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Mail Tribune 100, Oct. 7, 1922 By Alissa Corman Updated: Oct 07, 2022 12:16 PM A A News from 100 years ago The following news items were drawn from the archives of the Mail Tribune 100 years ago Oct. 7, 1922 CITY WATER BD. TO BE VOTED ON NOVEMBER 7TH The city council at its meeting last night not only passed legislation amending the city charter so as to provide for the creation of a board of city water commissioners and prescribing their duties and powers, but set November 7th as the date for the special election on this measure by local voters to be held at the same time as the state, county and city election. The council also decided to go ahead with the building of a new city water reservoir this fall to supplement the present reservoir, and instructed Fred Cummings, who is acting as the city water engineer in this matter, to go ahead and prepare plans and specifications for building the proposed reservoir, which will be authorized by the council at its meeting next Tuesday night. Tentative plans were submitted at last night’s meetings, which provide for a concrete reservoir immediately adjoining the present reservoir, to cost about $30,000. This huge projected basin will be 180 by 120 feet on top, 18 feet in depth, and have a capacity of 2,013,900 gallons. The capacity of the present reservoir is 2,008,000 gallons. Future Supply Assured The personal written attack on the council by Earl Fehl in an extra issue last evening in his weekly newspaper caused only amusement to the councilmen and others familiar with the water situation. The city authorities assert it was a conglomeration of misstatements. In the near future Councilmen Keene and Miles of the council water committee will issue a statement in detail of the water situation for years back up to the present time, for the perusal and edification of the Medford taxpayers and voters. The city council holds a first water right on the Big Butte springs supply, having filed a year ago with the state water engineer’s office on 10 feet of that supply, and only during the past week completed 10 feet more of the same supply. This filing was made at Salem, and is claimed to be enough to supply a city with 40,000 population, and furthermore, is claimed to be absolutely legal and rockribbed, and independent of and taking precedent over any other filing made in the past by anyone. — Alissa Corman; [email protected]