The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-22
savannah,s water sunnlu-


tive to Savannah's water supply, published
In the MORNING News yesterday, is one
that should be carefully read and studied
by every member of the city council. Mr.
Douglas talks as an expert and not as one
who has only crude opinions. He has had
experience in supplying cities with water,
and when he says that about half of the
water supply of this city is wasted there
are very few thinking people who, after
reading his reasons for saying 50, will not
agree with him.
According to his figures 4,50O,0 gallons
e day would give this city an abundant
supply of water. The superintendent Of the
water works says that he is pumping into
the city 1900. 900 gallons day. What be-
comes of this vast volume of water? There
is no doubt that fully 100000 gallons Of it
are wasted. But, the unthinking may ask,
how is the water wastedl 1t is wasted in
several ways. In hundreds, and, perhaps,
thousands of houses, the water appliances
are defective. The water cl )ssts are out
of order and permit the water to
escape continually. There are closets
through which the water has been running
uAinterruptedly for year or more. 1t is
pretty safe to say that a very large
percentage of the water closet appli-
ances is of kind totally unfit to
be in any house. A well-known plumber
said yesterday that he knew of wealthy
house owners who had put wornout closets
into their houses in order to save few
dollars. Such closets permit continuous
flow of water through them.
There are people-thousands of them
who think that they m Ist let the water run
through their closet pipes throughout every
night TO keep them in good sanitary condi-
ton. They are making a great mistake.
The flushing Of the closet pipes by opening
the valve does them no good. The only
way to flush them is TO throw bucket or
tub of water into them. 1t is said that
there are public buildings, and buildings in
which there is a large number of offices, in
which the water is permitted to run all the
time, day and night.
But there is no occasion to point out the
ways in which water is wasted. That it is
wasted is beyond question. and the waste
increases the burden of the taxpayers many
thousands of dollars year.
Mr.. Douglas points out that if the water
were used within reasonable bounds there
would be no necessity for increasing the
supply for several years. The present
artesian wells would furnish all the water
the city needs until the population was
much larger than it is at present. A supply
of 100000 gallons day wonld be ample,
and TO furnish that amount the strain on
the pumps could be greatly reduced.
The council is now thinking about a new
water works plant that, according to the
estimates, would cost 100000. 1t would
probably cost $500, coo before it was COM
pleted Are the people willing to bear the
burden that such an outlay would impose
upon them if there is no good reason why
they should do 500 Are they willing that
the city should incur such az immense ex-
pense simply that people may avoid the cost
of putting proper water appliances in their
housess
But the couhcilmen may ask, What shall
we do about it? Well, if they have the grit
they will do something like this: First, they
will satisfy themselves beyond all doubt that
the water is being wasted; second, having
settled that point they will do one of two
things-they will put in water meters and
make people pay for all the water they use,
or they will have every house thoroughly
inspected by plumber in whom they have
confidence and compel those whose houses
have defective water appliances to provide
ones under pain of being deprived
of water. In case the last mentioned
method is adopted they will make it a
Unable offense to turn the water on and let
1t run all night. or even part of the night.
II the meter system were adopted it is
pretty safe to say that 5000, 900 gallons a
day would lie found ample for the needs of
the city. 4A
II the couucilmen attempt to introduce
in the use of water they will meet
of course with opposition on all sides, but
they must expect that. 1t is their duty to
do what is for the best interests of the whole
people, and it certainly is not for the peoples
interest that $500, 900, or even SSO0,00O
should be put into a water works plant if
the present water supply is ample.