The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-09-25
N. D. STREAMS need
PURIFICATION
HEAD OF PUBLIC HEALTH LAB.
oRAToRY AT STATE U. GIVING
REPORT or WORK IN THIS
STATE, DECLARES POLLUTION
MUST sToP, ..,r

The success which North Dakota
mas met In the solution or a practical
problem has attracted the attention
OF a numbe of states throughout the
country. In consequence Of this, meas
ures were taken to procure q report of
the results of the investigation made
py the public health laboratory of the
University Of North Dakota on the
purity or natural ice from polluted
The report of this Investigation was
given last week in Chicago by Dr'
Gustav f. Ruediger, director of the
puolic health laboratory of the Uni
Vers1ty OF North Dakota, at the fifth
annual melting of the Natural Ice as
%s0clatlon Of America. Experts from
az parts or the country were in at
tehuance n many problems were
given consideration. and taken under
adVlsement. From the point of view
OF health. these problems demand and
are receiving more and more attention
every year..
Streams Need Purifying.
EVERYBODY who has given the mat
yer any thought is fully aware that
nearly all streams in America are so
neaVlly polluted with sewage and
otner wastes that their waters are an
Llrely NIT for drinking purposes, lin
less they are subjected to some process
Oh pur1lc2tlOn.
me situation is made even more
serious because practically all factory
wastes. creamery and brewery wastes
inu their way into the rivers and not
infrequently there is found floating
there the carcass of some dead animal
AS d result some of the streams In
Amerlca nave already become so foul
HnaI the are entirely unsuited for
outdoor sports and recreation and
their waters are so bad that It Is Al
most impossible to bring about a suf-
ncleht degree Of publication TO render
them safe and suitable for drinking
and cooking purposes.
FOR THESE reasons measures will be
taken to put a stop to this wholesale
pollution of lakes and rivers. The Man
Is TO have these wastes distributed on
the land where they may enrich the
SOIL; also the waters are to be purified
py means of one of the processes thai
nave been perfected.
Samples of Ice Examined.
Inc TACT that ice supplies are de-
rived from these heavily polluted riv.
ers ana lakes adds to the seriousness
or the situation as it Is necessary thai
the ice be used in the condition in
NnIch 1t is found when harvested.
without being subjected to any process
Of publication.
IN the investigation made by the
puollC health laboratory, samples Of
zee were taken from many of the
rivers and lakes in North Dakota and
minnesota, n a comparison made Of
enese samples, many of which were
FOUND to be perfectly satisfactory. az
though the water from which the ice
haa formed was found to be heavily
po!luted with sewage.
The analyses show that natural ice
as found in this section of the country
contains only a small portion of the
impurities found in the water from
which the ice is derived.
Freezing a Purifying Process.
inns is due to the fact that the
water IN freezing excludes nearly ali
OF the Foreign matter and the ice rep
resents almost absolutely pure water,
me matte Of ice being a process Of
EnysealIzatlon and capitalization be-
ing a process Of publication.
H. however, q small amount of poI-
tuteo water flows upon the surface of
lreezine ice, the impurities in it can
not De excluded. When this water
freezes because the entire mass of this
s1nall amount of water freezes solid
and the bacteria and filth must re-
main in it.
RMS emphasizes the fact that ice
must not be harvested from q place
Lnat IS subject to surface pollution
win sewage and other filth. It is
.o"LIu dISo Lnat Ice with dark Streaks
IN 1t may contain an abundance If
both organic and inorganic impurities.
such ice should not be stored in the
ice house for future use, but should
be discarded at the time when the ice
is harvested.
The results Of the analyses show
Lurther that ice taken from very
heavily polluted water below the out
let of sewers Is by no means free
from organic impurities, nor from
sewage bacteria. Ice taken from a
source like the Red Lake river above
Grand Forks sewers, the Red Lake
river above East Grand Forks, and
the Missouri river above the outlet of
the Bismarck sewers, is as free from
sewage pollution and, therefore, as
safe for drinking purposes as the av-
erage Uttered water.
In fact, there are very few sand
filters in this section of the country
that bring about as high a degree Of
bacterial publication at all times al is
brought about by nature in the pro-
cess of freezing.
The process OF freezing r~ernovesi
also the inorganic, constituents of the
water, which are not removed by any
or the sand filters.
Ice Net SteriIized.
Analyses show also that ice may be-
come contaminated with bacteria bv