The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-11-21
Standardization of River Waters

The issue between Chicago and ST.
Louis, occasioned by the opening of the
Cmcago drainage canal, through which
the sewage OF Chicago is conducted to
the Mississippi river, via Des PLANES
and Illinois rivers, is based upon the
condition in the minds of the people of
81. Louis that there will arise effects
detrimental to the water of the Missis-
slppl river at that city. The whole dis
pute centers, therefore, about the old
moot question as to how long a distance
IL is necessary for river to flow in order
to purify itself.
We know from chemical analysis and
physical examination that varying
degree of publication takes place in a
river. In early days this was thought
TO be due to aeration, and the tumbling
OF water down mountain sides became
the basis for poetic Implication of puri-
ty. The experiments of the Massachu-
setts state board of health have shown
that aeration has little or no effect upon
the condition of organic matter in water
that is, the organic matter is not
assisted in its oxidation by agitation in
the. air. 1t was also found that the
highest degree of activity in oxidation
processes is to be found in quiescent or
stagnant waters. 1t then became clear
that self-puritication in sluggish stream
is far more effective than in swift
current, and that dams and other i'm
pediments have beneficial effect upon
the condition of water in river channels.
The promulgation of these facts led to
an entire change in the ideas concerning
the distance necessary for stream purif-
cation, and it is now understood that no
hard and fast rules can be set for guild
ance in determining the purifying power
OF any watercourse, A Royal commits
sion, appointed to inquire into the con-
dition of England's rivers, reporting to
the English Parliament in the early
seventies, held that no stream in the
United Kingdom was sufficiently long
to effect its own publication. The fa-
miliar and oft-quoted principle is that
stream purifies itself in 20 miles, but
how this distance was ever determined
or who was responsible for its general
acceptance is matter of doubt; certain
it is that the statement is entirely wrong
in the majority of cases. Pettenkoffer;
Herring, Stearns, and others have given
formule which are undoubtedly true for
the rivers upon which these gentlemen
worked, but which can in no wise be
accepted for rivers in general, and it re-
mains for the investigator to determine
by actual experiment the purifying
power of each stream with which he has
to deal.
The work of examination of surface
waters of the United States, recently
inaugurated in the division of hydro
graphy of the United States geological
survey, in cooperation with the various
college laboratories throughout the
country, will be useful in the determin-
alton of the self-purifying powers of
many of the interstate rivers. These
results will be highly beneficial to the
municipalities and corporations which
may be looking toward the establish
ment of sewerage systems and purifiica-
ton works.
During the coming winter it is ex-
pected that Mr.. M. o. Leighton, hydro
grapher of the geological survey, will
take up this work upon various rivers
in Indiana and Illinois, and will so far
as possible extend this research to the
streams which at the present time are
of great interest to the inhabitants of
the Mississippi valley.