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276 HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY

the expenditure of $23,000,000 of the people's money. And without the
least hesitation, without discussion whatever, the whole project was placed
in William Mulholland's hands and he was told to go ahead.
Of course Mr. Mulholland was supported by the best advice available.
Three of the most prominent engineers in the United States were at the
beginning employed as a consulting board to thoroughly canvass the project.
They endorsed Mr. Mulholland's report and pronounced his plans as being
thoroughly feasible. It was then proposed that a bond issue of $23,-
000,000 be submitted to the voters, this amount to cover construction.
The people, at ah election held June 12, 1907, gave their approval to this
proposal by a vote of 10 to 1.
The Board of Public Works then took charge of work and, in combi-
nation with the Water Board, worked out a plan and the details of the
great enterprise. The plari in brief was: To take the water from the
Owens River, 35 miles north of Owens Lake, carry it through an open
canal for 60 miles to a large reservoir, the Haiwee, with a capacity of
20,000,000,000 gallons, then to carry it another 128 miles through combina-
tion of conduits, tunnels and, siphons to a reservoir at Fairmont on the
northern side of proposed tunnel through the San Fernando Mountains,
the tunnel to be 26,870 feet in length and to be a pressure tunnel regulated
by the reservoir at Fairmont. From the southern portal of the tunnel the
water would drop from the rapidly descending San Francisquita Canyon,
where big possibilities for power development existed, aand by natural
channels, tunnels, siphons and conduits, a distance of fifteen miles to the
San Fernando reservoir and the upper end of the San Fernando Valley, a
total distance of about 225 miles from the intake to the San Fernando
reservoir.
It was realized that the long tunnel under the San Fernando Mountains
would be the largest piece of work in connection with the enterprise, and
this work was at once started, working from both ends.
The general water plan of the city is now laid down roughly as follows :
The water now developed and carried through the aqueduct is sufficient
to accommodate a population of some 3,000,000 people. The city has laid
down the policy that no territory shall be given the use of its present
surplus supply which is not prepared to amalgamate with and become a
part of the city. Large areas now inside the incorporated limits of the
city are still farming lands, and surplus water is used on these for irriga-
tion purposes at rates which they can afford to pay. Rights have been
obtained for additional sources of supply, and plans are made for their
development for future use. Preliminary steps are even now being taken
to reservoir the Long Valley, an immense area and catchment basin many
miles north of the present intake of the aqueduct.
The whole enterprise constitutes a comprehensive plan fully capable,
when finally worked out, of taking care of water needs of the city of any
possible size in this locality. During its development there has, of course,
been much opposition, and many legal difficulties thrown in its way, but
these have been mostly overcome and it does not now seem possible that
anything can mar the full realization of the plan.
So much preliminary work had to be done that little other permanent
construction was under way before the end of 1908. The preliminary work