The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-03-19
WHAT CITY MUST DO
TO GET PURE WATER
Various Methods Have Suggested Expense Varying From
100000 to $30oo0ooo
What must Minneapolis do to obtain

What must Minneapolis do to obtain
pure water?
First of all, the east and west pump
ing stations, known as the lower sta
tons. must be demolished, dismantled
and wiped out of existence so that the
waterworks officials cannot start
either or both every time something
goes wrong in the water supply sys-
tenn. The best water from either Of
the lower stations is merely diluted
sewage.
After one Of the greatest sources of
first step will be to decide whether
Minneapolis shall continue to depend
on the Mississippi river for it's water
supply or look to Mile Laos, Lake SUI
perior or some other source. Here is
where the experts disagree.
Up River Contamination.
Old Mississippi will never be any
Steamer than at present. While
above can be prohibited from draining
sewage into the river, there is no way
to prevent surface impurities from
being washed into the river. Swiftly
moving waters eventually purify them
selves thru the agencies of air and the
sunlight and the more turbulent the
stream the sooner it is purified. From
this it is argued that even if st. Cloud
and other cities above discharge con-
tamination into the river, the dan
gerous elements are eliminated before
the waters reach Minneapolis. This is
largely guesswork, however. and
probably few experts on water supply
with the sedimentation received at the
reservoir, Is an ideal water. In the
winter 1t is probably not SO bad but
many who drink it now will have none
OF 1t four months hence. At the same
time there are hundreds Of families
who have never drank anything else
for years and have never had a case
Of typhoid fever.
1t Is certain that Mississippi water
even in summer is far preferable to
the majority of we'll waters in Mime
apolis.
Ozone or Filters? ~ -
Supervisor J. H. Mcconnell says
that If the water Is ozonized, Missis-
sippi article will serve forever. If
the method of producing ozone on
which Joseph Willford is working
should prove successful, the problem
Of pure water has been solved to the
end of time. If it is not feasible, an
other set Of basins, could be added to
the reservoir, and the water, after hav-
ing been partly purified by sedimenta-
ton In one set of basins, could be
conducted to the next by series of
short cascades. The water would thus
be further purified by aeration and
sunlight, a system already in practical
use at Omaha and other places. It
would cost about $250,000 to construct
two more basins. These will soon
be needed, whether the system of aer-
alton is adopted or not as the two
basins now hold only enough for two
or three days.
It will be remembered that when the
reservoir was built, F. w. Cappelen,
then city engineer, included in his es-
Inmates the expense of f1ltering plant.
There are probably several excellent
systems Of liberation. Mr.. Cappelen
thought that one costing upwards Of
100000 would serve Minneapolis for
years to come. ''77%
A Northern Lake Supply,
W. W. Redfeld, engineer for the
Waterworks division in the CITY eng
ineer's department, says the best way
to obtain pure water is to start with
water that does not need publication.