Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-10-18
FOR FILTRATION PLANT
Report Of Committee on Water
Supply Accepted.
Estimated Cost OF $4,000 and Citisens
VIII Soon he Asked to Appropriate
That Amount for Its In
stallatlon

At the meeting Of citizens. held Friday
evening in the City Hall, the report of
the special committee on water supply
consisting of Mayor Burke. George d.
Wright, Fred Johonnott, j. l.. Southwick
F. o. Sinclair and NJ. d. Mcmahon. which
recommended the installation of a Ultra
ton plant to purify the water taken from
Lake Champlnin was accepted and adopt
ed. The report was as follows:
your committee appointed at a recen.
citizens meeting to investigate methods
for the Improvement Of our water supply.
respectfully report that they have consid-
cred the probable cost of changing the
present intake to a point in the lake where
purer water might he obtained. namely:
outride of Shelburnc point This cost
would. as estimated, be about $25O.oO0 rs
it would be necessary to lay pipe line by
land around shelburne bay, a distance IF
about ten miles. This route would be
necessary because of the extremely deep
water between a pumping station and the
proposed intake.
The matter of ase-disposal plant
was carefully considered, and the cost
was found to be bout 100000.
Both of the above propositions are In
able, first because the result would not
give the city a pure water supply. and
second because of the excessive cost.
Analysis Of water. taken from any point
in the lake, show sewage bacteria, al
though less in evidence at some points
than at others, and while sewage-dis
posal plant would free the water of the
lake from the sewage of this city. the
Ia tl,r inn cd
other sources.
The matter of a gravity supply was
also considered but as this method has
so often been invcsti gated in the past. and
by so many committees reported adverse
ly. we recommend that no more time nor
money be expended In seeking a supply
where no supply exists.
In view of the above finding. your COM
mittee unanimously recommend that the
most efHcaclous. feasible and simple plan
would be the installation of a filtration
plant. the cost of which would be about
$G5 co., and owing to the recent order Of
the State board of health. your committee
earnestly recommend immediate action
THE DISCUSSION.
After reading the report. Mayor Burke
reviewed the work Of the water invest-
cation which has been carried on during
the past two years, referring hrst to the
report of Mr.. Leighton, made two years
ago. condemnng the water OF Lake Cham-
plain, and then to the order of tia state
hoard of health made in the spring OF
1895. for the city to procure pure water
supply before June, 1906. He then told
of the work of the committee which In
vcstigated the water question In places
where conditions were similar to those02f
burlington and reported to the board
Of aldermen recommending a filtration
plant
He referred to the citizens meeting
held not long since, which turned down
the proposition to bond for filtration
plant and then spoke Of the more recent
action of the State board OF health In
prohibiting the use of the unpurihed
water. He said that only yesterday he
was talking with DR.. C. S. Caverly
president of the state board. and that
official told him the citizens Of burlington
must act Concluding. the mayor said
the city of burlington can be held legally
responsible for any damage from the use
Of tho present water supply.
CITY ATTORNEY BILLARD.
City Attorney V. A. Billiard. in moving
that the report be accepted and adopted
said he had nothing to say as to what
the State board Of health had done or
intended to do. The thing which the peo-
pie of burlington have to look square
in the face is that the water Is contain
mated. He referred to the fact that
there have been 40 cases of typhoid fever
here in the past nine months The powers
OF the state board in the matter he said
are fun and broad and he said the ques-
ton i. one which we should face as men.
DR. III. c. TINKHAM.
DR. II. c. Tinkham. the last speaker,
said that of the analyses of water
drawn from the faucet at the state
laboratory of hygiene during the year
preceding last year, Al out or every
100 showed direct sewer contamination
or the colon bacillus, while last year
nearly twice as many cases OF typhoid
fever were reported to the State labor
atory as were the year before. During
the last month. over so per cent of the
analyses showed direct sewer contain
nation.
The speaker mentioned the growth of
| the city and the growth of the sewer
system. emphasizing the growth in
sewage scdimcntation which must ac-
crue in Burlington bay as the years
pass. He said many of the people who
have lived here for n considerable pc
riod and who have been drinking the
water during that time have establish
ed in their systems an immunity to II
so that 1t is likely to affect much more
seriously those who have not been ac-
customed to its use. Then there are
different grades of sickness from ty-
phoid and in some instances people
have the disease unconsciously and dc
not summon n physician,
AS member Of the school board, In
conformity with the order of the state
board DR.. Tinkham said he had direct,
ed Superintendent Wheeler to cut on
all of the faucets in ...e public schools
The time has arrived. he said, wher
the city must accept the situation ant