Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-06-06
LOCAL NEWS.

IMPURITIES OF TIE Porouxo warn
Wsss;0r,on nsSSU Ssmo, Ensineer in charge Of the
Hon. James Harlan Secretsrx ~ ,es iar.s.. ~
on the subject OF the impuritie. winch haxs
recently affected the waser sunplsed ny tns
w.n,nston @ a2seanst S . and which have gwen
my attepti was frst called 10 This MAJ.
in January, when the hshy odor and tss,e had
become 90 powerful as 70 render the water e1-
ceedingly offensive. Supposing that the al n
Guilty proceeded from impurities in Tie receiy-
ing reservoir, had the gate In the sluice 70 yer
opened and the water from the bottom OF me
and the impurities finally disappeared. About
the beginning Of May the nshy odor and taste
again appeared, and by the 2oth the water had
become so impregnated as TO be unit for culi-
nary purposes Numerous complaints were
made by the consumers, and it was the pre-
vailing opinion that the offensiveness pro-
ceeded from nsh In state Of decomposition in
the reservoirs and pipes. To obvIste the diff
Georgetown and Washington Were flushed,
and all the impurities and sediments removed
contrary 70 general expectation, very few fish
were discovered The flushing materially
improved the condition Of the water out as
soon as the water OF the distributing reservoir
was turned on, the nshy odor and taste reap
peared.
ION the 2sth instant 1 examined the water
Of this reservoir. At the surface IL emitted no
odor, and tasted sweet; but on descending into
the pipe vault, where the water is taken from
the bottom OF the reservoir, the fshy odor and
taste Were at once perceived. The distributing
reservoir rs in form nearly a rectangle, 22SO
feet long and $50 wide al the flow line, having
~ acres OF water surface and a depth of water
ranging from one 10 twenty feet. IL receives
hs supply from the receiving reservoir. The
necessity for having an arrangement at the
distributing reservoir for separate drainage
and supply is now obvious, the present un-
finished condition rendering il impossible 20
send surface water TO the city, and AZ the same
time 10 wash the impure water from the bot
tom. i have consequently shut Al of from the
city, and II is now being emptied through the
twelve-inch main al Foundry Branch pine
vault, the thirty Inch main alone supplying
the cities with water from the receiving reser-
Nolr. IL Will take several days TO empty IL as
IL IS a slow process. The thirty-inch main
cannot be used drain without depriyinR
the cities OF wafer. From the sNanlina;lons .
MADE thus Tar, am convinced that the impa-
rites are not due 70 fish either in the reser-
vCIrs pipes.
The unfinished condition fthe Washington
aqueduct is favorable 10 the rapid growth of
confeTrea and animaIcuIes. This is especially
The case with the receiving reservoir, the up-
per end OF which Contains several a. res where
the water Is not over two fee; IN depth. and in
which vegetables has grown and decayed for
several years, until there has been formed az
The bottom layer OF partially decomposed
vegetable matter. several inches in thickness
and which Is strongly impregnated with the
hshy odor and taste. This par: OF the raSe-
Nolr Is without doubt. the main source of an
the impurities. L know OF no o:her remedies
10 counieract the evil other than emptying he
reservoirs ard refilling with water from the
Potomac. thus keeping a contin ual circula-
uoh. lLIs VIII De done as long as the Po;o-
mac continues 20 furnish the necessary sup-
Fly, and Will no doubt improve the quality OF
the water; but do not anticipate any great
improvement until the completion OF the con-
meeting conduit, when the Potomac water will
be introduced into the cities, q mad uttered with
the water OF the POwder Mill Branch and the
receiving reservoir"