Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-01-04
The Waste Of Arts.ian Water.

1t Is the same old story Of Waste
and Want"
We think little Of our own future
interests and nothing at all Of the in
terests Of those who come after u.s.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil
thereof Is our motto in relation to
every natural resource which a wise
Greater has stored up for us.
Our wanton waste Of artesian water
is merely a repetition OF the story Of
natural gas. of oil, and coal, and for
est. We think nothing Of flaming
wells of gas and lurid lakes OF oil: Of
coal mines wrecked by wasteful min
ing and forest fires which darken the
face Of the sun. It is enough II to-
day be provided for. We exhaust, in
year, products sufficient for CEN
fury. We blaze our trail with waste
and ruin and leave the world vastly
poorer than we found it.
1t has taken long ages to store our
artesian reservoirs with their invalu-
able waters. For centuries the water
has percolated into these sandstones
until the point Of saturation has been
reached. Enough. and to spare. has
been provided for US and for those
who come after us for centuries to
come.
But wanton waste will lower the
fountain head, and water which now
seems free as air will soon be diff
cult to obtain.
The supply of artesian water while
immense Is not inexaustible. 1t can
not forever flow and not run out.
Even with careful use, at times the
head Is lowered and other supplies
must be sought At Boone, the natur-
al growth OF the city so lowered the
head that another supply has become a
necessity. At Keokuk the flow has
markedly lowered, and at Fort Dodge
the flow ia materially less than 1t was
a year ago.
At Keokuk the waste Of artesian wa
ter has been little short Of criminal.
The immense flow there has long been
used for its weight only-being uttl-
lied to run dynamos for city lights. The
! flow has rapidly lessened under this
i'll advised use, and the great posi-
| bilities for a permanent supply OF pure
water for that city have been serious
ly impaired.
The conditions at Fort Dodge be-
ing typical Of this awful waste-and
its attendant circumstances most ia
mailiar to mel detail briefly our ex-
perience here.
Upon the completion Of our artesian
system Of three wells about year
and a half ago, the flow from the
wells was fifty per cent in excess OF
the needs Of the city Nearly all this
water, which gushes forth from the
ground, has been permitted to run TO
waste at night. and. before the head
became lowered, much Of 1t ran to
waste during the day as well. A pri-
vate well at packing plant. draining
the same artesian basin, also flows to
waste both day and night. The COM
bined result has been a gradual lower
| ing Of the head. and the flow is al
ready twenty-five per cent less than
1t was q year ago.
No amount Of entreaty that valves
be placed upon the pipes to hold the
water in the ground until needed for
use, could prevail against the notions
OF councilman that "the wells would
+, thus become stopped up and cease to
| flow"
Meanwhile. there being no statute
! upon which to proceed, this intelligent
community IL compelled TO SIT down
and see one of It's most valuable assets
run to waste.
AS our experience here is likely to he
reproduced many times over thruout
the state. II Is greatly to be desired
that the coming legislature will wisely
act along lines similar to these al
ready adopted in California and Other
states. to conserve these valuable wa
ters for our future needs and for the
needs OF those who come after US.