Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-07-11
PROTECTION OF SOURCES OF
WATER SUPPLY.

prepared at the request Of the Com
mission Oh the Conservation of Natural
Resources of the State of Vermont)
Who're does our water come from? Even
In Vermont most of our water comes from
the ocean The great spiral storms that
are daily reported by the weather bureau
at Washington cover thousands of SQUARE
miles and their winds bring clouds from
! the ocean to drop their burden of mois-
ture on the land. It should be remember
ed that the ocean surface of the earth Is
three times as large as the land surface
The ocean is the great magazine Of water
that supplies the land however remote
from the shores. But the immediate
sources Of the water we use are wells
springs, brooks and rivers. In an unn-
labited region these sources would sup
ply water entirely pure and safe If the
sources are dangerous in populated REGIONS
it Is because of the action of men
1t IS now perfectly well known that
many of the diseases most fatal to men
| are communicated from the sicl. to Jewell
by means of infinitely small germs-i,v-
Ing organisms-many of which NAV live
for considerable time In water. These
disease germs are so minute that a thou
sand of them would not If laid side by
side extend across the period used IN
writing this article They are wholly in
visible to the naked eye and the finest
microscopes are needed to distinguish one
kind from another. They are in effect
the seeds Of disease. Several kinds may
be conveyed from invalids by water to
healthful persons and may produce IN
them the disease existing In the patient
,ha .,.sto,, ,,.,bo,d ,,ar,,,.. a..
,,.,,. ,., ,,. l., ,.
u,,,,. ,,a,,, ~, st.i, .,
r,,,,,on. 80 ,,o.,,,a ,t..., =,
,,.cro,,,a,, r,a,s ,.r,,,'a. . 80
,.oror ,,,o,, 40 a., r., .,,
.p,i.a,," g., ,,, ',,..,.,
,.uo /, ~, ,.,,o,,.. ,,,.
-, 70
,d,, r,d,r osn,,t, ,a.,1i,,7,,,.
.t.,1 r ga 10
since there are many kinds Of diso,so
germs that NAV be conveyed from the
sick TO the we'll by drinking water II is
exceedingly important TO secure tho
,ources of water from contamination
The history OF one case will mako .b.
clear A village of some two thousand
inhabitants In Vermont vas'sunnlio1 with
water from n rescrvoir r,odo h,. d,rr,trr
=, brook. This brook ran thro,ph farm
lands. In one house was a no,ient hoyi,..
tvnhoid fever II was v,rtcr and tho ov
crements from the invalid wero throu,r
cut IN tba eroy ~, tho ,ro,,tr,, 80 49,.
snow the d,seaso corus uoro oorr,,'a
tho reseryo,r ana woro thorco a;s,r,,,,,.o,
n nj, tho users Of ,uh,ic ,votor r,r,t,
fever hrolso ont all oror ,ho ,.t, 49,.
yoa ,iu,ted 20 tbosa us,r, tbo ,,,,ta
u,o.or rb,s ~, on,dar,,o mo-, .n,
eose wore copveved tbrouch d,,,,,.,n -
to. from, tho ,,,,cors ,o,r,,,,,,,a ".
vo,id ia tho hod,o, -, ,,,,,r,,
,bos, ,,ony d,o1 III - W
,.ro,,,ca Of ono ,,orso,, .,o,,..o.,
-, soor,s In ,bis o,.>. 49,, ......, =,
.,. ,,.. ,at, +, INC
Loco. ,ho. ,,.oro ,.,nt,,, 80
n"' '''c M"'er ''"' i''ls IN any region
''eS "'' a." at ONE run o" as surface
''' ''uE' par. SIMS 'h'" 'h' earth
'irouSh ''e io'ih 'he Sahd or grave. ana
'h'ouSh inc loose rocks until 1t comes to
SOME CONTINUOUS nhorohen surface of clay
VI rocN "'o'R Whlch II SLOWLY tr'ckleS
u'''' IT Vo'l'eS 10 the open AR as sprng.
some ol tn's ground water Is caught
an" "''u tnroush the summer by veseta-
,ioh' some Is he'o by 'he EARTH maintain
i'S us "'o'S'u'c' put large part passes
WV" " ia" I'''pe'Nlous layer OF cay or
:. a, ",'' n''. wv W s"'' CARRYING WitN