The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-09-09
Muddy Water, AGnin-Who is RcspOn-
Sibie?

Editors Dispatch As an article In your
local column Of Saturday is calculated to
create the impression that muddy water
cannot be avoided by strict compliance
with the regulations Of the Water Commit
tee, published in connection Herewith,
beg leave to give brief history OF the ORR
gin OF those regulations, in order that the
public may form IN intelligent Judgment in
the matter and place the blame where 1t
should res. for the villainous stuff ycept
water which our citizens have been COM
PEELED to drink for the past six weeks.
In the summer Of 1877 our citizens were
forced, as they now are, to drink this un-
wholesome compound OF James-river mud
and water; and the new reservoir. costing
some $4,000, and built at this great cx-
peuse with view to remedyin2 this nu.
sance, having been but recently completed,
it was but natural that surprise and indig-
nation should be excited By the failure OF
the plan to secure clear aud wholesome
water.
The complaints were so loud and general
that the Water Committee determined, II
possible, to ascertain the cause OF failure.
To this end the City Engineer who built
the work was interviewed by a member OF
tn, committee and an explanation asked ut
y.
out hesitation, that the reservoir, il pro-
| OF the public and leave no room for reaSon-
able complaint In accordance with the
views expressed by him The resolutions EN-
bodying the instructions to the Superintend-
ent of the Water-Works were prepared,
and after having been submitted to and ap-
proved by him, were presented to the
Water Committee and by them unanimous
ly adopted. 1t is but just to the Superin-
tendent of the Water-Works to say that he
dissented from the opinions OF the City
Engineer, and expressed the decided con-
Eviction that the instructions would ial
to accomplish the desired object,
but sisnited his willingness to conform to
their requirements. How far his precon.
ceiYed opinions and desire to see them verl'
fed are responsible for the present condi
ton Of tile so-called water we are noW
drinking may be judged OF by the fact thai
for some time after the adoption OF these
regulations there was very marked change
Tor the better In the character OF the water
and the writer has not q doubt but that II
those resolutions had been faithfully ad
| hered to we should have continued to have
even under the most uDfavOrable circum
stances, moderately clear and wholesome
water. 1t is hardly credible that so clear
headed and competent person as Colone
Cushaw should have been SO utterly mis-
taken in his opinions, and it is due no less
to him than to the taxpayers, whose money
wa, so ayisnly expended, that the Water
Committee should ascertain, by personal in.
spectlon and superintendent IL necessary,
whether their Instructions are being carried
out in full, and whether it is impracticable to
have better water with existing arrange
| ments.
II the reservoir j. failure, and cannot
be made to give us clear water without ad-
ditional pumps, let them make immediate
ARRANGEMENTS to have them erected at once,
that this city, so famed for its beauty and
hos pitalty, may no longer suffer the re-
| proach Of not being able to give her visit
ors or citizens respectable drink OF water,
TAXPAYER.