The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1916-11-03
SOFT WATER SUPPLY
UNDERNEATH PALATKA
Can be Tapped for $4,000
Says j. Leonard Burt.
Editor Palatka News:

Editor Palatka News:
Suffering Palatka is still speculat-
ing on her water problem. The News
-McNally controversy of week or
so ago had the virtue of prompting
some independent cogitation and from
the mental achives of otherwise busy
minds comes the solution. Palatka
is squatting on the Reservoir that is
the source of the present soft water
supply that is now controlled by the
Boston company, and for the meas
ley sum of $4,000 can tap it and
secure her share of the millions of
gallons stored there. Three Sin. wells
with pump attachment, will produce
approximately 10000 gallons per hour.
She has all the equipment except
wells and pumps and there seems no
reason why the dream of good water
should not be realized at a minimum
of cost.
These facts have been evolved from
the result of certain survey of the
phosphate beds underlying Palatka
Heights. Certain federal geological
, surveys were studied in pursuit of
that work, which indicated two phos-
| phate beds, in some places, lying
above a porous rock formation that
J confines the first water table at a
depth of 60 ft to 220 ft. The res
: ervoir there formed is the source OF
/ White Water Branch; the Etoniaf
l stream, of which Mr.. Bailey is most
justly proud; many of our nearby
= fresh water lakes and a generous con-
: tributor to the st. Johns River. The
water has trace of mineral matter
S in its natural reservoir but nature
r eliminates that feature by sundry fill
n trations before she delivers it to thu
e surface, the phosphate deposit!
= through which it is forced neutraliz
S ing the mineral matter and the clay
: and sand deposits above further com
: pleting the operation of purifca ton
/ Where the last strata of earth hap
e pens to be contaminated with decay
! cd vegetable matter the water be
= comes undesirable.
: When Palatka sank the first vel
= for her present plant, she struck tha
: water table, discarded it owing to lacl
S of flow and continued down to tn
n second water table which produces al
t artesian flow and the water of whicl
is heavily impregnated with minera
matter. That is what she is tryin.
to digest to-day. However! befor
that was done Mr.. G. Loper Bale,
: conceived the idea of conserving tn
: water from the first table by install
+ ing deep set reservoirs. After gcner
ously spending about 100000 person
i, ally on the project, he discarded it a
inadequate. The belief has been ex
q pressed that had Mr.. Bailey's engin
: eer or the city's engineer installed al
% adequate deep-well pump, Palatk
: need never have been annoyed wit
q her present quality of water. As ev
% idence of that fact, the MacGrego
Estate and S. L. Lyon of Palatk
Hights each have four inch well tan
ping the first water table. The frs
has a depth of POI feet in which tn
n water rises within 40 feet of the sur
Is face; the second a depth of 100 fee
I. in which the water rises to With
l. 80 feet of the surface. With prope
E. deep well cylinder and 2 horse ga
g engine those wells have each produt
IS ed 1000 per hour over 10 to II hou
i periods without the least disturbanc
v of the supply volume. The city's fire re
or scrvoir stands in an angle with thes
&c two wells, and at the same altitud
/ Three Sin wells on that property wi
ne be bonanza. The trace of mil
Oh eral is promptly eliminated up ae,
"a alton, leaving a perfectly soft waite
ID as the water tables drift east, loc,
er ton of the wells is suggested on II
ne hill to eliminate any possibility
C. contamination from the present one
ne Several of Palatka officials are awal
IN of these facts, so | can but join IL
a wondering multitude in speculatir
is on their procrastination in putting P;
IN latka back on the map of the so
ID water world.
IN J. LEONARD BURT.
If Palatka Nov. I'd, 1916.