Minutes 07/15/1919 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~ J~ 15, 1919 On motion of Mr. Herbert, the advisabi!ity~ of bo~rowmng ~$i8,000. for the Emghth Ward and $V,500. for the Ninth Ward was referred~ to the Department of Finance. ~. Herbert presented the following communication from A~dlmiral Fechteler and same was. re- ferred to the Special Water Committee: ~J?~.!y 3, 1919~' "To the HOnorable City Council of Portsmouth, Vi~g inia. "G ent lemon: - - The Supply of water available for the Naval Operating Base, Hampton Roads, is so inadequate that I dee~ it imperative for the Goverumment~s~ Luterests to use every endsavor to supplement the supply now furnished, and which it is possible to furnish, by the city of Norfolk. "~ne water ~used at the Naval Operating Base is, as you are awa~e, supplied from the comhined sources of the. Norfolk city wate~ supply and the Norfolk Co,~uty water s~ply, which are now ope- rated under the management of the city of Norfolk. The demandls on ~his supply have become so great that it is apparently impossible to increase the pressure sufficiehtly to'fully serve the -Naval Operating-Base, and I am fearful that this condition will .have a tendency, with the growth of the city of Norfolk, to get worse rather than improve t~ the ~edmaoe future. "I am informed that, with the completion of the Portsmouth, Berkley and Suffolk Wrater suppl2 ~ow owned and operated by the ~city of portsmouth, there will be a surplus of about four million gallons of water available at Portsmouth, and that it would be ~act_.cable to connect the mains of your supply with the No~folk City water supply by means of ~ ~bmerged'main from Portsmouth to Berkley and throngh Berk'ley to Norfolk. I believe that this proposmtmon has oen considered by the two cities and that the only obstacle in the way ~t Which water could be f~nished by your water supply to the Norfolk water supply. mn a~v way in a business "~le I would not regard it as '~' ' province to in~erfere ~ transaction betwe~n the two cities, nor Y~et to suggest a c0~romise in such a transacti0~/ I t_ed feel that the Goverr~ent?s needs in this case are so u~gent and that its interests are so up in the interests Of the tWO cities a~ to warrant me in t~_~pressing upon you the desirability , · of looking into the situation with a view of a_fectmng- a correction for it. "You appreciate, of course, Dhat the G~vernment's .action during the war in assisting the city of. Portsmouth to pln~ohase the Portsmouth-Herkle~-Stt~f01k ~ter Company"s p!ant~ and~ in extending a~d improving this plant~ at a cost o~f ne_a~ lyt?.9 million dolla~.s to. is ~tuder a con- t~act with your city Was w.ith a view to the mut~.l benef~mt of the co~i~y and.t9 t. he Govern- ment itself; viz, of securing an adequate water supply ~or the government'~ actmvities in the District, and mrs or%giz~ plan was, ks you know,~ not alone to bring this additional water PortSmoUth, but to make it available for the activities on the DUOrfolk side by'mea~m of the sub- merged pipe line I have referred to. know you gentlemen ap.preo-.ate. ~his s~tuation ~av, a fee.1 assured tha~ every me~er of Council has a most hearty desmre to aid the G~verr~nent s wor~ here, both~ at~ tD~ N~vy Tard and at the Naval Operating Base, and in f~rtheranee of this Lwotuld be very glad %o arrange fo~ an informal conference with you~ Council ?~ith a view to discUssir~ the situation' and see if ~ould be possible to affect some sort of a compromise ~vhereby the surplus water of: the Ports- mouth supply could~ be _made available for the Government~S~ .activities on the Norfolk side. "I will await your pleasure as regards the hour and day for the conference suggested. "Youms very truly, "A. F. Fechteler~ Rear-Admiral UoEoN., Oo~Eandant, Fifth Naval District," On motion, sd J'6ttr~ed.