City Council Weighs Engineer's Mill Creek Water Plan
A new proposal for a gravity water system faces heavy criticism for its staggering cost and potential legal entanglements over water rights.
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The report of Hydraulic Engineer Otto Weile of Spokane on the sources of supply and the probable cost of a gravity water system for this city was read to the city council last night. The Statesman suggests the council should be slow to accept this as a solution to the water problem. Engineer Weile concludes that an adequate supply cannot be developed from Thomas springs or other subterranean sources and that the city's only recourse is to take water directly from Mill creek. Providing five million gallons every twenty-four hours would require nearly one-fifth of the creek's low-water flow, likely triggering costly lawsuits from riparian landowners unless the city purchases their rights in advance. Weile presents three plans, with costs ranging from $192,000 to $227,000, not including significant additional costs for new city distribution mains. Taxpayers, having previously rejected a $100,000 bond for a spring-based system, may find these figures startling. Given that the city already carries a $550,000 debt burden, the financial feasibility remains highly questionable.
“The taking of nearly one-fifth of this flow for the supply of the city would bring out vigorous protests from riparian landowners and the city would be involved in costly law suits.”
Water rights and infrastructure costs remain perennial challenges in the Inland Northwest. This 1903 debate over Mill Creek as a primary water source reflects the long-term struggle to balance municipal growth with environmental and legal limitations on public resources.
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