The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-30
WATER SUPPLY.
DIR. Crumbine Delivers Address
on Subject at Ottawa.
Tells How Easily Underground
Water Is Contaminated.
CITES MANY CASES.
CITES MANY c
Clear, Sparkling Water Not
Always Heathful.
Economic Statistics on Cost of
Polluted Water Supply.

Dr. S. j. Crumbine, secretary of the
state board of health, delivered an
address at Ottawa on the subject,
The Pollution of Underground Wa
ters, which contained a world of
valuable and interesting information
to the general public. The problem
OF c1tys water supply is the most
important OF all as regards health and
convenience. Pure drinking water in
abundance is necessity. The doctor
mas made an exhaustive study of the
subject and at Ottawa he discussed
angle and threw light on the subject
from practical sanitary viewpoint.
Among the more important points
discussed by the doctor in this address
are the following:
The source of water for domestic
purposes might be divided into three
classes, first, water secured from
streams or lakes, second, impounded
surface waters as ponds. cisterns,
etc.; the ground waters, such as
of supply is by far the greatest to the
people of this country, and it is to
the discussion of the pollution of this
class of water that I desire to direct
your attention.
"Myron L. Fuller of the U. S. Geo
logical Survey came to the conclusion
that the total free water held in the
earth's crust would be equivalent to
a uniform sheet over the entire sur
face to depth of SO feet. The un-
foreground water would therefore be
estimated to be only one-hundredth
of the volume of the oceans
Comparatively little of this ground
water is available for the purpose of
domestic water supply for the rea-
son that probably a larger share of it
carries such quantities of chlorine or
minerals as to make it unsuitable;
also that the greater portion of it is
at such depths as to be beyond the
reach of economic production
Rain Water Must Be Filtered.
1t is commonly believed by the
majority OF laymen that rain water
is an absolutely pure water, but this
belief is erroneous, for the rain drops
in passing through the atmosphere
wash out and collect enormous quan-
titles of dust, smoke and gases. so that
Internationally speaking, it is ex-
ceedingly doubtful if any rain water
is absolutely pure.
THE average soil under ordinary
and uncontaminated conditions is
supposed to be practically sterile at
a depth of twelve feet, at least suffi-
GENTLY so for all sanitary purposes.
Thus the great mass of rainfall, al
though grossly polluted when first
finding its way through the top layer
of soil, under. ordinary conditions is
of q high sanitary quality after hav-
ing passed through ten or twelve feet
of soil. On the other hand. ground
waters may be basely polluted instead
of purified, when they are on their
passage through the earth if the earth
is saturated with, impurities. (Here
several cases IN Kansas are cited
where this has been proved to be the
case.)
wells whose source of supply is from
the socatled first stratum of water in
the densely populated communities
along the Kaw and Arkansas rivers and
tributaries are peculiarly susceptible TO
this form of ground water pollution
The first stratum of water is usually
from eight to fifteen feet from the sur
face with an exceedingly porous and
sandy soil intervening, and thus any
unusual or great amount of pollution
overtaxes the purifying and liberation
properties of this soil and there is a
resulting contamination of the under
ground water.
How Water Is Contaminated.
Recently it was demonstrated that a
cess pool situated about $50 feet to the
west of a well in certain city on the
| Smoky river was polluting the under
ground water. Another illustration of
this sort of pollution occurred at the
sugar refinery at Garden City where
| tons of beet pulp was allowed to lie on
the ground until it had decomposed and
as a result the water from number of
wells dug by the sugar company sew
eral hundred feet away was contami-