Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-05-11
WHY LIQUID CHLORINE
IS USED FOR WATER
Maryland Health Board Required
Supply to be Treated.
INSISTING ON FILTRATION.
State and City Sanitary Officials Ap-
prove Publication Method at
Reservoirs.
Editor Evening Capital:

your issue of yesterday. and the head
ing placed upon it, il seems to be evi-
dent that very erroneous impression
prevails with the letter-writer and
the writer of the heading as TO the An
napolis water supply and the aims and
objects of the three city directors
charged with the management of the
Annapolis Water Company.
Mr.. Rullman states that the supply
coming from springs known to him
since boyhood does not need purifica-
ton, and speaks of "the present man
ayers of the Annapolis water plant
trying to improve onGod's fresh spark
ling spring water" He speaks solely
in opposition to what he calls "chlori-
mated water" while the heading on his
letter is Experienced Correspondent
Wants to Know Why Filtration is Nee
essary?" Mr.. Rullman takes a posi-
tive stami against any necessity for
purifying our water supply by the one
standard method as to providing for
its being made clear by filtration he
does not speak in the body of his letter
The management of the Annapolis
Water Company must bear its own re-
possibilities. Water publication is
not our invention, nor was it thrust
upon Annapolis by us. If the condi-
tion of the supply has been as Mr..
Rullman asserts, or there was no rea-
son to take any precaution to prevent
water borne disease among our people
in the future; if purifying of the water
is useless, Mr.. Rullman is not to be
blamed. He has stated his opinion
both from the standpoint of personal
and medical knowledge, ami we can
only regret that it is in fiat disagree
ment with that of the State Board of
Health of Maryland, whose head. DR..
William III. Welch, has a worldwide
reputation as scientist and santa
rian; and which board numbers in its
membership, clothed with official au-
thority, certain prominent medical
citizens, and has as it's secretary and
executive officer, DR.. John S. Fulton
whose whole professional life has
been spent in sanitary work
That the Board thought far different
%.
may be seen from a letter to us by one
of its executives, Chief Engineer Rob
ert b. Morse, as follows:
This Department believes that
radical steps should be undertaken
for improving the Annapolis water
supply. 1t is necessary that the
water be treated at once with
liquid chlorine, and this treatment
should be continued without inter
ruption. No surface supply of
water can be considered absolute
ly safe unless the water is treated.
While adequate disinfection of the
water is all that would be abso-
lutely required by this Department
at once, it is felt that the CON
struction of a filtration plant
would be desirable, and, if posi-
BILE, such a plant should be in
stalled"
The liquid chlorine system at the
water works was installed in pursu-
ance of this requirement of the State
Board of Health This Board is not
only to be thought fully competent to
advise the managers of a public water
supply, but has the fullest power and
authority, in the interests of the pub
lie health and safety. under the laws
of the State, to command, and, if nee
essary in its discretion, to take over
the control and operation, at the ex-
pense of the community, of any public
water supply in Maryland.
Whether chlorine, mixei with the
water in the ratio of less than three
| pounds to the million gallons, imparts
| any odor or taste to the relatively
small quantity an Individual uses !;
whether it is the efficacious agent in
water publication the sanitary au-
| thorities of the world claim it is, are
questions they may be assumed to have
long since determined.
! We believe Dr. Welch and his col
I leagues of the State Board know their
business and would not insist upon
adequate disinfection of the water
unless it was a scientific and sanitary
necessity. We have endeavored. with
our duty to the whole people of Annap-
/ oils before us, to comply with the ex-
pressed wishes of the Board in other
things. Ii recommended the con-
struction of IAN impounding reservoir
of adequate capacity and of proper
| surroundings. The existing reservoirs
ares mall and shallow. and near them
are swampy areas which render. al
certain times of the year. the water OF
undesirable quality" We have Just
completed work to enlarge the reser-
voir capacity so that for years to come
there will be no scarcity of water al
any time of the year, under plans ap-
proved by the State Board and made in
pursuance TO this recommendation in
the letter before referred to:
IL is strongly recommended that
YOU secure the services of compe
tent engineer. thoroughly expert
enced in this line of work, to make