The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-03-24
POLLUTION OF The RIVER.
THE AMERICAN OVERLOOKING
THE GARBAGE DUMPS.
Immediate Action Should be Taken
BY the Trustees to
Remedy It.

Learning that DR.. Fay, of the City
Board of Health, had been out yester-
day to examine the place where the
citys garbage has been dumped Tor
several months past, a "Record-Unlon'
representative interviewed him last
night. He stated that, knowing the
American River to be rising fast, he
had gone out during the day and exam
ined the dumps and found the water
covering large part Of the ground on
which they are situated. The Amer
lean has risen so that some OF the
alfalfa fields near Brighton are several
feet deep and the prospect at present
is that it will be considerably higher.
The citizens Of this city," said Dr.
Fay, Should be warned against the use
of the Sacramento River water at'pres-
ent, owing to the fact that the city
dumps are now nearly covered with the
water from the American River, which
will surely dissolve much soluble filth,
and hold in suspension much more.
The only escape for this water is
into the American River, which flows
into the Sacramento a short distance
above the bridge, striking the west
bank and then, turning directly tow
ards the Pioneer Mills, flows down on
this side of the stream to the suction
pipe in the river Owing to this change
in the current of the river, our city
receives it's water supply mainly from
the American, and it's pollution by the
city dumps is very unfortunate, for
there is enough to contend with in the
way Of impure water without this adj
ditional source.
Those impurities which are in sus-
pension may be filtered out sufficiently
to make the water potable, but the SOL
uble impurity, which is the flthiest sort
of filth, can not be removed by fltra-
ton. In view of the fact that this
new pollution cannot be removed, either
at its source, or after being dissolved
that the city officials should at once
| cease to place any more garbage there,
and make some effort to prevent furth-
er pollution. If the water had several
miles to traverse before reaching the
supply pipe, many of the impurities
would become oxidized and therefore in
| nocuous, but as it is now, and will be
until the water has entirely drained off
the dumps, and passed below the city
along with the river, our water, as fur
nished by the city, cannot be otherwise
than polluted, even the filtered water
retaining some of the characteristics Of
a decoction of the city dumps.
''Ints this dump is daily deposited
from a half to two barrels of waste
that comes from the undertakers' shops
This includes the filthy cloths used
in preparing dead bodies for embalm-
ing. In the process all the matter
in the bowels and stomach has to be
drawn off and all the blood taken from
the body before the embalming fluid
can be injected. This waste and blood,
with the waste Of the embalming fluid
is cast into these Dumps
He says that at present the current
from the river is setting strongly tow
ard the dumps. as it is rising, but that,
as soon as the river begins to fall, the
water Will run out again, carrying the
soluble portion of the garbage with it,
to pollute the river. There is a small
levee near the bridge, with a break in
it about thirty feet wide, through which
the water is now flowing, and if imme-
date action is taken by filling the break
with earth in sacks or rock and the
| dam afterwards made solid, the water
now covering the garbage will be pre-
vented from flowing back into the river
and the seepage from it will be largely
separated from the filth it contains, so
as to considerable extent neutralize
| the resultant pollution. This action,
however, must be taken at once, before
the river begins to fall, for as soon as it
does. the water from the garbage heaps
will begin to flow into it.