Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1917-07-07

by the city .............. lao
No added during Is mos. -. 6
No. renewed ....l..........
No privately owned ..r..... %
No. street valves added -.
No. metres in service -. $50
The amount of water pumped is
based on plunger displacement and
a per capita consumption basis OF
10000 population. fractional parts
of pounds, feet and gallons are not
considered in the above report. All
ton is in apparent good condition.
For some time past on the 10th day
of each month four samples of water
taken from different points in the
system are sent to the State labora-
tory at lMorganstown for analysis, and
while at times the sample taken from
the spring is reported suspicious, by
the use OF q small amount of chloring
Ions more than the daily average of
daily We are supplying to the con-
sumner as pure water as is supplied
anywhere, and scarcely anywhere is
there as little effort made on the
part of the consumers to conserve it.,
as this report will show, as compared
with the report of 1915. The daily az
erage in this report is 100000 gal
1915 The difference in the highest
days pumpage is 232,500 more than
in 1915. The per capita consumption
has increased from 106 to 113 gal. If
this increase continues it will mean
not only an electric pump at the pump
ing station, but an increase in water
supply and larger mains in our dis
tribution system The $4,000 pro-
vided in the bond issue for the Fire
Department will be of little or no
avail in case of large CONFEDERATION,
as we are now during this hot dry
spell, pumping about all the water
the springs are delivering. The sup
ply line running from the springs to
the reservoir, to the pumping station
is and always has been in a very
leaky condition and could never be
repaired without putting the whole
system out of commission for some
I time, which cannot be done. This line
should be replaced with q new one
and the reservoir should be made sew
eral times the size of the present one
and this waste of water by the con-
sumner materially reduced if the wa
1 ter department is expected to do adj
equate service in case of large fire.
After more than five years With this
department j am thoroughly convinc-
ed that the only way to sell water is
by meter and no pay, no water; put
the burden where it belongs. There
is no city or town in this country
that sells water by metre that does
not give a better service and does
not report lower per capita con
sumption than cities and towns sell
ing on a fiat rate. The water depart
1ment IS the greatest dSSeSt CHls city
has and as / have just said, the most
! abused Hundreds of sprinkling hose
!, are in use daily and might say
nightly, as some are allowed to run
all night, and children use them to
play with and if no more of them
i. are paid for than ! see license tags
: where they are in use, very little rev
enue indeed is procured from their
use. Another class of people who
waste an enormous amount of water
are the concrete builders, stone ma
sons, brick layers and plasterers. Not
one cent do they pay for the water
they use and waste and wherever
you see them at work, nine times out
+ OF ten you viii find the water run
Il