The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-05-31
North Yakima Has Absolute Az.
thority Under Law to Keep
Water Supply Pure
OFFICIAL OF STATE
BOARD SHOWS WAY
After Inspecting New Intake, DR..
Heg, Secretary Health Board,
Relates What Seattle Has Done
and Says We Must Do Likewise

Nortn yakima has the authority to
protect the watershed from which it
receives its supply of water, and must
do so at all hazards, was the state
ment made by DR.. Elmer Heg. secre-
tary Of the state board of health, to
the mayor and committee of citizens
who visited the intake of the city's
water supply Monday and inspected
the source and its surroundings. With
DR.. Heg were Mayor Schott, H. r.
kingman, local manager of the Pa
cific Light and Power company; DR..
Tetreau, city health officer; City En-
gineer Doolittle, and c. H. Barton,
member of the governing board of the
Comemrcial club. DR.. Heg reached
North Yakima Monday forenoon, COM
ing from Olympia in response sent
by DR.. Tetreau as a result of the re-
cent meeting of the health committee.
Important Conference
The forenoon was spent in consul
tation with the city health depart
ment over the local situation. with
the result that a joint meeting 70 the
county com missioners, the city coun-
ell, the board of health and the
health committee of the various
clubs and civic organizations will be
held today. The purpose of this
meeting is to secure the establish
ment Of a psychological laboratory in
the city and the appointment of an
expert to take charge of it in the in
vestigation of typhoid fever in the
city and valley
In the afternoon the members Of
the party were taken in automobiles
to the intake recently com pleted by
the Pacific Power and Light company
and put into use in connection with
| its water service for the first time
Monday. The new intake was in
spected under the guidance of Manag-
er Kingman, and it seemed a credit
able piece of york.
Must Protect Watershed
1t was after viewing this that DR..
| Heg emphasized the necessity for the
protection by the city of the water
shed of it's water supply, and as soon
as it can be done the city authorities
| will post notices along the river to
keep the source of the municipality s
| most important public necessity from
pollution.
Dr. Heg said it was up to the city
4 to see that the section in the criminal
! code, which became a law in 1907.
! making it an offense punishable with
a fine of $1,000. was enforced to the
. letter. Under this law, the city has
! the right to require that nothing that
would pollute the water of the Naches
| river be deposited in the river bed or
along it's banks or upon the water
| shed draining into it. This authority,
I! - bot nxfo cd nk a
as Nile. The notices to be posted by
| the city will call attention to this
law, and warns residents. ranchers
and others along the river and its
| watershed to be careful about it's en-
| forcement.
Law Enforced by Seattle
Under this same law Seattle has alb
solutely cut off all sources of contami-
nation of the water supply taken
/ from the Cedar river. For some dis
| lance the Chicago, Milwaukee G. Puget
Sound railway right extends
| along the water shed of the Cedar
| river. 1t was too close to suit the
| officials of Seattle and they compelled
| the railroad at an expense of 100000
| to move their right ofway several
| hundred feet back from the river, in
order to do away any possibly con-
| tamination of it's waters
| AS soon as a train enters the Cedar
river watershed the closets ire locked
and are not opened until they are be-
yond 1t. No water is allowed to drain
directly into the river from the rail-
road track. but instead it flows into
| trenches along the right-of-way, sink
| ing into the ground. North Yakima
has Just as much authority as Seattle
| to enforce this law. and from now on
] this will he done rigidly.