Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-01-18
Doslng Water With Chemicals


The use OF coagulants in purifying water is OBJ
jected to by many citizens who wish to have their
water pure and note "dosed with chemicals, or
otherwise changed into manufactured soft drink.
AS an illustration OF what they object to, st.
Louis last year treated its water with 1928 tons
Of lime, 1909 tons Of sulphate OF iron, l,4l5 tons
OF sulphate OF alumna and twenty-eight tons OF
chlorine total OF nearly 10000 tons OF "chemi-
GALS The popular objection to such treatment
has, in several cases, interfered with the adop-
ton of rapid filtration with its necessary accom-
psniment OF coagulation.
Most OF this objection centers about the two
words pure" and chemical" The purest water
to be found outside laboratory contains mineral
matter in solution, and If it did not the taste
would be so fiat that most would refuse to drink
it. Probably any citizen would be satisfied that
water direct from deep we'll is pure, according
to his standard Of purity. An analysis OF well
water, taken at random from a report on the wat
ers of Illinois, gives the water from well III
feet deep as containing potassium nitrate, potas
stun chloride sodium chloride. magnesium chlor
ide, magnesium sulphate, aumna and silica. Ger
tanly any chemist that proposed dosing public
water supply with mixture like that would be
driven out OF town, and yet each gallon OF this
pure" water contained 50 per cent more by
weight of these minerals than was the total
weight OF chemicals added per gallon to the St
Louis supply in treating it.
II we consider the Mississippi river water at ST.
Louis, we find dissolved in this the same minerals
in the well water referred to, but in greater
quantities. The amount of chemicals applied in
the filtration plant totaled only about half OF the
total amounts contained originally in the water
and the effect OF these was such that the water
as it left the plant, contained only three-fourths
as much dissolved minerals as the pure" well
water above referred to.
1t is important to note, also that although
lime was added to the water, it was all precipit.
tated and retained in the plant and removed half
of the lime originally contained in the river water.
OF the sulphate of alumina and sulphate of iron
added, only 06 OF per cent was to be found in
the effluent and if customer should drink ten
glasses Of the filtered water day, he would have
to keep this up for l8 years to obtain one ounce
Of these chemicals. On the other hand, the addi-
ton of this minute amount of chemicals resulted
in removing from the water ESQ times as much
OF the minerals already dissolved in river water.
So much for the dosing" and spelling the "pur-
ity" of the water.
As to the word Chemicals" These consisted,
as they do in practically all publication plants, OF
lime, which is already contained to greater or
less extent in most spring and we'll waters; iron,
which is also found in most ground waters and
sulphatc Of alumina, the popular name Of which
is alum While to a chemist effecting chemical
combination, these matters are chemicals when
called by their popular names it is seen that they
substances familiar to the ordinary citizen and
not thought of by him as being chemicals. IT,
instead OF being informed that chemicals were
added to the water, he were told that the mate
rails and amounts contributed to the water which
he drinks in one day would be equivalent to that
obtained by placing in said water the smallest
visible particle of limestone and Of alum and
stirring the water for minute or two with an
iron spoon, it would seem probable that his hor-
ror of the use of the chemicals" would be dis
PEELED, The additional information, proved by
figures, that half of the cities of the country OF
any size are now hltering their water supplies
should complete his conversion.