The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-06-19
DIR. Tetreau Warned


The decision for immediate action
on the part of the city was taken at a
conference of the city commissioners
the city engineer. the county commits
sioners and DR. Tetreau, held Monday
afternoon at the court house, The
conference, was called after Dr.
Tetreau had warned the county In his
monthly report some time ago that in
his opinion the waters of the Yakima
river We're elng polluted by the citys
sewage.
Plans Nearly Completed
Working out of the complete plans
for the extension of the sewers to
parts of Il. city not now served. and
rebuilding of portions of the old sys-
TEN, emptying III through one outlet
and DANG away with danger of poll,l-
ton of9the river, has been in progress
in the city engineering department fol
more than a year. The work was be-
gun under the previous administration
and continued by the new regime. Al
of the s,field work has been done and
all of the Office work excepting such
changes and addition of details rs
may be necessary on suggestion and
approval of the experts.
XXI Experts Are Called
State, Health Commissioner DR.. IL
r. Kelly has been asked to arrange
for date when he, with Porfess IL
McCostland of the department OF
sanitary engineering of the State uni
versty. and State Highway Commits
sioner w. j. Roberts. also an author
ity on sanitary engineering, can meet
with the North Yakima officials and
go over the plans of the engineering
department tg
Begin Work In Fail
After criticism of the experts City
Engineer N. A. Gilman estimates that
one month will enable the department
to complete their work. The commits
sioners will Immediately adopt the
plans, and pass the ordinance calling
for a special election. to vote bonds OF
approximately $350.000 to 100000.
Assuming the carrying oft bonds
the passage Of the final ordinance
sale of bonds and letting of contract
wtll bring the time for the full pro
cetlure to about 90 days after the first
ordinance, which viii enable the con-
tractors to begin work early In thS
fal and work during the winter.
First Noticed In 1905
Attention to the pollution Of the
Yakima river by North Yakima
scwag. and consequent pollution o1
the water supply of thousands of resi-
dents OIL lTle lOWcI NdlityS was " %
called by DR.. Tetreau in 1905, during
his first term as county health officer
At his request DR.. Elmer r.. Heg OF
the state board of health came tC
North Yakima and was shown, among
other things, the intakes Of the sun
nyside and Reservation canals. The
water was then at low stage, and the
diluted sewage could be plainly seer
flowing into the canals. Since thet
DR. Tetreau has studied the situation
but not until after the sanitary cam
paign Of last year did he become con
vinced that the matter was one OF
serious importance to the city and
county
CITY Water supply Not Bad
'In study of the typhoid cases n
the city during 1870 says Dr
Tetreau, 81 found that I'm none of the
cases was the city water supply d.
rectly and absolutely held responsible
for the infection. In the campaign
against the fever of 1911. except lor
Inc cases in n particular portion Of the
city few could be laid directly to the
water. About one-third of the people
of the city last year were getting their
water supply from wells, and this
third furnished two-thirds of the cases
nc tvphoid Even at that | attribute
most of the cases, with the exception
of those in the northeast part or the
CITY to bad sanitary conditions, 10
contact infection and to lack OF
sewerage provisions.
Many Carriers OF Disease
ain our study of the disease last
vear we came to the conclusion that
al out one person out of every seven
had already had typhoid, and apply
ing the ratio. it is fair 20 estimate that
i'm this city Of 1900 people about
1000 have had it at some time OF
other they may not have acquired
ii or had il here. hut ut some Other
place.
"A certain percentage OF people
who have typhoid. about ) per cent
usually continue to give OH the germs
OF the disease in their excreta 10
indefinite periods after they recover