The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-04-02
AGAINST USE
OF WELL WATER
STATE FOOD COMMISSION
Err H. Z. BARNARD SAYS
PRIVATE WELLS ARE
LIABLE TO CON-
TAMINA-
TON.

IL. L. barnard, state fOOd and
drug commissioner, has just re-
ceived copies of reports given by
health officers all over the coun-
try in regard to the advisability
OF permitting the use of private
water supplies in cities. The sem
tlment OF all health officers is de-
cidedly against the use of water
from private supplies. In num-
Der OF cities of the country the
people are not permitted to use
for domestic purposes water from
wells. In other cities there are
few wells, and these on the out
skirts of the city only, and in no
city is the use of we'll water for
domestic purposes recommended
by the health officers. All Off
GERS say that the water in wells
must sooner or later become con-
taminated and that the use of
water from wells is dangerous to
the public health.
Mr.. Barnard is fully in accord
with the stand taken by the vari-
Gus health officers of the country.
He believes that it is a question
of only very short time until
the use of wells will be forbidden
in cities. "The only safe supply"
said Mr.. Barnard, is the public
supply, the character of which is
known absolutely and which is
controlled by daily ANALYSIS. No
matter how much sediment there
is in water from the public sup
ply, no matter how much odor
or how unpalatable, the fact re-
mains that such water is safe and
that it will not cause disease.
ITO the owner private we'll
may be his most valued posses
sion, but it is not safe, even
though the water is cold, spark
ling, free from odor and in every
way palatable. Sometimes it is
asserted that we'll 500 or 600
feet deep is satisfactory we'll
that reaches beyond the lime
stone. The fact is that, While
water obtained at this depth may
be free from disease germs, it is
nevertheless SO full of iron that it
is unsuitable for drinking and do
mestic purposes.
1t is usually thought, too, Mr..
Barnard says, that if we'll is
thirty feet from a communicating
source it is safe from pollution.
The common fallacy is that, un-
der such conditions, if any seep-
age does take place the effluents
will have been made as pure as
water from the skies in the mys-
terious laboratory of the earth.
This reasoning has been proved
to be false.
If the we'll is freely used so
the level of the water is below
that of the water in the surround
ing earth, inflow will take place
for a distance of 100 feet laterally
and in the direction in which the
ground water flows for a much
greater distance. Hence ordin-
arily source of filth, in order to
contaminate well, must be with
in 100 feet or in extreme cases
200 feet except in the direction
from which the ground water
flows. But this is not the whole
truth, Mr.. Barnard says, for the
original source of filth may be
much further removed and have
gradually defiled the soil in the
direction of the we'll until it has
extended within its influence.
ICesspool filth, he declares, has
been known to seep through the
soil for distance of 200 yards
and poison wells.
In small villages, Mr.. Barnard
says, the supply of water from
wells may have been of unex-
ceptionable quality for an indefin-
ite time, but as the place grows,
population becomes more dense,
the ground water is drawn on in
excess of the supply, the drap-
age area Of the we'll is increased
and the water becomes less pure,
both from this cause and the in
creased amount of sewage return
ed to the soil, whichlis sure to be
saturated with organic matter be-
yond its power of oxidation, and
the pollution of the wells is NJ
.evitable. 1t has been generally
decided that wells. should be
abandoned as a source of water
lsupplv for household uses when7
ever there are more than two
houses to the acre, unless in ex-
ceptionable cases where an an
alysis has shown the water to be
|pure.