The Walla Walla Water Fiasco
A city committee braves a 'biting wind' to discover that their expensive new water development is just collecting surface runoff from irrigation ditches.
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.
Braving a bleak southeaster, the water committee from the Commercial Club visited the Thomas ranch this morning to inspect the development work and pipe lines. The party spent three hours going over the system. A biting wind blowing directly off the mountains made the task unpleasant, but members were determined to make a thorough examination. In several instances where irrigation ditches crossed the pipes, small feeders leading down to the main pipes were probed out with sharp sticks. The studied attempt by the engineer to follow the course of irrigation ditches and marshy places where surface water collected was noted by the members. It was easy to see that the system as it now stands will receive scant consideration. That the city has received little for her money was remarked by the committee members.
“It was easy to see that the system as it now stands will receive scant consideration on the part of the committee in the solving of Walla Walla’s water problem.”
Walla Walla’s early 20th-century struggles with infrastructure and 'booster' projects often resulted in expensive failures. Today, the city’s complex relationship with water rights and municipal utility management continues to be a central tension in local civic life.
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