The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-07-06

polluted, poisoned and unfit for use as
drinking water. Although the expert
enee of the largest cities has shown
that the sewage is valuable as a fertiliz-
er, when properly handled, few even
OF our largest cities have as yet Great
ed such systems of sewage as will sep
arate the water from the mass of ma
terial carried by it and render this ma
terial available for use in raising veg
| etables; New York City throws its sew
age into the ocean.
The rivers on which cities and viii
lagos have been erected with sewage
systems emptying into them cannot be
protected from pollution. The lakes and
brooks, the wells and the springs can
be protected. These are the sources
used for the supply of drinking water.
These sources may be contaminated eth
er through surface water flowing visibly
into them or through ground water flow
ing beneath the surface and out of sight.
In either case the pollution must come
from surfaces above the source used.
Water will not flow up hill. The ut
most care should be taken that the
germs of disease shall not be thrown
out by drains, sewers or on the open
ground above any source of water that
is used for domestic purposes. 1t is
not unusual now to see wells in use near
a dwelling and receiving its water below
the level OF the house A we'll so located
is continuous danger, If any enteric
diseases seize an inmate and the ex-
erements are deposited where the ground
water NAV receive them, sooner or lat
Al l.. r, 81
GUS germs. No matter how clear the
water may look, well near the house
and having its water surface far be-
low the level of the house is sure 10
receive ground water with all it car
ries of pollution from long distance
in every direction. The we'll affords an
outlet for the ground water and quiet
water held away from sunlight is ia
vorable to the life of disease germs.
A well is more dangerous to health
than a flowing spring. In Vermont the
springs that supply houses with water
are seldom below the level of the house
In few instances water my be thrown
up by using hydraulic ram; but usual
ly the spring lies at some distance from
the house it supplies, and well above
its level In such case it is wise
to see that no pollution or poison can
come to the spring from a neighboring
house, not merely through surface wa
ter running openly into the spring, but
through the ground water. 1t must
be remembered that spring is not sup
piled from hidden reservoir of water.
Rain furnishes the water, and it comes
down from the little depression above
it, more or less remote, in the shape of
ground water.
Most of the farm houses in Vermont
have private supply of water from well
Or spring. Upon the owner depends the
of this source of supply. The !
lives of the family depend upon the pur-
ty OF the water. Very possibly the |
same source has supplied the family for |
but even this should not |
prevent the present occupant of the farm |
rom careful examination of the prob |
,ble flow of the surface and ground water
hat forms the supply. Conditions may
nave changed; new houses may have |
been erected; new sewers laid; new
,rivies set up.
The protection of public water supplies
'ests usually with public officers or with
he directors of incorporated water COM
,anies. Their responsibilities are great.
t is their duty to protect the waters
lsed by the public from all disease germs.
{ the sources used for the supply of
public water lie in cultivated ground, the
LANCER of disease is great. A single case
# typhoid fever, unskillfully cared for,
nav poison hundreds