El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-06-07
PROF. HARPER FINDS THAT WATER
Of FL PASO IS NOT UNHEALTHY
CONTINUED From Page One.)

| they are present in the uncovered OF
open reservoirs, and, in my judg-
ment, the reservoir at the Mesa pIan'
presents conditions that favor their
growth TO q greater extent than does
the large reservoir on Franklin noun
tain During my visit no oscillaria OF
other polluting organism was found IT
the Watts well or in the water i'm
pounded in the settling basin and III
the suction tank at the Watts well
plant
Ground waters rarely remain pure IT
open reservoirs, they often require to be
kept dark 1 am of the opinion that both
of these waters-Watts well and Mesa
could be kept in better condition for
use If they were impounded in the dark
but because of the large expense there
by entailed, that may be impracticable.
There are two other alternatives:
% Occasional treatment of the res
ervOirs with copper sulphate, which des-
troys these organisms; or,
% Slow sand filtration, using the
intermittent system of filters
Treating the Water.
Proper treatment with copper sui
phate gives good results, and water so
treated is not In the least harmful to
the human organism, provided the dos
Intermittent sand filtration is one of
the very best means Of securing a safe
water. Intelligent expert supervision is
of paramount Importance in order to
obtain a continuous supply of good
water.
By mixing the water from the Watts
well with an equal volume of water
from the Mesa wells the total solids in
the Watts well water would be greatly
reduced. i. e., the mixed water would
contain approximately 35.7 percent less
total solids than is now contained in
the water that comes directly from the
Watts we'll If one volume of the water
from the Watts well be mixed with two
volumes of the water from the Mesa
wells, the water thus mixed will con-
tain approximately 472 percent less to-
tai solids than IS now contained in the
water that comes directly from the
Watts well. Inasmuch as both of these
waters are ground waters, they should
be similarly impounded when they are
stored on the surface. So long as the
quality Of the waters remain as bacter-
tally pure as they were at the time of
my visit. no possible harm to the hui
man organism would follow the use of
the mixed waters for domestic pur-
poses
Mesa Water Unpalatable.
There are other interesting features
connected with this problem that can
not be discussed here for lack of time,
but enough has been said to clearly in
dictate that the water from the Watts
Well is only part of the problem, and
the people of FL Paso should recognize
that fact. The Mesa water is in many
respects much better water than the
water from the Rio Grande seepage
basin, but when this water is stored on
the surface, it frequently becomes more
table than the Watts we'll water,
and requires much care to keep it free
from unpleasant doors, mainly due to
the growth of algae in the reservoirs
Many cities are supplied with water
inferior in quality to that supplied to
the citizens Of FL Paso. but that is no
reason why FL Paso should not seek a
better quality If it can be had, and il
is my opinion that this can be attained
II the suggestions herein made be
adopted and carefully followed Mean
while. let the people drink the water
without fear of unwholesome results.
insisting that the water company and
the board of health earnestly cooperate
TO the end that the health of the peo-
pie may be safeguarded not only against
bad water, but also against other con-
ditions herein mentioned that are
greater menace 20 the public health than
the city water now is. Should the quail
ity of the water at any time give rise
to suspicion, an immediate warning to
boil that used for drinking should be
sent out. and the people should observe
the warning and heed it until further
treatment Of the water supply renders
Ii again safe
Respectfully submitted,
Henry W. Harper,
Professor of Chemistry
The University Of Texas. Austin, Tex.
May 80, 1910