The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-29
IT'S NOT PURE WATER
A Municipal Excursion to the City
Reservoir and Return.
DIRT, DRECS AND A SMELL
The City Engineer Says II Is In
deed a Sorry Layout-The Fluid
May Be Used for Quenching
Fires-His uggestions
DIRT, DREGS AND A SMELL

Mayor Thompson, City Engineer
Blackford. Alderman !. Montgomery.
chairman of the water committee, and
Superintendent Carroll of the water
company. drove out to the water reser-
voir yesterday afternoon to see what
kind of water the people of Butte will
have to use this summer. They return
ed last evening, and the municipal part
of the excursion is unanimously agreed
that II was the meanest looking water
outside of perdition. The party merely
went to the reservoir and did not go up
the creeks at all There is plenty of
water coming in, Basin creek water,
and the reservoir is filled up to within
eight feet Of the top. In ten days more
II will be overlooking. The water in the
reservoir, looked at from the top, has
yellowish, Ohio river sort of a look.
A bottle of the decoction, taken out of
the reservoir looks much like the water
that comes from the Butte hydrants.
But the saddest sight is the water
that comes in from the creeks. 1t is
about 26 per cent. dirt. dregs. mud and
things in general. 1t looks no more like
water than molasses does. 1t Is tumb-
ling into the reservoir fast enough and
adding to the dirty mass already in
| there. All the men brought back speci-
men bottles of the water.
1T is the doggondest looking water
you ever saw" said Mr.. Blackboard last
evening. It's muddy, roily and dirty
and tastes horrible. There is plenty of
water coming in. 1 have not computed
the amount, but 1t is a good deal. But
the quality is very disappointing. The
dirt and dregs will, of course, partially
settle in time, which will clarity the
water partially, but is NOT likely to i'm
prove its taste. For two months at
| least the water will be as muddy and as
roily as 1t is now. Then there will prob
ably be some Improvement in appear
| ance."
lis there any remedy possible?"
IF the council had compelled the
company, as l suggested, 70 build
| fumes to carry away this oirty, rcily
water, and then fill up the reservoir
with the good water later IL any &C mes,
Butte would have had much letter
water this summer. / suggested that
| in my report, and Ii was certainly +, &C
ticable. The water now rushing in Is
not fit for any purpose. end should be
allowed to escape In all probe bility.
| there will be better water later. The
freshet from Fish creek has not arrived
yet, and even from Basin there " Ill be
| an Improvement later. The reservoir
could have been filled with better water
and things would have been better
than they will now be. About the only
thing that can be done now is to filter
the wafer with a system of sand filters
That would clarity it ana also improve
the taste"
The samples of water brought back
by City Engineer Blackford and Alder
man Montgomery are sufficient to con-
vince the people of Butte that they Will
have to go without bathing this sum-
mer. To drink the water has, of course
long been out of the question. but there
were hopes that the water company
could supply water that might be oath.
ed in.
These hopes have now been dissipated
and the people of Butte will have IL &c
dirty, for 1t is too expensive TO buy
| spring water to wash with. The water
| will be used in sprinkling the streets
unless the smell becomes too rank. The
water, so far as ascertained, is not in
fiammable, and will be used in quench.
ing fires That is the only practicable
use to which ii can be safely put.