The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1904-02-24
CHEAT WATER IMPURE.
Statements Which controvert
Local Opinion.
River is Charged nitl Impurities
Which Make 1t Unfit Fer use-some
OF the Things Which It Has Done.
Cattle Die Prom f,riaking III.

Many people have what seems to be
an erroneous idea Of the water Of
such rivers as the Cheat. This paper
confesses that it has entertained the
impression that the waters OF Cheat
were comparatively pure and the other
day an editorial squit called attention
to the statement that here an abnnd-
ant supply Of pure water might at all
times be procured.
This view u the purity Of the wa
ter is challenged by an esteemed read
er OF the paper who calls attention 10
the following role and comment which
are taken from the patA phlet "Rural
Water Supply" which is an exhaustive
treatise on the questions OF water sup
ply and which talks Of loca. conditions.
The extracts follow:
"The best answers to the usual
queries concerning the quality, safety,
or probable responsibility OF a river
supply for the prevalence OF typhoid
fever 10 these communities using its
water, Is 10 calling the general pub
Hes attention TO the fact that, what
ever the rivers may have been in the
days OF the pioneer, they are now the
sewers Of the country; upon them falls
the burden of carrying large part /
the waste Of nation TO the sea. 10
be sure, these vast bodies of sewerage
are very largely diluted by the water
of brooks ADD springs, and in certain
sections Of the country moderate sized
rivers exist, the waters OF which may
carry hut inanitesima ally small proper
lions Of the refuse of human existance.
Such, however, are not to be found in
populated sections, and it may there
fore be laid down as general rule
that the water OF none OF our rivers is
entirely s'safe" for drinking purposes
until subjected TO filtration. -
cit might be argued that, In the
case of the Cheat River, this rule does
not bold. The Cheat flows through
wild and mountainous section Of
the country and throughout the
greater part of Its course to the Mon
ongabela it drains sparsely populat-
ed watershed. Local opinion has 1t
that this water is very pure, And uh-
questionably this was true at one
time, but it IS not true today, and
with the rapid development OF this
section consequent upon its great
wealth of coal and lumber, the quality
of Cheat River water will inevitably
continue to deteriorate.
IA sample Of this water, taken Au-
gust 10, 1908, ore mile above Point
Marion, besides containing much or
ganic platter, possessed a deep yellow
hue, corresponding to a standard color
Of 0 5. This coler Is mainly due to
the resin9us material discharged into
the river 10y the pulp mills az Parsons
aud Davis In the process Of reduc-
tion to pulp. approximately one-half
of the sisinal weight OF the wood is
dissolved
ain many localities the discharge Of
this acid sulphite liquor into streams
has been found to cause the destruc-
ton OF fish, which it does partly by
absttacting from the water the dis
solved oxygen necessary for respira-
Llou, though mainly, however, by Civ
ing rise to the formation OF resinous
film upon the breathing apparatus Of
the FISH. According TO recent reports
ON ST. George and Rowlesbufg, the
discharge into the river of mine water,
coke washings, tannery waste, saw
dust, and pulp liquors, has given rise
to a highly contaminated condition OF
the water at those points"
"Tf waters OF Cheat caused the
death Of several cattle at St. George
last summe. and many dead 6sh were
found In the river at that point The
waters are SO strong that they have
taken the hair off horses legs while
fording the river at Rowlesburg.
Since these things are alleged by a
gentleman who has made study CT
the matter they are deemed worthy OF
being set before every one 10 town SC
that they may get on the proper side
of the subject. Local opiuion seems
to have been very wide of the mark 10
this case.