Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-08-18
UTILIZE JUNCTION
CREEK uNDERFLow

sending out committees to look up a
new source of water supply In distant
riy"rs large amount Of good water Is
going to waste right here a, home. In
North Durango. cast of the bridge.
and all along to Anlmas City.
there Is tremendous underilow of
pure water from junction creek with
dis hnrres from the gravel all along
the bank OF the Animas river DR..
Hurd has tested this water with the
ordinary tests used for water. and
hnds that. although II contains lime
md other earthly salts. u has very lit
tie animal or vegetable matter In IL.
and compared with the water of the
Animas II il pure and healthful To
Thoroughly analyze water, and tell ex.
actly the kind and quantity OF each in
rgedlent that II contains is quite
lengthy process. and Dr. Hurd has not
the apparatus necessary for this work.
but from the tests which he has made,
he ~ thoroughly convinced that this
water Is far superior to that In the
river. and thinks II would pay Du-
range To have someone come here ana
al years ago an analysis OF this sort
was made, and resulted in favor of the
river water. but at that date the Ami
mas was an altogether different
stream from what II Is today. Then II
came down from the mountains in all
It's pristine clcarness, there being very
few mills or causes OF contamination
of any sort above Durango. Condi-
lions are more than reversed today
that into which II flows. Filtration
and other processes can do much to.
ward clearing water, hut they cannot
remove the poisonous matter held in
solution, nor XIII the typhoid germs
which ~. contained In the Animas
river. hr lurd has booked over the
whole ground In that portion of North
Durango and before the recent rains
fell. found n good Iiow there. He
made no measurements, but according
to his estimation. 1t would require
pumps OF quite large capacity to take
care OF what water Is now flowing
from the gravel. II the amount of
water from each one OF these several
springs could be measured. 1t would
be easy to estimate whether sufii-
cicnt supply for the city of Durango
could he obtained from this source
This immense underfiow aud the con
sc1uoni springs bubbling through the
gravel is accounted for in the fact
that at some long past date, the
ground upon which North Durango
now stands has been washed away
thirty feet lower than 1t is now, and
then filled up again Several miles
above Junction creek the water goes
down into this newer formation. and
comes out again through the gravel or
the banks OF the river, Dry as this
season has been there is an Immense
volume OF water flowing from these
springs and going 10 waste, while the
peoople are drinking taillngs and filth.
The way to get at this water End turn
II to use is to make cuts each way
through the stratum OF gravel where
the springs are located to cement the
bottoms Of these cuts and then gather
all the underflow into pipes running
across the river and emptying into a
ristern or reservoir. II II were found
that there was not enough water In
the springs to supply the city, ar
rangomenis could be made to take
from the river what further amount
might he necessary. This wouldn't
bc very expensive procsss and tho
water would be great Improvement
ON what we are now getting, There
Is large spring near Mr., Fassbinder's
house, which tells the quality of the
water which comes through the grav-
el II water could be obtrined this
way, much time. expense and trouble
would he saved Tor Durango To
bring the water from the Cascade or
Florida rivers would he an expensive
process, To purify the Animas will
ne"cssiiate n lawsuit and trouble with
Silverton and all the towns and mill
ing properties In the great San Juan
region that border on the river. Peace
Is the greatest blessing that any coun.
try. town or people can know. and II
should be maintained at any cost. un-
less justice demand 'o'hcf mode of
procedure