volume of the Clover Creek water is used. Investigation shows that there is no means of cutting off the Clover Creek supply without flooding neighboring farms, which would expose the city to heavy damage claims. The creek runs through several miles of land used for pasture. Cattle and horses walk up and down in the creek at all hours of the day, and flocks of ducks and game frequently disport themselves on its slimy surface, while the overflow from manure pits is allowed to mingle with the spring water.
“The creek runs through several miles of land that is used for pasture. Cattle and horses walk up and down in the creek at all hours of the day.”
This 1904 report highlights the early, often precarious, struggle for municipal infrastructure. Today, Tacoma's water supply is sourced from the protected Green River Watershed, a far cry from the days when local farmers' pastures directly fed the city's open flumes.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.