Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-08-13
CHIEF ENGINEER MORSE
VISITS WATER WORKS
Gives Official Statement At Request
OF This Paper.
NO FILTRATION PLANT
Causes Annapolis Water Drinkers Same
Danger As Skating On Thin Ice
The Reasons.
Communicated
Evening Capital,
Annapolis, Md.

Annapolis, Md
Dear Editor:-You have written me
a letter in which you ask for a state
ment as to present conditions at the
Annapolis water works and as to the
reason why a filtration plant has not
been constructed, according to the
recommendation of the State Board
of Health.
Complying with a request of the di-
rectors of the Annapolis Water Com
pany, | accompanied them yesterday
on visit to the reservoirs and pump
ing station | had been informed that
water supply, but it was with great
surprise that / found the conditions
so serious as upon inspection they ap-
peared to be.
There is very lite water even in the
clear water reservoir, and the settling
basins are practically emptied Be-
sides this. the large distributing
reservoir is at a low stage. Annapo-
upon practically nothing more than
the natural stream flow, which is at
present below the daily consumption.
If a long period of drought occurs, as
il is liable to do at this time of year,
the water supplied by the streams
would be much less even than it is at
present, and the daily yield in a per-
iod of extreme drought, basing judg-
ment upon recorded data for other
similar water-courses, may fall as
low as 100000 or 100000 gallons per
day. AS the average daily water con-
sumption in Annapolis is now 1,100,-
600 or 100000 gallons per day, and
will naturally increase during long,
hot and dry period, it can easily be
seen how critical the situation is.
1t will now be necessary, for the
sake of safety. to collect in the reser-
voirs every bit of water yielded by the
streams, no matter how turbid a sharp
shower may make it, 1t will be much
better to serve muddy water than to
have to shut off the supply for hours
each day Unless rainfall does come
before a long, dry spell, it may be
necessary as it is, to shut off the water
at times or else TO take drastic steps
to curtail its use.
There is sufficient impounding ca
pacity in the reservoirs to take care
of the present needs of the city, but
there has been, during last spring and
the early part of this summer, long
period of frequent heavy rains, which
has caused the streams all over this
section of the State to present con-
dition of unusual and persistent tur-
bidity. Owing to this fact it was
thought, necessary by your water
works officials to allow large portions
of the turbid flood flow to pass away
through the waste channel The dry
conditions succeeding the long, wet
period have caused the stream flow to
decrease more rapidly than it was
natural to expect and. therefore. the
condition of low water in the reser-
voirs has arisen.
1t will be possible to help, to a GER
tain extent, through the placing in
use of the deep wells near the pump
ing station, but there is only one way
permanently to insure against re-
currence of the present unfortunate
situation, and that is to construct the
proposed filter plant with the greatest
possible haste. With this plant in
operation, it viii be practicable to
waste only that portion of the high
water flow which, for want of capac-
ity, cannot be retained in the reser-
voirs for the filter plant will be able
satisfactorily to clarity the turbid
waters.
The seriousness of the lack of fill
tration plant cannot be exaggerated;
the people of Annapolis are skating
on thin ice and if drought occurs
now or at any time before this plant
is constructed, they will realize this
fact. to their misfortune.
The reason why the filter plant has
not already been installed is mat
ter of record. Annapolis is now pass
inc through the same stage that most
other cities and towns do when the
question of constructing a water fil-
tration plant is being agitated- There
are in all places obstructionists to
every municipal Improvement, but it
has always seemed that the proposal
to filter a water supply. although in
most cases the improvement which is
most necessary and from which the
greatest profit to community can be
realized, arouses more opposition
than any other proposed public ex-
penditure of money.
1t is useless here to reiterate the
arguments for filtration of Annapolis
water. | wrote you my views last
February and / understand that you
published the letter. Later | discussed
the question of filtration at public
meeting in Annapolis. This depart
ment, as in all other instances, de-
sires to make the inhabitants OF a
community see the need for water and