The daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Beltrami Co., Minn.) 1903-1904, 1903-07-02
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appearance in the issue of same day.
SEWER QUESTION.

The following editorial from
the Minneapolis Journal is a
timely one and is of peculiar IN
terest to Bemidji just at this
time when the establishment Of a
sewage system is contemplated:
What shall we do with the sew
age?
"This question is constantly
presenting itself to the citizens
of our state. The country is new
and prosperous, and as it pros
pers. villages and cities spring
up that" soon demand public
water supplies in order that mod
ern conveniences may be used in
house construction. Under such
conditions the water tight cess
pool is no longer sufficient as a
means of caring for the house
sewage. The character Of the
substitutes for the water tight
vault and cesspool are striking
and ingenious if not sanitary.
Our house owner will dig, a cess
pool deep enough to reach sand
or gravel stratum and will dis
charge the house sewage into
this place with the intent that it
shall dispense itself through this
filtering media regardless of the
fact that wells supplying drink
ing water may be in close prox-
unity and drawing their water
supply from the same sand or
gravel bed. The house sewage
thus passes almost directly from
the cesspool to the family we'll.
In other instances, house sewage
isdischargedinto deepabandoned
wells. Tt may thus go to a con
siderable depth depending en-
tirely upon conditions. In this
way the water from deep wells
may be rendered unfit for use;
wells that but for this unnatural
pollution would be absolutely
safe as a source for drinking
water. Such pollution is known
to exist in several Minnesota
villages.
"Still another means of sew
age disposal is by discharging it
into streams or lakes. This is
considered by many as leglti-
mate, the argument being that
streams are our natural sewers.
But are they? Streams in their
natural state carry pure water
from source to outlet, while
natural lakes fed by springs
contain as pure water as the
streams. If sewage is dis
charged into a stream, the same
is but an open sewer for all
points below the point of sewage
discharge. The old idea of self
publication of a stream does not
hold true when applied to bac-
terial life.
A polluted lake is even worse
than a polluted stream, for in
time it becomes a veritable open
cesspool.
If sewage is discharged into
streams or lakes it becomes a
question of time only as to when
they will become public NUS
ances. SIN many of the Older
states they are such already. Il
is often easier to prevent than t(
correct an evil. Now is the time
for Minnesota to decide as tx
whether it will prevent the evils
of stream and lake pollution, O.
whether it will create evils TO
future generations to worry over
The smallar the stream tn
greater the evils of pollution.
What is to be the future o
cities and villages in Minnesota
Are they to be located on stream
serving as open sewers and lake
which are but stagnant cesspools
Are the fish, except of the scav
enger type, to become extinct
Are the lives Of human beings t
be constantly jeopardized? Sucl