The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-08-03
WATER COMMITTEE MEETS.
THE SUB-COMAIITTEES REPORT
THEIR PROGRESS.
Lind1ey Gives Warning Against a
Report Of Packed
Committee.

The Citizens Water Committee met
In the City Trustees room last evening,
Herman Grau presiding
DR.. Power of the Purity Committee
reported that as far as he had gone
with his examination and analysis of
Sacramento River water he had found
1T practically free of organic matter. The
animal matter in the water was. he
said, less than the minimum in river
water, and that DR.. Henderson's BAG
THEOLOGICAL test showed less bacteria in
the water than in that of most other
streams which had undergone similar
tests. While the committee was not
yet ready to make a complete report
he said that DR.. Henderson's analysis
showed only 900 bacteria to the square
centimetre, which was the same num-
Der he Power) had found in a similar
test made year ago. DR.. Power said
the test had been made with a view to
ascertain whether or not the odor and
taste arising from the river water was
due to organic matter, and he felt GER
tain that it was not.
L. 3. Hall said that for the past four
or i've weeks there had been no odor
to the water, SO that a test for deter
mining the cause of an odor which did
not exist could have only one termi-
nation.
Mr.. Grau said that the odor and bad
taste in the water five weeks ago I'M
doubtedly arose from drainage from
tule lands, and as these were now high
and dry no taste or odor could come
from that source
Mr.. Stillman said that he had in the
past made numerous tests for morgan
lc matter in the water and found it
practically pure. The only thing OBJ
Jectionable was the sediment and
siickens which was a filter PROPOSE
ton.
Captain Hall. Chairman of the Sec
ramento River Sub Committee, re-
ported progress and asked for further
time, which was granted.
Mr.. Arnold, Chairman of the Amer
lean River Committee, said the latter
on Tuesday went to Folsom and ex-
amined into the Devine- Muir PROPOSE
ton. The engineers with the party
were satisfied that the source of sup
ply was high enough to insure placing
water in this city. The committee
found the most difficult problem to be
the Injunction served on Devine and
Muir by the Folsom Power Company
He moved that the matter be referred
to Corporation Counsel Devine to re-
port as to the validity of the conten-
ton of the Power Company.
d. A Lindley said he thought it was
only a question as to whether the city
bought the water right from Devine
or the Power Company. He supposed
it could be bought from either party.
Mr.. Arnold said that seven or eight
years ago the Power Company made
surveys from Folsom to Florin with a
view to putting in a system for irriga-.
ton, and that a similar survey had
been made to the Haggin Grant. He
further stated that the Power Com
pany had done work to divert the wat
er, and just below the point at which
the work had been done, Devine had
stuck his notice of water right on a
stump like a notice of miners claim
The motion to refer to the Corpora
ton Counsel was carried.
Tom Scott said he had talked with
the owner of the natural gas wells and
that the latter had said he tested the
water every hundred feet as the we'll
was bored and that the deeper the we'll
was bored the more brackish it tasted,
and that at the bottom of the we'll
2,2OO feet, the water stood at 80 de-
grees.
Chairman Grau advised instructing
the Committee on Wells with respect to
the depth of the tests to be made in
order that 1T might act intelligently.
DR.. Power advised testing each Of the
several layers of water, inasmuch as a
well sunk to the third layer would
drain the two above it. He suggested
that the committee furnish the Purity
Commute analysis of water from each
layer or strata.
Mr.. Stillman said the only way to
test the quantity of water from the
wells would be to place 100000
gallon pump at them and make prac-
tical test. He said the water taken
out would have to be replaced, and
that the entire district would be
drained to replenish the supply.
Captain Hall said the opinion pre-
vailed that the water ran in UNDER
ground channels, which do not draw
their supply from the surrounding dis
trict
Howard Stillman said that such an
opinion was nonsense-that there were
no Yabterranean streams in this val
ley and that the geological formation
of the valley would disprove any such