The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-08-23
4 City of Five Times Present Size Gould Easily Be
 Supplied UNLIMITED AMOUNT
 COULD BE SECURED "Water Supply of This City More Than Meets All Sanitary Require ments," Says Com
 mlttee.

The special committee of seven to ln- vestigate and report on the quantity and quality" of the Birmingham water supply has rendered it's report.
 l The report shows that the supply is abundant for a city of several times the size of Birmingham, and for as many | large manufacturing and industrial plants as will be built in Birmingham for years to come
 The quality of the water, according to the report, is unsurpassed by that of any other city in America, and the bacteria per cubic centimeter is very much lower than in many other cities-comparative tests having been made
 The report was submitted to ex-Govern- or Joseph F. Johnston, who was chair man of the meeting of citizens held at the Cahaba filtration plant on July 19, at a meeting of the committee held yes- terday at 12:30 o'clock in the Commer- cial club rooms. Chairman Johnston &C., cepted the report, thanked the commit tee for Its excellent work and discharg- ed it.
 Those present at the meeting yesterday were James Bowron, chairman of the committee of seven; w H. Kettig, R. H. Pearson and Dr. w. M. Jordan. G. B. Mccormack was absent from the city. but concurred in the report before it was made public. Erskine Ramsay knew practically all that was to go into the report before he went to Europe and con- cured in it. w. J. Rushton has been absent from the city for some time, and his is the only name not signed to the report
 The complete report, to which is att tached a letter from Dr. James McLester, on A bacteriological study of the water supply of Birmingham. is as follows:
 The Report In Full.
 Birmingham. Ala, July 31, 1865 Hon. Joseph r. Johnston, Chairman, Bir-
 mingham, Ala.
 Dear Sir-On Wednesday, July 19, as chairman of the meeting of citizens in- terested in examining the water supply or the district. you appointed the undersgn- ed committee to prepare a report upon the quality and quantity Of said water sunplv. It was represented at the meet
 
 serious allegations have been made both as to the quality and as to the quantity. 1t has been openly charged that the water supplv of this district Is insufficient to justify the location here of additional manufacturing enterprises. and fears nave been expressed in this direction, that the future growth of Birmingham ana It's suburbs would be checked. and the pros nerity of the district seriously handi- of on aAa0llafa StlDDlV of water. both for domestic and indus triaI nirposes Much time has been given bv various individuals and committees, considering the possibility or bringing water here by canal, either rom the ieh- nessee or Warrior river, or by pumping if from the Coosa river.
 Whilst there has not been at any tlme' within the limits of the city or blrHihs ham any unusual amount Of typhold Fever there has been considerable anxiety faJt among the citizens on the subject, ou,inq to the difficulty in detecting It's source. and in accordance with the suita- hIe spjrit of civic improvement ana oe- ,,olonment. attention has been given more or less to the water supply the milk sup plv and the sanitary condition o1 the city. o.,.,,,u,- +v as the mouth-piece not only or large hodv of representative citizens, at whose instance fl was appointed, but also as the mouth-piece of the citizens Of Birming- ham in declaring to the outside woriu the conditions which exist.
 rro accomplish this end in the most ef- ficient manner, your committee organized bv dividing into two sub-committees as follows: ,,.c. mack. w H. Kettig and James Bowron to investigate the subject of quantity, and Dr. w. M. Jordan, R. H. Pearson and w. ]. Rushton to investigate the supJeet of quality; 1t being understood ana agreed that the proceedings of each sub-commit- fee were entirely open to the members of the other subcommittee.
 Report on Quantity.
 On the subject of quantity, we beg to report as follows
 Almost the entire committee spent Sat- urday. July 29 visiting the reservoirs on Shades mountain; the pump station on the Cahaba river; the present dam below the fork of the two rivers. and the area both on the big and little Cahapa. where water is now impounded by the present dam and also inspected the sites of pro- nosed dams for storage reservoirs; ex- aming the connections herewith and the local conditions as to strata, rock for foundation purposes and for construc- fion. the width of the valleys, the con tour of the country as shown by the surveys, and tables giving the area of tbe watershed. the rain fall annually for the period of twelve years; the pres ent pumpage capacity of the plants. both at Cahaba river and at North Birmfng- ham: and table showing the water con- sumption month by month or the BIT rnineham district for the past three years.
 We find the present consumption of water to be decidedly irregular; the in- crease in February, 1905, being 1,50o,0oO gallons per day above the consumption of January and March. During the years 1903, 1904 and 1905 up to July 31. the con sumption has varied between 73S,0O gal Ions as a minimum and l3'4s2.Uo as