The Price of Pure Water
A critical editorial weighs the staggering costs and civic risks of the city's proposed Mill Creek water project.
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 water supply for Walla Walla must fulfill four conditions: it must be city-owned, the purest obtainable, sufficient for growth, and cost-effective. Engineer Weile's report only addresses the third, and even that is doubtful. We have no right to take water from Mill Creek without purchase or condemnation, which Weile failed to account for in his costs. With irrigation rights valued at $100 per acre, acquiring the necessary water will cost at least $124,000. Furthermore, the water is periodically muddy, requiring $50,000 for filter beds, and the open nature of the stream allows for contamination from livestock. When factoring in the original $200,000 estimate for mains, the total exceeds $374,000. We want increased supply, ownership, and purity, but this proposal is far too expensive. We demand more discussion and truly skilled advice.
“We want an increased water-supply. We want to own the water. We want pure water. We want the system to be built and operate at a cost within reason.”
Walla Walla’s struggle with Mill Creek’s water rights and the cost of public infrastructure remains a central theme of regional politics. The tension between rapid municipal expansion and the high costs of sustainable, public-owned water management is as relevant today as it was in 1903.
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