The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-15
TO PURIFY CROTON WATER.
HEALTH BOARD WOULD LIKE THB
ENTIRE SUPPLY FILTERED.

Storms Now BRING Down Impurities Into
the Aqueduct-Report Recommending
the improvement sent to tho Board OF
Estimate. but Nothing yet Done About 1t.
The city's water supply 10 under constant
surveillance In the Health Department Every
week tests are made and published that show
It's exact condition. Some years ago wnen
evidence OF its contamination from sewage
appeared. a stir was made that resulted In the
wlpinR out OF the offending VILLAGES In the
watershed and the purchase OF land bordering
on the Croton River and Its tributaries to
avoid recurrence OF the cause OF complaint
Since then there has been no evidence OF dan
eerous contamination Of the water; but 1t has
not always been as clean as might be. as was
the case last summer. owing TO the fact that
all OF the water In Croton Lake comes from
surface drainage over peaty soil and storms
bring down mass OF soil and vegetable mat
ter which gets into the aaueduct In tho freshet
season.
survey OF the situation has convinced the
health officers that this condition was not
going to be bettered by the completion OF the
Quaker dam reservoir. Indeed. the nrst effect
OF turning the water into It's larger bed would
be to stir up things nightly and make them
worse Some other way OF clearing the water
must be found Sanitary Superintendent Rob-
mitted the following report few weeks ago to
the Board OF Health:
To ne Honorable Foard of HeaiA:
sIns: Communications arc constantly being 70
ceivod by the Board OF Health complaining OF the
condition Of the Croton water supply OF tho city OF
New York. It's turbidity and the amount OF matter
deposited after II is allowed TO settle readily
proven By any using the ssme. aud. In my opin.
ion 1t 10 necessary that action should be taken by
a.. 49, NJ W. lxn.
the quality OF the Crotou water furnished TO Its In
habitants.
The water 10 not dangerous in the OF causing
any specific disease Pathoeenic germs have not
been found in IL. the sanitary condition OF the Gro
ton watershed is good but the water s dsasreeable
in many ways is unpalatabe. and is not suitable for
water merely polluted with surface wsshinRs 10
o In .aS BE-
norcan 1t be fairly said that muddy water Is On.
The experiences Of other large cities certainly nd.
Gates that the introduction o: altering plants which
always results in lower death and sickness rates.
The experience OF tho city OF Hamburg in the years
wien v.eS that % Haf the mind. al
whose attention was called to the facts In regard 70
demarcauon that no cases occurred among those
Sho n:ed tho water suppl; which was Uttered and
supply which was un1ltered.
The necessity Of some method of improving the
Croton water supply becomes apparent. I know OF
in which this DO accom- plished satisfac.
torilH. except by system which will filter the
tire Croton water supply OF the city OF New York and
give TO those using the pure. wholesome water
The result thus obtained would be that the
ganic matter would DO removed and the Croton
water rendered colorless or nearly 80, and the
cumulatiop OF matter at dead ends be prevented.
therefore recommend that the Board .: Health
request the Municipal Assembly to lnaugurate .
supply Of the city OF New York.
Respectfully submitted.
(Sgned )CAAkLEs F. RoBERTs, II. D.
Sanitary Superintendent
The report was sent to the Mayor by Presi-
dent Murphy. but though several weeks have
passed since. nothing has been heard OF II. IL
was only Yesterday that IL became known that
report had been made at all Sanitary ex-
per's say that there In no escape from the
conclusion that a altering bed must be pro-
vided aud that the sooner IL Is done the better
A bed that would Alter nil OF the water used
by this city must b. OF enormous extent prob
ably several hundred acres The sand, IL ia
said. would need to be at least four ieet deep
and II woull be very great undertaking 10
provide such one. II Is suggested. however
that modern mechanical devices may he ON
noyed to quite as good purpose and at much
less cost. In creamerics centrifugal force Is
used TO separate the cream from the milk IL
might possibly be employed in the same wayto
throw out Impurities in the water, II is Thought
There IL abundance OF power In the streams ~
the watershed To run the machinery. In any
event the plant"vould be expensive. but lie al
vocates maintain that the cost would be as
nothing 70 the benefit that would flow from H.