The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-03-26
HOW FORESTS PROTECT THE
DOMESTIC WATER SUPPLY
State Forester BeSley Interested Not
Only In Forests But Also Water
Supply for Towns.

To the Editor of The Republican:
DEAR SIR: The question of a town
water supply found to be one that is
being agitated in Oakland and | am
/ sending you a copy of an article recent
/ ly prepared on this subject and, dealing
with the question in general way as it
applies to the towns andEcities adjacent
to the mountain region. / feel that you
will be able to use this article to good
advantage. If 50, l shall be glad to
have you make use of it.
Very sincerely.
F. W. BGsLEY,
State ] Orester.
The fact that forest cover IS the
bestpurifyer of water known has been
. generally accepted forTa long time.
That more cities and towns adjacent to
a mountain region do not profit by this
fact and and acquire mountain water
/ from fOrested slopes is a serious refec-
ton upon the light regard with which
the public health is held. Thousands of
lives are needlessly sacrificed every year
! in this state by typhoid germs carried
in the domestic water supply A
! forest covered watershed would not in
! itself fully guarantee the water free of
| typhoid germs, but in would help i'm
mensely and at the same time it would
| clarity the water so that it would be
| delivered to the consumer clear and pure
and not 10 or 20 percent sediment as is
often the case in the spring when the
. streams are high.
/ The effect Of the forest on the move
ment of water in the country is being
demanded for this alone and is the prime
/ reason why the Government has created
large national forests in the mountains
Of the west, The same reasons apply
in the east and there is now a DILL before
. Congress for creating National Forests
in the Appalachian and White Noun
tains in which the protection and regu-
/ lations of stream flow is Of equal impor-
lance with the maintenance of a supply
of timber. The forest is the greatest
natural reservoir known. The roots of
( the trees penetrating the soil make it
/ porous and bind it together. The litter
/ and leaves falling on the ground form a
mulch which, with added accumulation,
makes deep humus whose water absorb
ing capacity is equal to or times its
own weight. This same mulch, with
the shades of the trees themselves, re-
tards evaporation so that every drop of
water that falls is quickly taken into
the mulch and soil and thence allowed
to percolate gradually to the stream
absolutely free from sediment. The
smallstreams flowing through the forest
have their banks and beds protected by
the tree roots and rocks so there is no
chance for the water to get muddy or
( polluted. Such condition furnishes an
ideal water supply. Local conditions
will determine the course to persue but
the following outline will serve in a
! general way
/ The first consideration is to locate
watersheds as near the city or town as
possible where the following conditions
prevail. o. The watersheds should be
at the head of stream or streams and
largely protected by forest cover,
/ especially the sleeper slopes. (2) The
! flow of water even during dry seasons
must be sufficient to supply the needs.
/ One or more storage reservoirs would
care for share of the surplus and so
supplement the supply in dry periods as
/ to Increase the capacity for growing
needs. (3) The watershed should be
I under the control of the city or town
/ and regularly patrolled to guard against
any dangers of pollution from residents
or transients and to protect the forest
cover from fire or trespass. The second
consideration is the financial one and
this too'often comes first. AfterI look
/ ing over the ground and determining
the probable cost the question wili.arise
| "Can we afford it?" In answering,this
! question the first consideration should
be the public health. The cases of
typhoid in Washington, DEC, and
Cumberland, Nd, two cities. depending
wholly upon Potomac River water are
unusually high. There have been nota-
bic typhoid epidemics traceable to the
water supply. One at Cumberland in
the first six months of 1S90.produced
485 cases and resulted in 97Edeaths.
In Washington the water. is filtered
after being taken from the river which
clears it of most of the sediment but
does not remove all of the infectious
germs. In addition to the dangers of
typhoid infection there are large
quantities of sewerage and refuse that
pollute the Potomac waters and render
them unfit for domestic use and serious
menance to the public health. In ac-
curing a mountain water supply the
cost of pipe and reservoirs bring up the
initial cost to a high figure but such an