New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1916-06-07
CITY WATER SUPPLY
GIVEN STATE TEST
ARE AT VARIANCE
WITH FACTS GIVEN IN
FIELD DATA
SUPPLY is FOUND ABSOLUTELY
SANITARY STILL NOT
RECOMMENDED

Members of the water committee and
health officer are at loss to understand
a report received few days ago by the
city officials from the state board of
health, ostensibly showing the condition
OF the city's water supply, but in reality
being so inconsistent and at variance
with the facts as to make it practically
worthless, until further explained by the
state board.
According to the report the investiga-
ton was made at the instigation of the
M. & St. L. Ry. Co. on April 20, and the
report is dated May 23rd.
After reviewing the conditions sur
rounding the water supply of the city
in four page preamble and finding every
thing absolutely in sanitary condition,
the water absolutely free from the bacillus
coli, a germ to which typhoid fever is
sometimes traced, the director making the
investigation winds up in the following
recommendation and conclusions:
"The permanent construction to be
placed on the top OF the casing for well
8 college HilD should be installed as
quickly as possible.
Recommendation S of the previous
report should also be complied with,
unless the local authorities have decided
to follow their plan of making the cisterns
water tight by lining them with con-
crete and filling the area around wells
l and 2 with clean sand. Data collected
at this time indicate this plan to be salts
factory if properly carried out .
According to Supt. Mueller and Health
Officer Seifert the recommendations made
by the state board of health last Deem
Der were complied with in every instance
and even this last report in it's field data
so states. The cisterns at the pump
station have not been in use for nearly
two years and have been filled with sand
since early last fall. There is no possible
chance of contamination at the plant,
the city officials claim, and the condition
of the water bears out this contention.
The field data contains this astounding
information: Instead of abandoning
the cisterns beneath the pumping station
filling them with sand, as recommended
in the report of December 10, 1915,
the local authorities have decided to re-
tain them and make them water tight
by concreting the interiors" Where
the investigator received this data the
city authorities are at loss to under
stand. There never has been any in
tention of using the cisterns again and
no one ever thought of ''concreting the
interior" The suggestion had been
made, according to Health Officer Seifert
to concrete the top of the cisterns, so as
not to allow water to percolate through :
the covering of sand, but the interior
never was considered.
Appended to the report are the follow
ing conclusions: ''The field survey showed
conditions were unsatisfactory from a
sanitary point of view, while in the anayl-
tical results indications of contamination
were not found. This supply therefore
can not be considered safe for public
consumption in its present condition.
Health Officer Seifert met with the
water committee Monday afternoon
and with them went over the situation
thoroughly. City officials were of the
opinion that the requirements of the
state board of health had been met in
every possible manner and that the con-
illusions formed were not based on facts
evident from field data. The committee
decided, however, to put thick concrete
covering over the filled cisterns, although
this has never been asked for by the state
board.
The two sentences which are absolute
" at variance and conflicting read as
follows: "The analytical results showed
the water to be of good sanitary quality
and "This supply was not recommended
for public consumption.
The state board of health has been
appealed to for more definite construc-
ton of its findings.
Reports that the so-called fshermen's
case was to be tried this week we're with
out foundation, neither the county at
torney nor the attorneys for the de-
PENDANTS seeming very anxious to 90
ahead with the case at the present time.
County Attorney Frederickson is of the
opinion that the newspapers should be
given full opportunity to try the case