Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-18
CONDITION REGRETTED
Absence of Dalecarlia Reser-
voir Supply.
DIR, WOODWARD TALKS
THINKS SEDIMENTARY DEPOSIT
GREAT DISEASE PREVENTIVE.
Makes Statement to the District Com
missioners' Query on the Sub
iect-The Benefits.


ranks of the District officials by the publ
cation exclusively in The Star of Wednes
C.ry. that the great Dalccarla reservoir had
for many months been cut out of the Dis
trI,j water supply system. efforts have been
made to ascertain the relative Importance of
Ire lack Of this link in the line of disease
prevention. Commissioner mcfarland COM
INUNDATED with the War Department yes
t.r,l.b. asking that the big reservoir be put
back into service as quickly as possible and
pointing out the present prevalence of ty-
pruT fever as one of the strongest argu-
ruoutE for uegIccting none of the precau-
lions which might reduce the great sacrifice
,I human life from tAat disease alone.
\ Durmal statement was issued by Or.
Woodward. the health officer, today. in the
COURSE of which he declared that the pres
,n, ,tnger from typhoid fever seemed
great that the public should have the BEN
.ut of every possible safeguard between
them aud the infected water Further than
tHat. Dr. Woodward ana!yzed the whole sit
u,t!ou. as modified by the heretofore I'M
Euowu absence Of the DaleCdrlia reservoir,
-tyiug III part as follows:
What He Thinks
In view Of the known extent to which
water is purified by sedimentation, 1 regret
very much that any condition exists which
i.ttS seemingly TttVtEtN II necessary u vi
miuish the period during which the Potomac
river water is allowed to settle before enter
Ing the distributing mains l shall. OF
course. be cortespondingly Pleased to learn
that the necessity for this shortening OF tue
period Of standardization has been done away
with. or at least been temporarily avoided.
u is impossible, however. to specify the eX-
act extent TO which the omission from the
reservoir system of the DaleCar.la reservoir,
i'm Whole or in part. and the work being
done In that reservoir. contribute to the I'M
usual. prevalence of typhoid fever at the
present time. The percentage of bacteria re
moved by this reservoir determined by
the experiments conducted under direction
of o"e Of the officers formerly in charge OF
the Washington aQucdUct does not afford
SAFE guide under present conditions. for the
determination of the effects of cutting out
tie DaleCarlia reservoir.
In the first place. | understand the sit
Ialiun. the DaleCarlia reservoir has not been
entirely cut out. but a part of the water
coming 10 the city passes through the reSer-
vulr. and a part passes through the by
through these channels would have to be
known before even guess could be haZ-
arded as TO the condition of the water be-
low The DaleCarlla reservoir now, as COM
pared with the water at the same point
wHeu the by-Conduit is closed. Fortunately,
too. the dredging Is being done at that part
~ the reservoir most remote from the out
let. and operations are being conducted
Upon a comparatively small scale. The
amount Of water that IS fouled. bacterially
and otherwise, by this process, is small
when compared with the contents of the
reservoir and by the sedimentiug process
which takes place, must return practically
to its original condition before leaving the
reservoir. The algae in the quantity and in
the location where they are, cannot be re-
gard"d as material factor in the pollution
of the water. They at the very inlet
OF tie reservoir. and any contamination
from them is neutralized by the action of
fT1 f.ssl AM a h..fh pa
legs the conduit leading to the city.
Pec,,1t of