New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-05
WATER IMPURITIES LOCAL.
ENGINEER DE VARONA AND MESSfo.
EMERY AND WILLIS VISIT The
RIDGEWOOD RESERVOIRS.
THE COMMISSIONER OF CITY WORKS SATISFIED
THAT THE FAULT LIES IN THE fhHo
AND NOT IN THE sUPPI.Y-FuRTHER

II IL the contention Of I. NJ. de Narona' en-
ginser of the Brooklyn water supply that ,ne
nrese,t trouble with the water is due to causes
that are local in the distributing pipes, ana not
due to bad water in the sources Of supply. MI
do varona went a long way toward proving this
assertion Yesterday by taking city Works Com-
missioner Willis Health Commissioner Emery
and q number Of reporters to the Ridgewood
reservoirs and showing to them that the water
in those reservoirs, which supply the entire CITY
except the Twenty-sixth. Twenty-ninth, lh'r
tieth and Thirty-frst wards. is free from pau
smell or odor and is on the whole. good graoe
of water
Mr. de Varona said that the first point 10 de-
termne before devising the proper remedy io'
defects in the water was as TO whethei ''e
cause of the trouble lay in the supply or IN Tie
distribution 1t was for this purpose that fro-
fessor Albert r. Leeds. of Stevens institute
was employed by Commissioner Wills 10 repoi'
upon the trouble and its remedy rroies'''
Leeds began his labors on Thursday AFTERNOON
by visiting the Ridgewcod reservoirs IN co'"-
pany with Mr. de Varona. lie is working vi
the proposition that If this water Is good anu
wholesome the trouble is not in the supply am
,nust be due TO causes that or crate after the
water has left the reservoir
Resides this samp es Of water from tweiNe
places in the city, selected among those HUM
which the most complaints have beeh ihaue'
were yesterday gathered for examination pS
Professor Leeds. Professor Leeds iounu '"e
,vater in the reservoirs TO be colOrless and spar
king. odorless tastcess and COOL the teihpe'"-
t,re hoinr CO; degrees The physical test was
satisfactory and. while Professor Leeds mas "o'
,at made chemical and biological tests. ne Is
% tho oninion that the trouble in the wafer
arises largely in the distribution system.
THE VISIT To THE RESERVOIRS.
II was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon wnen
Health Commissioner Emery called on Comin's-
sioner Willis and Engineer de 'aroha nv
three were closeted for some time anu MI u'
Varona explained his theory OF the 'iou"'o "
outlined above. Then the three acco'ipai0"
by several reporters. vent 10 'he D'oo"''
Pumping Station, over The Brooklyn e'eNa'e"
road After watching the operation OF inc huse
engines which drive the water as II comes Ill
from Long Island up into the reservoirs the
party was driven to the reservoir IN three car
riages There are three reservolr@ III row. c'"
nected by siphons. The southernnost reservoir
ia rather small the next reservoir Is larger anu
the north reservoir is a new one, ana Is t'e
largest The water is pumped into stream
which separates and discharges into the hrsl
mentioned reservoirs so that the water in Doth
should be of exactly he same Quality. After
procuring a number of est tumblers the parry
mn orr in boats in the south reservoir Dr.
Emery. Commissioner Willis and Mr. de Naroha
occupied the first boat. and DR.. Emery roWcd
In another boat were the reporters
VEGETATION FOUND IN ONE RESERVOIR.
The Tribune reporter made frequent tests OF
the water in various parts OF the reservoir ana
If may be said at once that the water IN the
smaller reservoir for reasons that were explained
afterward appeared much inferior to the water
i'm the middle reservoir. When heid toward ''ie
sun It was discovered that it contained large
quantity of small. white. thread-like substances
which looked much like cobwebs. chopped into
lengths OF about one-sixteenth Of an inch eacn.
Mr. de Varona was inclined to attribute this to
the heavy rain until the iaborers told him that
some recent work had been done toward clean
ing the bottom of the reservoir Dy pullihS OUT
vegetable growths. This had stirred up the
,,ater and brought to the surface these small,
white bits of vegetation. There were Few tun-
harfuls of water from the reservoir that had just
n suggestion of yellow but most of them were
tasteess and odorless. and no criticism could pc
passed on them except for the bits OF WHITE
vegetation
THE MIDDLE RESERVOIR WATER CLEAR
Up near the opening. through which the water
was being pumped from the pumping station
few tumblerfuls were obtained which contained
some sort of dark. decaying vegetation but this
seemed to be purely local. and was probably
stirred up from the bottom by the inrushihg
water.
The boats were guided through the Viaducts
into the middle reservoir. Here there was
marked change. The water obtained Was as
clear as crystal and contained no foreign sub
stances that the eye could detect, except an oc-
casional minute speck such as one would hmo
even in the purest spring water OCCASIONALLY
on the surface there was seen small hoatlhs
laver of grease, but this was said to come from
,ha ,nacbinerv of the humping station. The
north reservoir was not visited, as that was said
TO be exactly similar to the middle one they pc
ing connected by large opening through the
dividing wall, and beneath the surface of the
water.
Il think the bad water in certain sections OF
the city" said Mr.. de Narona, lis due to the
fact that certain of the pipes have not been
flushed with sufficient frequency. Fires con-
tribute toward making the city water pure, or
rather to keeping it from getting impure, by
opening the hydrants and flushing out the
pipes If the water stagnates in the pipes, algae
develop rapidly and create the bad smell In the
water The most complaints have come from
the Bedford district. and especially from the
neighborhood of Marion-st. If the cause of the
trouble lay in the sources then the water In
these reservoirs should smell and taste bad. and
the water should be equally bad In all parts or
the city But the contrary Is true The water
IN the reservoirs has not the bad odor and taste
and only in about twelve sections OF the city
has the water from the faucets been found to
have this bad odor and taste
lis most Of the water which you are now
pumping into the reservoirs from the driven
wells or from the surface ponds?' inquired The
Tribune reporter.
1T is from the driven wells principally" re-
piled Mr. de Varona. I'VE pump from the
Springfield pond. which unfortunately. the city
does not own. only about every other day.
Commissioner Willis expressed himself as sat
isfed. from the inspection that the trouble with
the water was principally local In the pipes
I'VE are endeavoring to remedy this defect
he said by having the pipes flushed out In
those parts Of the city where there Is complaint