The City Grants a 25-Year Monopoly on Water
North Yakima council passes a sweeping franchise to Edward Whitson to tap the Naches River, formalizing the city's infrastructure boom.
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 City of North Yakima has ordained that Edward Whitson, or his successors, is granted the privilege of erecting and maintaining water works within and without the city limits for a term of twenty-five years. Whitson is authorized to lay and maintain mains in the streets, alleys, avenues, and public grounds for the purpose of selling water to the city and its inhabitants. The water is to be drawn from the Naches River at a point above its mouth, with a requirement to maintain a pressure of sixty-five pounds per square inch at the intersection of Yakima Avenue and Second Street for fire protection. In exchange, the city shall pay $1,000 per annum for the franchise period. The ordinance also sets maximum residential rates, such as $1.25 per month for houses of four rooms or fewer, and includes provisions for meters and the city’s right to connect hydrants and sewer lines.
“A pressure of sixty-five pounds to the square inch... shall always be available for fire purposes.”
Public control of water and the granting of long-term utility franchises were major civic battles in the 1890s, echoing current debates in Yakima regarding the cost and ownership of essential public resources like water and power.
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