The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-10-26
CRENOTHRIX-
This 1t is That Caused the Bad
Taste
In the City Water Noticed
Lately.
rs A KIND OF FUNGUS.
Not Particularly Unhealthy but
1t Makes Water Offensive.
GrOWths of 1t Found in the
Large Well.
S A KIND OF FUNGUS.

pdly anu the report DIS
made by DR.. H. z. Gill, secretary of the
board:
Some weeks since complaints came to
the Office of the state board of health
respecting the unpleasant taste and
odor of the city water; and as to wheth-
er it was wholesome and safe to use.
Immediate attention and inquiry was
given to the matter, and steps were
taken for the thorough investigation ar
ranged for by the board, through its
| sanitary adviser, Prof. S. W. Williston,
and sanitary and civil engineer Prof F.
o. Marvin of the State university. The
full, exhaustive and satisfactory report
of these two able experts in sanitary
/ science has just reached the office OF
| the state board. The full report will
be published by the board in the annual
report.
In July brief statement was made
| to the city council in connection with a
report on diaries, and the general con-
dition of the water plant; hence at this
| time only such description will be neces-
sary as will show in a general manner
the plan for obtaining water.
The supply of water is obtained from
| driven well-pOints, about twenty eight
| in number, and six inches in diameter,
| extending down through sand to bed
] rock at depth of about 80 feet. About
/ twenty are now in use.
The other source of supply is the
| point at which most interest centered
| in this inquiry to wit: the large well.
] 1t IS SUNK TO q COuSlO6IdDlG QGPlH 4A4lO
| the sand, and is about so feet in dame
| ter. At the time of the visit, October 8,
| the water in the we'll had a depth of
! betWG-o seven and eight feet. Dune
! 80 il was twelve and a half). Water
| wa flowing in through the side walls
! above the surface of the water IN a
| number of small jets indicating that
some of the ground water comes from
/ a shallow depth" The water may stand
/ in this we'll for varying periods depend
! ent upon the amount drawn therefrom
at any time. We come now to the &C.
| casion for the examination:
| The chief cause of complaint against
| the water was the prevalence in some
! parts of the city of a bad taste and
| odor during the hot weather of August
| and September last, the cause of which
! was not discovered by the company or
! indicated by chemical analyses, these
! showing the water to be OF good quaIlty
| at the same time that it was giving Of
! tense.
! our examination of the site convinced
us that the water supplied was ground
| water, nearly all, if not all Of II, coming
! from the flow of the ground water tow
/ ard the river, and not the result of sur
| face river water filtering through the
] sand to the wells. AS there is no reser-
| voir in the system, the water being
| pumped direct to the consumer we
! could expect no trouble with water OBJ
J tanned from the well points, so our at
! tention was fastened on the large COW
! cred well.
| An examination of the water in the
/
| pended focculent growths which were
| Immediately suspected to be a peculiar
| fungus or low form of algae, long known
as troublesome to water supplies ana
! called Crenothrix. This material is of
| a rusty yellowish color, and was found
| especially abundant clinging to the
| walls and posts and with numerous
| masses floating in the water a guam
! tftv was collected and carried to the
| university, where 1t was examined by
! Prof Barber, an expert student OF these
/ A. a.
| to be Crenothrix, in a partially broken
! down. or resting condition, with only
the innumerable spores or germs alive
/ The organism will entirely explain the
! offensive OdOr noticed and complained
of in the Topeka water supply some
| weeks ago. This and its allied plants
| decomposing in the mains will produce
! a very disagreeable color out OF all pro-
| portion to the amount Of organic mat
| ter actually present
| While living the plant cannot be said
/ to be deleterious to health Even when
| decaying it's righteousness cannot be
! at all Commensurate with the odOr it
| produces. In fact one cannot say that
| it would cause disease in any way, yet
I one would naturally prefer his drinking
| water to be free, so far as posslnIe'
/ from all decOmposing organic material,
| no matter how small in amount it may
Crenothrix, because of its mischiev-
| BUSINESS in water supplies both in Eur
| Ope and America, has received mucn
! careful attention, so that its habits and
! characteristics are pretty well known
! Crenothrix is a fungus that will grow
/ equally well or even better in the dark
! than in the light. If the Topeka we'll
! were exposed to the air and light Gre
| nothrix would probably cease to be
/ troublesome. but. on the other hand the
! true aIgae. which requires light would
| in all proba ability become even more Of
! fensive than the Crenothrix.
| The history of CrenOthrix troubles
| elsewhere show varying degrees of an
| noyance. In some cases the growth
| has been so abundant as to clog the
| mains and excessively increase the fr1c-
| tionaI head to be pumped against as
| well as rendering the water so offensive
! as to cause the abandonment of the
! jamestown, N. Y, and Wayland, Mass,
| have suffered severely from this cause.
When the trouble has once shown it
! self, however, its recurrence is probable
| and experience only will show how Sc
riouS the case may be.
AS to the large we'll, we are inclined to
believe that aeratiOn and agitation Oh
| the water would have a beneficial effect
| through the more complete oxidation OF
both the iron ana nitrogen held in solu-
| ton. At any rate, the experiment
! would be well worth trying before
| abandoning the well.
Some close observers of ground water
| assert as a governing principle the
| quickest possible delivery of the water
| to the consumer without storage, as a
preventive of deterioration in the water.
It is probable that the trouble in the
| well water would be lessened and per-
| haps prevented by an application of
| this principle. especially during the
! warm weather of the late summer or the
1 early fall.
The fact that the recent bad odor and
| taste of the water was found in some
| parts of the city and not in others is
perhaps accounted for by the imperfect
| circulation in the pipe system, which,
we are informed, contains a large num-