Southern Santa Ana Sewer – June 18, 1912

Take Sewage of City to Ocean

Agreement of Sugar Company and City Means Quick Solution of Problem
$15,000 Lease Is Money for Its Share

Southern Part of City Will Get Sewerage That It Has Long Waited For

The City Trustees have entered into an agreement with the Southern California Sugar Company whereby he sugar company leases the sewer farm for seven years, paying $15,000 rent in advance, and takes the city’s sewage, joining the city’s outfall to the sugar company’s outfall leading to the Pacific Ocean. With the $15,000 The city will build an outfall south on Bristol to the sugar company’s land at the corner of Bristol street and Delhi road, will build a septic tank at that point, and will build an outfall that will make it possible to soon sewer the entire southern portion of the city, north of Fairview avenue and McFadden streets.

This in short is a brief statement of by far the biggest proposition that the city board has handled. The board’s committee, consisting of Trustee George McPhee, Sewer Superintendent Ransom Reid, and City Engineer S. H. Finley has been working diligently and quietly on the matter for months, and their negotiations resulted in a written proposal from the sugar company being presented to the trustees last night. That proposal was accepted. In brief its proposals are:

Outline of Plan

First, the company will deed to the city land 100 by 200 feet at the northeast corner of the company’s fifty acres at the northwest corner of Bristol Street and Delhi road. This is to be a site for a septic tank. The city will grant to the sugar company the right to build a pipeline on the city’s right-of-way across the Willow Land Company property to the ocean, which pipeline may carry the wastewater and sewage of the sugar factory, the sewage sent through the septic tank and the wastewater of the Willow Land Company.

Second, the company leases for seven years 115 acres of the 157 acres of the sewer farm, paying $15,000. The city will use the $15,000 to build an outfall from the present outfall where it crosses Bristol Street at Willett Street, south to the proposed septic tank at Delhi road. At that point, the sewage enters the pipelines of the Southern California Sugar Company to be conducted to the ocean or used for irrigation purposes. Also, the city will build an outfall for the south part of the city, east from Bristol along Fairview Avenue to Main Street, north on Main fifty feet, thence east to Orange Avenue.

Third, the company agrees to care for all of the sewage of the city for $200 per month. This includes the sewage of the Pacific Electric tract, the outfall of which is west of Bristol Street, which sewage must go to the present sewer farm. The city assumes the responsibility of septicizing all sewage, and guarantees the company against nuisance troubles because of sewage not septicized. All other responsibility for the care of the sewage passes to the sugar company.

Fourth, should the sugar company sell or quit business it gives to the city an option on its outfall to the ocean, the price to be fixed by appraisers agreeable to both parties or by an arbitration board. Either party at the end of the sixth year may give notice to the other of decision to quit the contract at the end of the seventh year, or in case neither party gives such notice, the contract for the care of the sewage must continue another year beyond the term of seven years.

The offer was signed by F. H. Case and C. A. Riggs, president and secretary of the Southern California Sugar Company.

Quickly Accepted

Last night City Clerk Burke read the offer. Trustee McPhee moved that it be accepted and that the president and clerk be instructed to execute whatever documents are necessary to carry out the agreement.

President Ey said he thought that it would be best to have a committee investigate the plan, as it was all new to him.

“A majority of the board is already familiar with the plan, and has investigated it thoroughly, and is ready to act now,” said McPhee. McPhee’s motion carried, there being no opposing vote. Trustee Grubb only was absent.

What the Plan Means

The plan is accepted by the committee and the board as the solution of Santa Ana’s sewer outfall problem. The southern part of the city has been without sewers, and could not be sewered except by building an outfall to the ocean or by establishing a new sewer farm further south than the one now used. Also, the present outfall was crowded to its full capacity and something had to be done to relieve the conditions.

By the carrying out of this plan, the trustees will not have to call for bond election. Estimates made by the city’s experts were that an issue of $80,000 would be necessary, if the city had to build its own outfall. The interest on that would be $4000 a year or thereabouts. By the plan entered into, no bond issue will be necessary.

Up to District

The sewering of the south part of the city will soon be up to the district. The city will go ahead with building an outfall to Orange Avenue immediately, and there is no reason why the district should not take immediate steps to complete plans for sewering. It is proposed to form of the south part of the city a district such as was formed to get the Pacific Electric tract sewered. Vrooman Act proceedings were necessary in that instance.

“There will be no part of the city that cannot be sewered,” said Sewer Superintendent Reid this morning.

This, of course, was the most important matter before the city trustees last night.

This article Southern Santa Ana Sewer – June 18, 1912 is about installing sewers in southern Santa Ana with the cooperation of the Southern California Sugar Company. The original article is available at Take Sewage of City to Ocean, Tuesday Evening Edition, Volume 7 Number 160, June 18, 1912, section 1, pages 1 & 3, column 7, Santa Ana Daily Register.

See Document Sources for information on using the articles and images. This page originally published on this blog December 9, 2015.