Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-09-26
Sewage and Pure Water.


Who can devise method Of furnish
ing towns and cities with pure water at
the same time that their sewage shall
/. be provided fors The New York SAINT
fory Era discusses this question at
some length. AS each town, say, be-
tween Richmond and the headwaters OF
The James river desires to have pure
water for drinking and other household
uses, and yet wishes also to get rid Of
its sewage by conducting this into
the river below the point where
1t obtains its water.supply, there
is necessarily game Of cross
purposes constantly going on. The
city Of Lynchburg wants pure water
for its own use, but it also claims the
right to pour all its sewage into water
which is to be drunk in all the towns
lower down the river than itself. Aud
when one thinks of the vast volume of
sewage and disgusting matter in other
forms which is daily conducted into
the James, he may well begin to ponder
the problem discussed by our New
York contemporary, which says:
The progress Of sanitation, ascend
Ing rivers from the large cities at their
mouths to the smaller towns on their
banks, has developed new difficulty
which at present is giving more trouble
to health authorities and riparian CON-
munities than all others. That is, the
farther improved drainage and sewer
age extend up the country, tho worse
pollution falls upon the streams, which
seem to be the only available out
lets for sewage, and at the same time
are usually the only available sources
Of water supply, for populous places
on their banks. The two problems OF
sewerage and water supply thus come
into mutual antagonism and checkmate
each other. Many of our growing
towns on water courses in all sections
Of the country are at war with each
other on these questions, and most
towns are forced to contend on both
sides at once or by turns. Each dc.
msnds an outlet for its sewage down
stream, and water supply uncon-
tamiDated by sewage from its neigh
bors up stream"
The Era concludes, therefore, that
sewering into streams must be entirely |
abandoned as irreconcilable with the
mutual rights Of communities and lead
ing to complete subversion Of sanitary |
ends at all points on the streams thus
befoulcd. We quote again:
"When the issue reaches fall matu-
rity we shall be compelled either to |
build great sewers through every chain
Of river towns, continuously to the sea,
or else to devise and execate some
practicable plan for the filtration Of
sewage at all points, and its separation
into pure water for business purposes
and condensed fertilizer for the SOIL"
The cost Of these "great sewers"
will forbid the construction Of them.
The Era, at any rate, recommends
filtering the sewage.
Is satisfactory filtering possible? We
think not. Whatever may be true Of
1t, it cannot recover the good name it
had before the sewage became part OF
it.
We have heretofore suggested that the
remedy will be found in double water
supply. 1t takes really so little water
for drinking and cooking purposes that
II the immense water works Of the coun-
try had been constructed for that pur-
pose only, the men who constructed
them might we'll be charged with an in
excusable waste Of time and money.
Our reservoir holds forty millions Of
gallons Of water. If every person in
Richmond Of all ages and both sexes
were to use four gallons day, the new
reservoir would not have to DO filled
more than three times year in order
TO furnish that quanty Of water. The
old reservoir would be abundantly, nay
excessively, large for this purpose.
But where are We to get uncontami-
mated water? Where there's a will,
there's way. Itmay be had for much
less money than IL would cost to con-
stsuct the immense sewers referred to.
Dors anon.